Chapter Seventeen
New York, New York
Seven Months Later – Valentine’s Day
‘I CAN’T BELIEVE WE’RE in New York without Quinn.’ I was getting a crick in my neck from gaping up in awe at the skyscrapers that towered like gigantic sentinels above the scurrying crowds below. We’d only arrived yesterday and I’d been walking around with my jaw scraping the snow-covered sidewalks the whole time. I just loved it here.
‘It would sort of ruin the whole romance part of our Valentine’s getaway to have your best friend tagging along with us like a third wheel,’ Kitt said as he pulled me closer to him, his arm firmly banded around my waist despite me wearing boots that had been chosen by him for their firm grip in the snow. With my track record of slipping on ice, he was taking no chances of an accident happening here. It was bitter out in the open air, although our brisk walk down 5th Avenue, along with our leather gloves, thick padded jackets, and wool beanie hats, was keeping us warm.
‘I guess,’ I agreed. I smiled up at him, and he dipped his head to plant a soft kiss on my lips. ‘Thank you so much for arranging this. New York is amazing.’
‘You’re welcome, but I can’t take full credit on the romance front. It was for selfish reasons too. What architect wouldn’t want to come to a city with so many iconic structures?’
‘It’s good to see you looking so happy again,’ I observed as I slipped my hand into the back pocket of his jeans, my fingers curling around his peachy backside.
‘I’m back doing the job I love, with the girl of my dreams at my side. How could I not be happy?’ he asked, his eyes sparkling like flawless emeralds as he looked down to hold my gaze. ‘So, where are you taking me?’
‘I told you it’s a surprise. Don’t you know the meaning of the word?’ I laughed.
‘Don’t forget we have to be ready for our trip up The Empire State Building later, and we need to get ready for dinner before we leave.’
‘You should know by now that it doesn’t take me long to get ready,’ I reminded him.
‘Hmmm. Well, it’s not like you have to do a lot to look beautiful. It’s hard to improve on perfection,’ he murmured, kissing the side of my head as we continued to walk. I felt a warm surge flow through my body at his declaration. I’d never been with a man who made me feel so good about myself, so adored. It was hard to imagine that life could get any better than it was right now.
‘Thank you for always knowing what to say to make me feel like the most special girl in the world.’ I beamed up at him, my smile threating to crack my face.
‘Because you are, baby.’
‘Well, it’s time I let you know how special you are to me, Kitt. We’re here.’ I drew to a halt outside the frontage of the exclusive jewellery shop, Havershams.
‘Are you planning on proposing to me?’ His eyebrows quirked in surprise as a look of what I could only describe as mortification settled on his face.
‘Not quite, as I know you believe that’s the man’s job, but I do have a proposal of sorts for you.’ I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around his slim waist as I gazed up at him. Without my high heels on, he towered above me like one of the high-rise buildings that surrounded us.
‘What sort of proposal?’ he asked, tucking a strand of hair back under my beanie.
‘We’ve been dating for seven months now, Kitt,’ I said, pausing for a moment to lick my dry lower lip. I felt nervous, which was ridiculous, as I knew he loved me, but I’d never done this before and it was a huge deal to me. ‘Seven amazing months. And it’s … well, it’s getting harder and harder to say goodbye to you, knowing that I’m not going to see you for a few more nights, so I … What I’m trying to say is that I hate it. I want to wake up with you every morning and go to sleep in your arms every night, to spend as much time together as we can when you’re not working. I want you to move in with me, Kitt,’ I said in a rush, before I chickened out. ‘I know I’m a hopeless cook, and I’m not the tidiest girl in the world, and Mrs. Tibbles still freaks out when she finds you in my bed and leaves you with scars, but despite all of that, I–’
‘Yes,’ he interrupted with a chuckle. ‘Yes, I’ll move in with you, Charlie.’
‘I had a whole list of reasons why it would be a good idea, to counteract all of the drawbacks, of which there are many,’ I said, not sure he’d really thought about all of the negatives I came with.
