“She does,” I agreed. I made a mental note to call her and say thanks, and also to stop being so annoyed by her therapist ways. “And she gave you Mia’s number?”
He nodded. “Yeah. She told me you’d left for the winery, and basically said, ‘If you want her, prove it.’”
I beamed. “I love Stella. Stella is amazing.”
“She is.”
“And what did Mia say?”
“Well, at first I could tell she wasn’t too keen on me. But after I explained myself, she was up for helping me try to win you back.”
I laughed. “I keep thinking about her checking the clock all night as we sat there drinking.”
“Oh yeah.” His eyes widened. “We were totally nervous about it. The timing was tight. I didn’t even get here until almost ten-thirty.”
Something clicked. “So it was Lucas who gave you the key when he went out to make a phone call.” I made little air quotes and rolled my eyes. “What a sneak!”
Nate grinned. “Yep. I texted him when I pulled up at the winery. Then I walked over to the house.”
“I still can’t believe it. Those two knew the whole time!” But I was so happy. I felt like this was a completely fresh start.
Nate glanced at the bedside clock. “I hate to say this, but I have to go soon. I need to pick up Paisley at three.”
“I’ll go too,” I told him, sitting up.
He looked distressed. “What? No, Em, you just got here. You should stay the weekend and relax. Visit with your cousin. Talk about the job. Which you can still take if you want. I mean that. We will make this work, no matter what.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said honestly. “I really was looking forward to it, but I love where I am now, too. Your firm doesn’t have a Traverse City office, does it?”
He shrugged. “No, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t find another job up here. People get divorced everywhere. Every day.”
I groaned as I hopped off the bed. “Naaaaaate.”
He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back into bed and hauling me across his lap. “Hey.”
“What?”
“We’re different.”
I raised one brow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” He kissed me and touched his forehead to mine. “Only you. Always you.”
Somehow, I knew it was the truth.
Three Months Later
NATE
* * *
Normally, I have a superior poker face. I don’t often have to use it outside of work, especially since Emme and I have been together, but every now and again, it comes in handy. Like when I want to surprise her.
Like tonight.
“I’m going to go pick up the food, okay babe?” I grabbed my keys off my new kitchen counter and went over to the couch where she was sitting with a freshly bathed Paisley on her lap. It was my first weekend in the new house—the Dutch Colonial I’d loved on sight—and Emme and I were going to celebrate our favorite way. Some takeout, some cocktails, some Bond.
“Okay.” She stood up, moving my daughter to one hip. Seeing them together always made me want to fall to me knees and thank God things had turned out the way they did. “Should I feed her?”
“Sure. Sorry everything is still such a mess in the kitchen. I swear I’m going to get it all put away this weekend.”
“I’ll help you. Maybe we can even get some boxes unpacked tonight.”
“Maybe.” There would be no fucking unpacking of boxes tonight, but she didn’t know that. “Be right back.” I went out the side door and got into my car, glad she couldn’t see the giant smile on my face.
I was also glad she was so trusting. Ever since I’d bought the house, I’d been saying things to her like, I’ve got everything I want now or My life feels so complete now that I have the house or I hope nothing ever changes with us. She believed me every time, and she always smiled and said she was glad, but I could see the question in her eyes… Does this mean you still don’t want to get married? Like, ever?
She never asked it, though. And I never brought up the subject, either, even though I’d been thinking about it every day since I brought her to the house and we walked around in it together. The gut feeling I got seeing her move through the empty rooms with a smile on her face was almost eerie—I knew in my heart we would live there together. We would make it our home. We would be a family.
And not only did I want it all, I wanted it all sooner rather than later.
So all that crap about feeling complete was all just part of the setup—I wanted her to be totally shocked tonight.
Stopped at a red light on my way to the restaurant, I glanced beside me at the passenger seat, where a little white bag rested. Inside were two fortune cookies.
And one ring box.
EMME
* * *
“Seriously, Paisley. What’s he thinking? Why can’t I tell?” I looked down at her face as she drank her bottle. “Do you think he’s still totally against marriage, or do I have a chance?”
I had taken to talking to Paisley about it, since my sisters were tired of hearing me worry that Nate might never change his mind if I wasn’t going to ask him about it, and I had promised myself I would not bring it up to Nate for at least six months. I didn’t want to pressure him. We were doing so well, and he was so open about his feelings now. By being patient, I was trying to prove to everyone and to myself that I could be patient and trust in the universe.
