I knew that eventually everything was going to be okay. Some things just took a little time to straighten themselves out is all.
There was a knock at the door, and I smiled once more, happily answering it for the first time in ages. Nick looked good. More dressed up than I thought he was going to be, but I was still happy for it. He looked me over from head to toe, approval clearly on his face, then he took me in his arms.
“Are you ready?” he asked with a smile on his face, and I nodded.
“I’m going to grab my purse, and we can get going,” I told him.
“Great, the reservations are in like half an hour,” he said.
“Good thing I’m ready then,” I threw him a flirty glance over my shoulder, and he laughed.
“I’m sure they could have accommodated us if we were a few minutes late,” he told me.
“Maybe, but the rest of the world who has to live on a budget isn’t able to do things like that,’ I told him, and he laughed again.
“I live on a budget, it just happens to be a little fatter than most others,” he said with a grin. I shook my head, but I still had a smile on my face. It was hard not to smile, knowing that he and I were going to be parents, and knowing that he was going to be there for me through it all.
Of course, it wasn’t always going to be easy, but then, nothing in life ever was. As long as we had each other, I knew we could make it through anything. I grabbed my purse and swung it over my shoulder, glad that the nausea had finally subsided.
I didn't have nearly the morning sickness that I had dealt with at first, and I had much more of an appetite now. I was eager to get to the restaurant and eat.
We didn’t say much in the car on the way. I could tell there was something on Nick’s mind, and I assumed it had something to do with my brother. I knew he was hurting, having not spoken to him that I knew of for weeks. But I wanted to tell him that there was hope, too.
“I talked to David today,” I told him quietly.
“Really?” he asked, looking at me with surprise on his face. “What did he have to say?”
“Not much,” I told him. “He said that he wants to be in the baby’s life mostly. I ended the conversation pretty fast. I didn’t want him to feel awkward or anything, or for things to get tense again.”
“That was a good idea,” he said. We got to the restaurant and were seated at our table, but I wished I could figure out what was going through Nick’s mind. He seemed to be rather jumpy, as though he was nervous about something. He ordered the most expensive glass of wine that he could, then apologized when it came, and I couldn’t have any.
I laughed, rubbing my belly. “It’s okay. I think this is going to be worth it when it’s all said and done.”
We talked for a while about how things were going for me the past few weeks, and when I was going to tell my parents about the baby. They still didn’t know a thing about the kidnapping, either, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to bring that up without my mother wanting me to move back to Arizona as soon as possible.
“I’m just happy that I spoke to my brother,” I said at last. “I think he’s going to come around one of these days.”
“I think so, too,” Nick replied. “I happened to talk to him a couple of days ago, and I think he’s just taking the time to process everything.”
“You did?” I said in surprise. I thought he would have told me about that, but neither of them had mentioned it. Of course, he was free to talk to whoever he wanted, but it caught me off guard knowing that he had spoken to David but didn’t tell me.
But then, he made it even more of a surprise when he continued.
“I had something pressing on my mind that I wanted to talk to him about, so I went over to where he’s been staying to talk to him,” he said.
“Oh?” I asked. I was watching him as he spoke, trying to guess what he might have wanted to talk to him about. Of course, we both knew the baby was a big issue for him, but I still didn’t think it was big enough for him to show up on the doorstep of Candice’s place.
Nick smiled as he reached behind him, then he held up his finger for a moment. “I’ll tell you what we talked about in a second, but I had to ask you something first.”
My hands flew to my mouth as he got on his knee right next to the table, presenting me with the ring. “Liz, you are the love of my life. I have known that forever. It was so hard being away from you all that time, and when I thought I was going to lose you, I knew without a doubt I had to do whatever it took to bring you home. Now that you are back, and you are safe and so is the baby, I want to ask you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
At first, I couldn’t speak. I was in shock that the man of my dreams was proposing to me on bended knee. I thought he wasn’t capable of loving anyone like that, but here he was, on his knee in front of me and asking me to be his wife.
Finally, I nodded, and he slid the ring on my finger. I hadn’t even noticed that other people were watching, but as soon as I said yes, the cheers erupted around the room. It was hard for me to think straight, knowing that I was finally going to be married to Nick, after all the times I thought about it then told myself it wasn’t ever going to happen.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to your brother about,” he said as he nodded to the ring. “I wanted him to give his blessing on the marriage.”
“Did he?” I managed to ask after a minute.
“After he found out how much I loved you, and how I couldn’t live without you, he agreed,” Nick nodded.
“I love you so much,” I gasped. “I can’t wait until we get married and I get to be your wife. I’ve always loved you, too. I’ve known it for years, but I never wanted to tell you. I never told anyone.”
He laughed. “It feels good to have that truth out in the open finally, doesn’t it?”
“It’s about time you and I finally faced the facts that have been staring us in the face for years,” I agreed with a laugh of my own. “We kept telling everyone we were just friends, including each other, but now look at us.”