‘I don’t need a whole list. I want to be with you too, despite the many war wounds Tibbs is likely to inflict on me. To go to sleep and wake up with you every day is worth any drawback, baby. Just promise me that you won’t cook. I’d like to have plenty more years ahead of me to enjoy our time together, and any of your attempts will either kill or hospitalise one of us.’
‘You’re so cheeky,’ I laughed, swatting his arm as happiness surged through my veins.
‘I was bought up to never lie,’ he grinned as he dipped his head to kiss me again, the spark of electricity I felt whenever he did making me sigh happily. Daphne had been right. There might not have been that elusive crackle when we’d first touched, but falling in love with your best friend was a great, and solid, foundation, and there was no lack of sparks whenever we touched now. ‘So why are we here? You want to get me a new fancy key ring to go with my own key to your house to mark the occasion?’
‘Something like that. Come on, hats off. It’s a posh place and we look like typical tourists who are only going in to gawk.’
I pulled mine off and stuffed it, along with my gloves, into my handbag, then quickly ran my hands through my hair, hoping it didn’t look too bad. The security guard gave us the once over with an appraising eye before opening the door for us. We entered a stunning foyer, complete with an enormous crystal chandelier that sent fragments of dazzling white light scattering across the black granite floor. It was so warm compared to outside that we immediately stripped off our coats as we made our way to the security desk. We were signed in and checked for possible weapons, and on clearing their rigorous inspection, we headed into the right wing of the building, where the men’s jewellery and all of the accessories were housed.
‘Ok, I want to get you a ring,’ I told Kitt as I pulled him over to the first display case.
‘A ring? I thought you said this wasn’t a proposal,’ he said with a slightly nervous laugh.
‘It’s not, but I mean … I guess one day, hopefully, not saying yet, as hey presumptuous much, but one day you might, you know,’ I huffed, aware I was suddenly rambling.
‘Am I supposed to understand what you’re trying to say?’
‘I just … you might propose one day, and that usually means the man buys his woman a ring and well, if you did, one day, you wouldn’t get a ring in return. So I thought it would be nice to celebrate you moving in by having a ring. A non-engagement ring. You could wear it on your right hand.’ I bit my lower lip as I flitted my gaze across his face, wondering if I’d made a mistake, if I was pressuring him too much.
‘A non-engagement ring,’ he repeated. The corners of his mouth twitched, like he was trying to stop himself from laughing, before they curled up into that smile I loved, framed by his adorable dimples. ‘I’d love that, Charlie. I’m honoured you feel that it’s such a special event that you want to mark it in some way.’
‘Well, it is. I’ve never lived with anyone before, let alone asked a man to move in. It’s a huge deal.’
‘It’s a huge deal to me too, and I’d be honoured to wear your ring,’ he stated sincerely, making the nervous smile on my face morph into a happy one.
‘So, I don’t know how you feel, but I kind of see you as a black tungsten guy, to go with your James Dean bad-boy vibe.’
‘I have a James Dean bad-boy vibe?’
‘Mmmm-hmmm. You’re seriously hot in your jeans, boots, and t-shirt, but don’t worry, I’ll never let on that you’re as soft as fudge under that sexy exterior,’ I whispered. He laughed and shook his head, and we began to explore the cabinets. When we spotted a slimline one that had bevelled edges and a thin band of stainless steel encircling the middle, the immaculately groomed assistant fetched it for us in various sizes. The moment it was on, we knew it was right. It looked tough, yet sexy at the same time. ‘We’ll take it,’ I confirmed, ‘but I want to buy him a watch as well.’
‘Charlie,’ Kitt protested.
‘The ring is a moving in gift. I was always going to get you a new watch as your Valentine’s present,’ I told him. The strap on his had broken the other week and he hadn’t got around to getting it fixed, saying the strap was probably worth more than the watch itself.
‘We can get a watch back home, one cheaper than in here,’ he whispered in my ear.
‘I don’t want to get you a cheap one,’ I whispered back. ‘You deserve a nice one, and I happen to find an expensive watch on a man’s wrist incredibly sexy.’
