Six Months Later

 

 

Maya

 

 

I look down at the picture on Julian's phone. "Little Caroline Booth is a dream. How can a baby be that cute?"

"It's all her mother." He winks at me. "She looks exactly like Brynn and nothing like Smith."

He may be right. It's too early to tell who she looks like. "I think she's going to be a perfect combination of both of them."

"She's going to be the unofficial flower girl at their wedding next month." He closes his phone and shoves it back in his jacket pocket. "Brynn has a dress all picked out for the baby. It'll be a day to remember."

It will be. I've gotten closer to both Brynn and her fiancé Smith these past few months. We have dinner once a week with them, and when Brynn went into labor, Smith insisted that both Julian and I head to the hospital. We did. We were able to see Caroline soon after she was born and I was lucky enough to witness Julian's parents meeting their granddaughter for the very first time.

We've talked about having children since then, but we're happy with just the two of us for now.

It will be part of our future, one day when we know the time is right.

"You've sold more than half of the residences, Maya." Julian smiles at me before he sits on the edge of our bed. "Three more to go and our work together is done."

I'll miss it although I rarely see Julian in an official capacity at this point. He's been busy developing plans for the new hotel near Bryant Park, and I've had my hands full with selling the residences in the hotel in Chelsea as well as a few apartments.

I've also picked up a handful of new clients. Many of them I met when they wanted to view one of the units in the hotel. I've listed two apartments this week for sale. Both are charming condos on the Upper West Side.

My business is growing. Anne is thrilled, and I'm thankful that I can go to work every single day to a job I love. I'm also grateful that my sister and I are closer than we've ever been. Tilly took on a roommate to help cover rent. It's been a solid investment property for me, and she's turned it into a home. 

"How's Charlie working out?" I unbutton my blouse. "I didn't see him when I dropped by your office yesterday."

He watches my hands. "Good. He's going to fit in just fine."

The day Isadora quit I could tell that Julian felt a load being taken off his shoulders. She decided to go work for a competitor. It might have been a move to push Julian's buttons, but it didn't work. He wished her well with me by his side and then he had his attorney negotiate the purchase of Isadora's shares in Bishop Hotels. It cost him a lot but he told me it was worth every dime.  That was two months ago and since then, he hasn't heard a word.

"You're still dressed," I point out as I undo the clasp on the front of my bra. "I thought you promised me a shower before bed."

He hangs his head. "We need to talk, Maya."

I'm only wearing panties. He's still fully dressed. "I'll get my robe."

"No." He pats the bed. "Come sit here."

I move to sit next to him. "What is it?"

My heart pounds in my chest. I'm not scared. I know that whatever he says to me, it won't be words of regret or disappointment. We address every problem we have with frank discussion and honesty. We never go to bed upset with one another and we almost always fall asleep in each other's arms.

Our dinner together earlier was perfect. We'd gone to the Bishop Hotel penthouse to see Tom and Irene Clarkson. They'd cooked us dinner, as they've done once before. We laughed together and then danced to a Sinatra song as the sun set.

The only thing that has changed since then is that I've fallen more in love with Julian. I do every minute of every day.

"I love you, Julian."

He moves quickly then. It's a blur as he drops to one knee in front of me.

"Maya." His voice quakes in a way I've never heard before. "I had written this out. I had rehearsed every word and now I can't remember any of it."
He tugs a small box from the inner pocket of his suit jacket before he opens it to reveal a beautiful ring. It's a pear-shaped sapphire stone surrounded by small diamonds. It's unique, and original. It's totally me.

"Marry me, Maya." He slides the ring from the box onto my finger. "I love you more than anything. I'd give my life for yours. You make me happier than any man deserves to be and if you marry me, I promise you right here and right now, that I will put you before me until I draw my last breath."

"I'll marry you," I whisper as I cup his face in my hands. "You know how deeply I love you. How much I adore everything about you."

"We'll make each other happy until our last days." He kisses me softly. "Whatever it takes to put a smile on this beautiful face, I'll do it."

"Love me forever, Julian. That's all it will take to put a smile on my face."

"I promise I will. I promise that every single day until my last on this earth, I will tell you how much I love you."

That's all I need. This man, this life and the future we will build together are more than I ever could have asked for.