“See, I’ve thought a lot about this, Pais,” I went on, sitting her up to burp her. “We had geography on our side all the time—the apartments right across from each other. And timing, too. He happened to be getting home from work at the exact moment I locked myself out. That’s how we met, you know.”
She burped.
“Good girl.” I laid her back again so she could finish the bottle and kept babbling. “And how about his running into my sister at the grocery store the night we got back together? What if he’d gone to a different store? What if Stella hadn’t decided to pick up pork chops for dinner? What if her last patient hadn’t canceled and she’d gotten out of work an hour later? All that is luck, isn’t it? So maybe the universe really is on our side. Maybe Maren is right and everything happens the way it’s supposed to and I just need to wait and trust.” I sighed. “I really love him. So that’s what I’ll do.”
Nate came in about thirty minutes later. “Let me put the food in the oven to keep it warm, then I’ll get her to bed and make us some celebratory cocktails.”
“Okay.” I stood up with Paisley in my arms. “Want me to unpack something? A kitchen box?”
“Nope. Just relax.” He came from the kitchen into the family room and took his daughter from me, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right down.”
My stomach flipped over the way it always did when I saw him display affection for his daughter. Earlier, I’d watched him give her a bath in a real bathtub all on his own—I hadn’t even lifted a finger. All I could think of was the night she first arrived and he fainted.
Someday, I was going to get him to admit that.
“Night, peanut,” I called to the chubby little dumpling he held against his chest.
While he was upstairs with her, I opened my laptop and returned some emails. I also called Coco and left her a message—I’d decided to turn down the job offer up north, but she was actually considering it. Apparently, Nick was interested in some restaurant properties in that area, so the move made sense for them. She and I were going to have lunch tomorrow and discuss my buying her out. It made me nervous, thinking about running a business all on my own, but excited, too.
When Nate came downstairs, I put my laptop and phone away. He switched on the monitor on his way to the kitchen. “Up for a martini?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Want help in there?”
“Since when do I need help making cocktails?” he called. Next, I heard ice clinking into the metal shaker.
The family room and kitchen were open to each other, part of a new addition off the back of the old house. I loved Nate’s house. From the moment I saw it, I knew it was the right one for him. Beautiful old street, great neighborhood, kids riding bikes up and down the block, plenty of room in the house for him and Paisley, and even room to grow if he decided he wanted a bigger family.
He nodded. “Yeah. She told me you’d left for the winery, and basically said, ‘If you want her, prove it.’”
I beamed. “I love Stella. Stella is amazing.”
“She is.”
“And what did Mia say?”
“Well, at first I could tell she wasn’t too keen on me. But after I explained myself, she was up for helping me try to win you back.”
I laughed. “I keep thinking about her checking the clock all night as we sat there drinking.”
“Oh yeah.” His eyes widened. “We were totally nervous about it. The timing was tight. I didn’t even get here until almost ten-thirty.”
Something clicked. “So it was Lucas who gave you the key when he went out to make a phone call.” I made little air quotes and rolled my eyes. “What a sneak!”
Nate grinned. “Yep. I texted him when I pulled up at the winery. Then I walked over to the house.”
“I still can’t believe it. Those two knew the whole time!” But I was so happy. I felt like this was a completely fresh start.
Nate glanced at the bedside clock. “I hate to say this, but I have to go soon. I need to pick up Paisley at three.”
“I’ll go too,” I told him, sitting up.
He looked distressed. “What? No, Em, you just got here. You should stay the weekend and relax. Visit with your cousin. Talk about the job. Which you can still take if you want. I mean that. We will make this work, no matter what.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said honestly. “I really was looking forward to it, but I love where I am now, too. Your firm doesn’t have a Traverse City office, does it?”
He shrugged. “No, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t find another job up here. People get divorced everywhere. Every day.”
I groaned as I hopped off the bed. “Naaaaaate.”
He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back into bed and hauling me across his lap. “Hey.”
“What?”
“We’re different.”
I raised one brow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” He kissed me and touched his forehead to mine. “Only you. Always you.”
Somehow, I knew it was the truth.
Three Months Later
NATE
* * *
Normally, I have a superior poker face. I don’t often have to use it outside of work, especially since Emme and I have been together, but every now and again, it comes in handy. Like when I want to surprise her.
Like tonight.
“I’m going to go pick up the food, okay babe?” I grabbed my keys off my new kitchen counter and went over to the couch where she was sitting with a freshly bathed Paisley on her lap. It was my first weekend in the new house—the Dutch Colonial I’d loved on sight—and Emme and I were going to celebrate our favorite way. Some takeout, some cocktails, some Bond.