‘But they’re so expensive here.’
‘I know we haven’t discussed finances yet, Kitt, but I’m making a ridiculous amount of money now. I have no mortgage and everything I need, so it’s just building up. Trust me, I can afford to buy you a designer watch.’
‘Charlie,’ he sighed, swiping a hand over his face.
‘Please, Kitt. It will make me so happy to see you have something you deserve, something that tells you just how much you mean to me. You look after me in so many small ways that may seem inconsequential to you, but to me they mean so much more than any monetary value. Let me do this for you.’
‘If it will make you happy, ok then,’ he agreed, planting a lingering kiss on my forehead.
‘Thank you,’ I said sincerely, squeezing his hand.
Although I hadn’t told him how much money I made from my writing now, I was pretty sure he knew it far exceeded whatever he earned as an architect, even though I knew they were well paid. But I loved that he didn’t have a hang-up over it. He was just so proud of how well I was doing.
We ended up selecting a stunning Blancpain Léman chrome watch, with a sleek black face and gleaming chrome hands and dials on a black rubber strap. I nearly swooned to see it on his solid wrist, the new ring on his finger as well. I had no idea what it was about a wristwatch, but it screamed masculinity to me and got me all hot and bothered.
‘Stop,’ he chuckled as the empty boxes were put into an expensive-looking gift bag and I handed over my credit card to pay.
‘Stop what?’
‘Staring at me like you want to drag me to bed right now. The look on your face is obvious.’
‘Wear that watch every day and I’ll always look like this,’ I purred. ‘In fact, let’s forget sightseeing this afternoon and head back to the hotel.’
‘No,’ he laughed as he rubbed the back of my neck, his long fingers massaging in a way that made my legs turn to jelly. ‘While I’m all for spending hours in bed with you, we’re here for a limited time. You don’t want to regret the opportunity while we had the chance to take it all in.’
‘Fine,’ I relented, ‘but you so owe me later.’
‘You can count on it,’ he growled, his deep timbre sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine.
Kitt put his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head as we took in the vistas of a twinkling New York skyline from the 102nd floor of The Empire State Building. The gold roof of The New York Life Building shone like a precious jewel, offset by hundreds of tiny diamond-like lights of the buildings around it and the streaks of yellow and red car lights blurring on the streets far below that seemed to anchor the buildings to the ground. The curved lines of the art-deco Chrysler Building’s chrome-look steeple were beautiful, and I’d listened, totally enraptured, to hear the excitement in Kitt’s voice as he explained the artistry in the different angles, materials, and varying heights of the structures around us, as seen with his admiring architect’s eye. I felt quite emotional to finally have ticked this incredible vista off my bucket list. It was a far cry from the small thatched cottages of Church Lane in Dilbury, that was for sure.
‘I can’t believe I’m here,’ I whispered, the awe in my voice palpable.
‘Stunning, isn’t it,’ he agreed, shifting position to place himself facing me, his back to the view.
‘Hmmm, an even better view now,’ I murmured as I tilted my head and pouted my lips for a kiss, which he immediately gave to me. I’d always loved Kitt in his casual jeans best, but now and again, when he dressed up in a suit like he had tonight, he transformed into the kind of alpha-male I always wrote about. He was in a graphite three-piece suit, white shirt, black tie, and tan Oxford shoes. The sight of his new watch and ring, offset by the thin strip of his white cuff and cufflinks, almost made me as giddy as when I’d peered down to the streets below for the first time from the open air 86th floor observatory earlier.
‘Lust face,’ he smiled, reaching up to slowly run his fingers through my loose hair, root to tip, which always made my skin tighten and prickle, hypersensitive to his touch.
‘And love, don’t forget love,’ I reminded him, so happy to see how his green eyes were sparkling lately. Gone were the tell-tale bags of the man who’d had the weight of the world on his shoulders last year. He finally looked like any carefree, thirty-something male who was enjoying his life.