“Yes, just look at us. We are engaged for real this time, and nothing is going to change that,” he said.
I gasped, and he gave me a look. “Do you think we’re going to have to announce it all over again?”
Now, it was his turn to laugh. “I guess we might, or we might not. The investors are going to be happy either way, and that’s all we really care about.”
I smirked. I knew he didn’t care nearly as much about them anymore as he cared about us. He wanted a family, and he wanted me to be his wife. This wasn’t about the money anymore. It was about the fact that we were going to have a child, and we knew we loved each other.
I was more than eager to be his wife, and I knew it was going to be for real. There was nothing to hide, nothing to pretend. We were in love, and we wanted to share our lives together for the rest of our days. We were going to be damn good parents, I knew that, and I couldn’t wait for that chapter of our world to begin.
Our dinner was the best I could ever remember having, and we continued to laugh and chat about how funny it was we took so long to get together finally. I didn’t mind. It had been a journey, and I was glad that we were together now.
We both knew it was for real, and I didn’t have a doubt in my mind about how he really felt. We were meant to be together, and fate truly had brought us back to each other after years apart.
By the time dinner was done, I was thrilled to be heading back to his place. I wanted to show him just how much I truly did love him.
But I was going to let my body do the talking for me.
Chapter 34
Nick
I couldn’t believe how the past few days had turned my life around. There had been a time not long ago when I thought that my company was the most important thing in my life. But I now knew that wasn’t true. Liz was by far my number one, and the baby in her belly was a joy I never dared allow myself to feel before now.
I was
getting my relationship with my best friend back, and I knew the men that had taken Liz would never be able to hurt anyone again. It was just what I needed to win over the investors for good.
But, more importantly than anything was the fact that I finally put a ring on Liz’s finger, and she was going to be my bride. We had been through so much over the past few months, and so much in our lives up until this point, I couldn’t wait for us to move forward.
We would be a team, only from now on, we were going to be a real team who took care of each other. We didn’t have to hide anything any longer, and we would forever be able to have each other whenever we wanted.
I didn’t care what anyone at work thought. This was my love, and I was going to show affection to her whenever I damn well pleased.
And it was hard to keep my hands off her as we made our way back to my apartment. I knew she was going to want to come over after the dinner we had, and I was sure to make sure the bed was nice and fresh for her to lay on. It was hard even to make it to the bedroom, however, as we started making out as soon as the door was closed behind us.
We walked through the apartment, our hands all over each other. I put my hands to her tits as I kissed her. I let all the dreams and the fantasies that I had about her come rushing back to me, and I let myself do whatever felt good at the moment.
Neither one of us had to try very hard. We were too eager to get the other naked and in bed, we tore feverishly at each other’s clothes. I had her dress off her body and laying on the floor before she was able to roll my shirt from my shoulders, but she was still moving quickly. Her bra came off next, then my pants.
We were both nearly on the bed, our underwear the only thing that was stopping us from being completely naked, and I couldn’t take it another second. I pulled her panties down before doing what I knew she loved best. I put my mouth to her pussy, kissing her and teasing her with my tongue. She moaned, closing her eyes and arching her back so I could get to her harder.
She was wet, and I loved the taste of her juices in my mouth. It was far better than any of the desserts the restaurant had to offer, that was for damn sure.
Liz clutched the bed with her hands as I pleasured her, closing her eyes and making one of my favorite faces. Her mouth was in the classic O shape, and she looked like she was on top of the world. I could do that to her all night, but she was so turned on from the evening, she was already breathing fast and shallow.
I knew it wasn’t going to take long for her to come, and I was right. She let out a cry of pleasure, and I tasted as her juices flowed freely. She moaned on the bed, whispering my name as I continued to flick my tongue all around her clit.
“Oh, Nick, baby, what do you do to me?” she breathed.
“You’re about to find out what you do to me,” I said as I crawled up on the bed. I took off my boxers. My cock was rock hard, eager to be inside her. I grew hard at the thought of putting my mouth on her pussy, but when I did, there was no denying she made me harder than anything else ever did.
I lowered my hips, pressing the head of my cock against her, teasing her with it before pushing it inside her. She was so wet, and I was so hard, there wasn’t any need for me to use my hands to get it inside.
Liz cried out, spreading her legs wide to take me as deep as possible. I slid into her until my balls were right against her body, then I started thrusting into her. In and out, fast and hard. I had to fill her. I had to take her like the dream I’d had. I had to show her just how much I loved her.
She cried out, arching her back on the bed, running her nails down my back and making me cry out. She dragged her nails deep, now that I was her own there was no need to hold back, and I didn’t want her to. But I was still going to be in control.
I grabbed her hands and pinned them on the bed; then I moved them from the bed to her tits. I pulled my dick out of her pussy and pressed it between her tits, sliding back and forth, using the wetness from our love to fuck her cleavage. She closed her eyes, moaning and pressing her tits together so I could continue to fuck her.