“Okay.” She stood up, moving my daughter to one hip. Seeing them together always made me want to fall to me knees and thank God things had turned out the way they did. “Should I feed her?”
“Sure. Sorry everything is still such a mess in the kitchen. I swear I’m going to get it all put away this weekend.”
“I’ll help you. Maybe we can even get some boxes unpacked tonight.”
“Maybe.” There would be no fucking unpacking of boxes tonight, but she didn’t know that. “Be right back.” I went out the side door and got into my car, glad she couldn’t see the giant smile on my face.
I was also glad she was so trusting. Ever since I’d bought the house, I’d been saying things to her like, I’ve got everything I want now or My life feels so complete now that I have the house or I hope nothing ever changes with us. She believed me every time, and she always smiled and said she was glad, but I could see the question in her eyes… Does this mean you still don’t want to get married? Like, ever?
She never asked it, though. And I never brought up the subject, either, even though I’d been thinking about it every day since I brought her to the house and we walked around in it together. The gut feeling I got seeing her move through the empty rooms with a smile on her face was almost eerie—I knew in my heart we would live there together. We would make it our home. We would be a family.
And not only did I want it all, I wanted it all sooner rather than later.
So all that crap about feeling complete was all just part of the setup—I wanted her to be totally shocked tonight.
Stopped at a red light on my way to the restaurant, I glanced beside me at the passenger seat, where a little white bag rested. Inside were two fortune cookies.
And one ring box.
EMME
* * *
“Seriously, Paisley. What’s he thinking? Why can’t I tell?” I looked down at her face as she drank her bottle. “Do you think he’s still totally against marriage, or do I have a chance?”
I had taken to talking to Paisley about it, since my sisters were tired of hearing me worry that Nate might never change his mind if I wasn’t going to ask him about it, and I had promised myself I would not bring it up to Nate for at least six months. I didn’t want to pressure him. We were doing so well, and he was so open about his feelings now. By being patient, I was trying to prove to everyone and to myself that I could be patient and trust in the universe.
“See, I’ve thought a lot about this, Pais,” I went on, sitting her up to burp her. “We had geography on our side all the time—the apartments right across from each other. And timing, too. He happened to be getting home from work at the exact moment I locked myself out. That’s how we met, you know.”
She burped.
“Good girl.” I laid her back again so she could finish the bottle and kept babbling. “And how about his running into my sister at the grocery store the night we got back together? What if he’d gone to a different store? What if Stella hadn’t decided to pick up pork chops for dinner? What if her last patient hadn’t canceled and she’d gotten out of work an hour later? All that is luck, isn’t it? So maybe the universe really is on our side. Maybe Maren is right and everything happens the way it’s supposed to and I just need to wait and trust.” I sighed. “I really love him. So that’s what I’ll do.”
Nate came in about thirty minutes later. “Let me put the food in the oven to keep it warm, then I’ll get her to bed and make us some celebratory cocktails.”
“Okay.” I stood up with Paisley in my arms. “Want me to unpack something? A kitchen box?”
“Nope. Just relax.” He came from the kitchen into the family room and took his daughter from me, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right down.”
My stomach flipped over the way it always did when I saw him display affection for his daughter. Earlier, I’d watched him give her a bath in a real bathtub all on his own—I hadn’t even lifted a finger. All I could think of was the night she first arrived and he fainted.
Someday, I was going to get him to admit that.
“Night, peanut,” I called to the chubby little dumpling he held against his chest.
While he was upstairs with her, I opened my laptop and returned some emails. I also called Coco and left her a message—I’d decided to turn down the job offer up north, but she was actually considering it. Apparently, Nick was interested in some restaurant properties in that area, so the move made sense for them. She and I were going to have lunch tomorrow and discuss my buying her out. It made me nervous, thinking about running a business all on my own, but excited, too.
When Nate came downstairs, I put my laptop and phone away. He switched on the monitor on his way to the kitchen. “Up for a martini?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Want help in there?”
“Since when do I need help making cocktails?” he called. Next, I heard ice clinking into the metal shaker.
The family room and kitchen were open to each other, part of a new addition off the back of the old house. I loved Nate’s house. From the moment I saw it, I knew it was the right one for him. Beautiful old street, great neighborhood, kids riding bikes up and down the block, plenty of room in the house for him and Paisley, and even room to grow if he decided he wanted a bigger family.
