ON AIR

by Hadley Quinn

  I’d come to the same conclusion. And yes, I’d considered the possibility that Jessica had lied to me to gain sympathy, but then I recalled Emmet’s initial response to my outrage when he’d said there was more to the story. He’d basically implied that life had been balanced out in some form. I suppose if Hailey had been convicted, Jessica would have had to go back to live with her grandparents. And if she was willing to face jail time, I guess it was the better alternative.

  I didn’t want to think about it anymore, although it did make me contemplate how life really was balanced out sometimes. Maybe we don’t always see the silver lining when we’re going through our trials. All we tend to focus on is what we’ve lost or what we’re struggling with. Search a bit deeper and perhaps you’ll find your blessing in disguise.

  I thought about my struggles with Natalie, and as I subtly glanced at her while she drove, I realized I had a stronger appreciation for who she was as a person. I saw her in a completely different light. Yeah she was feisty and stubborn, but I believe that could be termed “passionate.” She loved hard and was willing to fight for what she wanted.

  Natalie glanced at me and then did a double take when she realized I was staring at her. She arched an eyebrow at me, but I only smiled. My thoughts automatically jumped from one Natalie memory to another, and all of them made me hope for more. I just needed to prove to her I was ready, but most importantly, needed to be sure of it myself.

  I reached over to hold her hand…and felt an instant rush of emotion ripple through my arm and settle right smack in my heart.

  And that’s when I finally learned what the hell a spark felt like.

  Epilogue

  two months later

  “I’m getting pissed off, Dane,” Natalie groaned. “You know I hate surprises just as much as you do.”

  “Well at least I didn’t tell you I had a surprise for you and then make you wait three weeks,” I argued as I drove. “That was a dick move.”

  Her smile was a bit wicked. I could tell she was thinking about it but also agreeing. “True,” she shrugged. “But there’s something really sexy about seeing you agitated and sometimes desperate.”

  “Mmhmm. How many times did you use the line, ‘Maybe I’ll tell you if you take me right here on the counter’ ?”

  She laughed out loud. “Not as many times as I wanted to.”

  I eyed her. She had no shame whatsoever. But it did bring up some good memories. Not only bathroom and kitchen counters, but against the wall in the hallway, the workbench in the garage, the tool shed out back…

  We’d been dating seriously for two months now. Ever since the weekend in Seattle, it was a done deal. That was one of the best weekends of my life. I had everything in those three days. I had baseball, good food and drinks, and a woman who I felt was my match in every way possible. Most of all, I had happiness. True happiness. It had nothing to do with three days of amazing sex (it definitely helped), but everything to do with whose company I had to share it with. I think once I’d resolved some issues with my parents’ death and I’d realized how much I wanted to be with Natalie, everything else just made sense.

  Maybe the universe was just waiting for me to make a damn decision and now I didn’t have a single doubt.

  “Okay, we’re almost there,” I said as I took an exit twenty minutes outside of Portland.

  The look on Natalie’s face was more of a frown. “Really?”

  Upon heading a bit north, I assumed she’d thought we were on our way to Seattle for the weekend since that’s usually the only reason we’d travel that way.

  I didn’t respond and just made a right at the bottom of the off-ramp. She was rambling all sorts of guesses for where we were headed, even adding, “I know a plastic surgeon who lives out here. Are we getting my boobies done?”

  I chuckled but shook my head. “Nope, your boobies are perfect.”

  My phone rang and my truck answered it automatically.

  “Hey, Dane, I’ve finally got some news for you,” Emmet’s voice came through the speakers.

  “What kind of news?”

  “You remember those flowers you got a few months back? With the spiders?”

  I almost rolled my eyes. How the hell could I forget? “Yes, I might kind of remember that.”

  He chuckled at my sarcasm. “Well I’ve got the story behind it. There is no imminent danger on your life.”

  “Well that’s good to know. So what’s the story?”

  “Are you familiar with your neighbors down the street, Brad and Cecilia? He’s thirty-ish, avid golfer, probably has a collection of polo shirts; she’s early twenties, short, black hair, drives a Mini Cooper?”

  I nodded to myself. “Yeah, yeah, I think I do. The golfing and Mini Cooper ring a bell. So what about them? I’ve never even spoken to either of them.”

  “Nah, you didn’t do anything wrong. Seems that she’s got a crazy ex who’s been harassing her for months—she’s had to change her number, email, all that. But long story short, the spider flowers were for her. Motherfucker delivered to the wrong house. The last two digits of your address are the reversal of hers. Apparently he realized his mistake at some point and another set was delivered a week later to the right house. Anyway, I was catching a conversation about it at work so I asked questions and found all this out. She finally petitioned for a restraining order. The ex is kind of a whack job.”

  I let the information sink in, but Natalie said, “The fuck?”

  Pause. “Oh hey, Nat.”

  “Hi, Emmet.”

  “So yeah,” he added. “There you go, Dane.”

  “Wow, that’s…that explains things. I guess.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, go figure. Anyway, sounds like you’re driving. Just thought I’d fill you in. If you want, I can give the guy some trouble for the trouble he’s caused you,” he joked.

  Laughing, I shook my head. “Nah, I’m just glad I have answers. God, that’s been driving me nuts.”

  “Yeah, me too, kid. Alrighty, I’ll let you two go. Take care.”

  “You too.”

  The line clicked. I drove in silence for a bit, thinking about how much one occurrence in life can turn out to be so inconsequential. At the end of the day, so many things don’t really matter.

  There were more important events, like the one I was currently facing.

  Navigating into a newer residential area, I began my lead-up to Natalie’s surprise. “So a while back I designed a house. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out, so I wanted to share it with you.”