“Roll over,” I told her. She smiled and did as she was told, but she didn’t get on her hands and knees. I knew that I would bring her to climax if she stayed down on the bed, so that’s where I kept her as I fucked her from behind. She was moaning, clutching the bed for a moment until she started crying out my name once more.
“I’m coming again!” she cried.
It was then that I knew I was going to come soon, too. I lifted her hips and kept her tits on the bed, fucking her with a passion. She moaned as I slid easily in and out of her, getting closer and closer to my own orgasm. I wanted to come with her, however, so I made sure I was listening to the clues she was giving me.
She was breathing fast and hard, and I was growing tense. I felt her pussy getting ready to tighten, and I knew she was about to climax. So, I thrust into her hard and fast a few more times, pushing her closer and closer until she finally let out the cry that let me know she was coming.
It was then that I released my own orgasm, and my cock started pulsing inside her, filling with her my load. She cried out, and I pushed into her as far as I could, holding her hips in place so I could get as deep as possible. I wanted her to take all of me. I wanted her to feel my cock as it emptied inside her.
I never wanted the moment to end, holding onto the feeling of us coming at the same time. I loved this woman more than I could express, and I was ready to start building our lives together.
As the orgasms faded, I eventually pulled out, laying on the bed next to her and pulling her up to me.
“I love you,” she breathed, and I grinned.
“I love you more,” I told her. “And I’m ready for you and me to start planning our real wedding. I mean, so much shit went down the last time we were engaged, I don’t want to stretch out this engagement any more than we have to.”
She laughed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you no matter what. We can get married tomorrow, or we can wait, we’ll see what happens.”
“We’re going to do whatever it is that makes you the happiest,” I promised her. And I meant it. I didn’t care what she wanted as long as she got the wedding of her dreams, then I was going to be happy with it. If she wanted a lot of people, we’d have it, if not, then we’d get married in secret like a lot of famous people did.
As long as I got to be married to her at the end of the day, then I was going to be the happiest man in the world. Shit, I already was. This was the love of my life, and she was in bed with me. Nothing else mattered. If she wanted to hire someone to plan the whole thing, that was fine, or if she wanted to do it herself, that was fine, too.
She could be in charge of everything if she wanted, I just wanted to know that she and I were going to be together for the rest of our lives. Let the company do what it may, let the kids come as they did; at the end of the day, she was my teammate, and I was going to stand with her no matter what.
The world could try to tear us apart like it had so many times in the past, but I wasn’t going to let a single thing come between us again. My life was finally coming together as it should have a long time ago, and I knew I had her to thank for it.
I would do anything to make this woman happy, and I was thrilled with the life we were going to build together. I didn’t care how long it took or how hard we had to work to make it happen.
As long as I had Liz right here with me at the end of the day, I could take on anything.
And I knew she felt the exact same way.
Epilogue
Liz - One Year Later
I stood at the alter with my hands intertwined with Nick’s. I couldn’t believe that the day had finally come. It had been a long journey, but it was finally happening. I was getting married to my best friend, the love of my life.
We had planned on getting married a lot sooner, but I decided I wanted to wait. I wanted us to come together as a family, and I wanted our son to be born before that h
appened. Little Nathan was a few months old now, and the ring-bearer, bringing the ring down the aisle in a little wagon drawn by my mother.
My father and mother had come to New York for the wedding, and they were thrilled at the chance to meet their grandson. Though it had come as a surprise to them to hear all that had happened, I knew they were happy for me and the way that my life had turned out.
They loved Nick like a son already, and we decided not to tell them that he and I had been together before. We didn’t want there to be anything that they might not approve of, and what they didn’t know didn’t hurt them anyway.
My brother was there, engaged to Candice and planning a wedding of their own. I was happy for the two of them, and I was getting along a lot better with Candice than I had been before. She was one of the bridesmaids, and my brother was the Best Man.
I was glad that he got to stand in the wedding, and that he had come around to the idea enough that he was willing to be there for both of us. He and Nick were back to being best friends, and my brother was playing a far more active role in the company than he had been before.
Now that the family was going to be joined officially, Nick talked about all the different things my brother could take on. He would be promoted, of course, and with that promotion would come a healthy pay raise. I was sure it wasn’t going to be long before he had actual stakes in the company.
We were doing so well, there wasn’t the need to have as many investors, and my husband was finally able to relax. Of course, his life was different now than it had been, and he wasn’t ever on the cover of tabloids. He had been given a great honor for his part in locking Rico up in jail, and we knew he wasn’t ever going to get out.
The streets were far safer for everyone, and there was no need for the tabloids to come stalking any longer. Sure, there were still times when they would try to snap a picture of us out with our son, but Nick was fiercely protective of Nathan and threatened anyone who got too close with a camera with a lawsuit.
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