  Her face softened. “Aw, that’s sweet, Dane. I love doing these drive-bys.”

  Smiling, I slowed in front of a pale yellow home with a huge front porch. It was on a half-acre lot, as were all the other homes in this neighborhood. It was a beautiful area and even had an easy view of the mountain in the distance.

  I put my truck in park and stepped out. Natalie was confused at this point because we’d never actually gotten out of the car at one of my designs. I opened the door for her and she stepped out. Leading her to the front porch I said, “We can tour this one.”

  She smiled at me. “Really? Cool!”

  I unlocked the door and held it open for her. She gasped when she entered; her reactions were going to be enjoyable to watch.

  “My dream fireplace,” she sighed. “That is so beautiful.”

  The front room had a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. Natalie walked to it and ran her fingers alone the mantle. I trailed behind her as she toured the house. I even videoed her when she wasn’t looking. Her reaction in the kitchen was expected as she admired the cherry cabinets and the large breakfast bar that faced the family room.

  And her response to the master bathroom and walk-in closet were absolutely priceless. I knew the huge soaking tub and all the custom shelves and drawers in the closet were her dream.

  She turned to me just as I slipped my phone away into my pocket. “Someone crawled inside my brain with all these finishing
touches. I don’t know if I should be pleased or jealous. Well no, I’m extremely jealous. This house is absolutely beautiful. Who does the interior for the houses you draft?”

  I shrugged. “Whoever the homeowners want to use, just like the contractors. I just do the prints for the construction company to build.”

  She nodded. “Well if I’m ever in the position to build my own house, I’ll need a few names,” she chuckled.

  Smiling, I took her hand and led her back into the master bedroom. I’d thought I’d be extremely nervous for this moment, but I was actually quite excited.

  “Well the only thing you’ll be needing is decorating ideas, Nat, because this house is for you. Well, for us.”

  Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She stared at me for a few seconds before blurting out, “What!?”

  “I hope I got it right,” I shrugged. “But if there’s something you want to change, we can do that before we move in.”

  “I don’t- I can’t- I mean… How in the hell did you get every little thing right!? I mean not ‘right’, but just…perfect for me,” she sighed.

  “Hey, I may be clueless now and then, but I do pay attention to some details. And I’m also a bit sly when I get information out of you,” I winked.

  She slowly smiled. I’m sure she was remembering a few of the moments we’d been discussing something or commenting on a house, and in my own sneaky way I could say the right things to get her to share exactly what she’d want in a kitchen or a bathroom…or even the color of the house.

  “It’s pale yellow!” she gasped. “Oh my God.” She shook her head as she studied me for a few seconds. “I honestly can never top this, Dane. I could never in my life give you anything that even compares to—”

  I shut her up with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around my waist and held me tight as she returned the passion. Pulling back, I said, “I don’t expect anything in return, Natalie. Just your happiness. If you’re happy, then that is all I want.”

  She laid her head against my chest and exhaled. “I’m so happy I don’t even know what to say.”

  I held her close with one arm but slipped something else out of my pocket. “Just say yes to all of it.”

  She leaned back to look me in the eye, but I held up the ring right between us. Her hands flew to her mouth to cover the squeal of surprise that came out of it. I knew she thought the idea of kneeling down to ask was cheesy, so I chose not to do that. And I was already ahead of the game because we were alone; I knew if I’d done this in front of even just one other person, she would have been so embarrassed by the attention.

  See? I listen and learn.

  “What do you say, Natalie? On our own terms, when it feels right, and whatever works the best for us both. Will you marry me?”

  “YES!” She threw her arms and legs around me. “Yes, yes, YES!”

  I cradled her against me for almost a minute. She cried, which I was okay with but it kind of made me a bit misty-eyed too. Maybe I was turning a bit soft in my old age. I felt the same emotions that had hit me at my sister’s wedding the month before. As I danced with Natalie almost every single song, I couldn’t see myself with any other person in my life. I knew my feelings would never change.

  When she finally unwrapped herself from my body, I slipped the ring on her finger. Her hand was shaking, and she was trying not to jump up and down too much while I did the deed. It was so damn cute.

  “There’s only one thing left to do,” she said as she admired her ring with a smile.

  “What’s that?”

  Her eyes rose to mine with that familiar, sassy gleam. “Time to break in this house properly.”

  That’s my Natalie, and I was keeping her forever.

  The End

  If you enjoyed this story, here are other novels

  by Hadley Quinn:

  The McCallan Series

  Kiss This

  Tame This

  Only This

  Maybe This

  Saving This

  The Fighter’s Block series

  Donovan, Book I

  Cole, Book II

  Level Up

  IVORY

  Always Be the ONE

  You can connect with the author here:

  www.facebook.com/AuthorHadleyQuinn

  www.twitter.com/theHadleyQuinn

  www.instagram.com/theHadleyQuinn

  From the author:

  As always, I truly enjoyed creating this story. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it. I know there are so many amazing books out there to compete for your attention, and I’m honored you spent time on mine. I actually adapted the radio voice storyline from another novel I wrote years ago titled “Summer Swing.” I wanted to take that job on a different course with it’s own storyline and I’m so glad I did!

  Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged me, whether it has been just recently or since 2012 when I first published. To the authors, readers, and bloggers who have shared my releases, I thank you for your thoughtfulness. Hopefully I have, or will, pay back the kindness.

  During a time where much hatred has taken over the hearts of so many, I pray that you keep your chin up, improve your own life and family instead of judging others, and just be kind. We need more helpers in the world. Keep your mind open, keep your heart open, and… keep those books open to read!

  -Hadley