‘How could I ever forget love?’ he replied. ‘The way you look at me sometimes … like I’m all your Christmases and birthdays come at once, it just takes my breath away.’
‘Well, you are, Kitt. How many girls get to have it all? Their best friend and soul mate wrapped up in one deliciously handsome, sweet, and caring package? I hit the jackpot when you came into my life.’ I felt my cheeks flush with my admission, the slight burn of unshed tears of emotion gathering behind my eyes. ‘I’ve never been so happy,’ I added in a whisper.
‘Neither have I, which is why I have something to ask you tonight,’ he replied as he took both of my hands in his. He took a deep breath, and I held mine, as he slowly dropped down onto one knee, holding my gaze as he looked up at me.
‘Kitt?’ My voice came out in a hushed tremble, the steady beat of my heart picking up pace as I hardly dared to hope what was coming next.
‘I told you once before that I love you, especially your flaws as they make you unique. I’ve never met anyone else like you, Charlie, and I’m sure I never will. I fell in love with the pizza-obsessed, accident-prone, talented, and creative writer, and there’s nothing about you that will ever stop me loving you, not even a schizophrenic Mrs. Tibbles, who loves me everywhere but in your bed.’
‘She’s protective of her mistress and what she sees as her territory, that’s all,’ I giggled. ‘She loves you as much as I do.’
‘I know,’ he nodded with a smile. ‘I love her too, but I love you more, Charlie. I love the way your nose crinkles when you laugh, the small furrow you get in your brow and the way your bottom lip pouts when you’re concentrating. I love how you wake me up when you sit bolt upright in the middle of the night to scribble book ideas down in your notepad and share them with me with so much enthusiasm. I love that you see the bright side to everything, even when you’ve hurt yourself or you’re in pain, which is a not-so-small part of the time. I love how you didn’t care that I was just Pizzaman, but you saw Kitt, the man behind the job, and took a chance on giving him your heart. But most of all, I love the way you love me. Wholeheartedly and without reservation. Despite the fact that you’re the breadwinner in this relationship, you still manage to make me feel like a man, like you can’t live without my support, love, and protection.’
‘I can’t,’ I choked, a few fat tears escaping my lower lashes and tracing their way down my cheeks. ‘And I don’t want to. I never want to, Kitt.’
‘Then don’t. You asked me to move in with you today, and I agreed, because I want to spend as many seconds as possible with you too. Now I’m asking you a question, because I want to spend those seconds with you by my side as my wife.’ He swallowed and licked his lower lip, his fingers squeezing mine tightly as the air hung heavy with anticipation. I even noticed that everyone around us had gone quiet, the excited chatter of the other visitors muted as they waited for this moment to play out with just as much eagerness as I did.
‘You haven’t actually asked me the question,’ I reminded him with a giggle as his face reflected the emotion I was feeling right now.
‘God damn it,’ he grunted, letting go of my left hand to quickly drag his sleeve across his emotional and watery eyes. ‘One look into those gorgeous chocolate eyes of yours and I’m a goner, I lose all sense of rational thought.’ He smiled and rummaged in the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a ring. My heart stopped beating, my breathing ceased, and time froze for a moment as I saw a delicate platinum band with a large round diamond balanced on the slim tapered shoulders, a rainbow of colours glistening in the faceted cuts that almost blinded me. ‘Marry me, Charlie.’
It still wasn’t a question. It was an order, in a rare dominant tone from my sweet man. But I didn’t care. I’d take Kitt Fraser any way I could get him. Even if he’d been wearing his old pepperoni slice Pizzaman outfit right now, I wouldn’t have minded. My answer would still be the same.
‘Yes, yes, I’ll marry you. Of course it’s a yes,’ I cried. I laughed and sobbed at the same time as his face lit up brighter than the city skyline behind him and he slipped the ring onto my finger. A roar of cheers and whoops went up all around us as Kitt shot to his feet, gathered me in his arms, and spun me around as he kissed me, his lips hungry, urgent, and grateful.
‘You won’t regret it,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll love you full throttle, I’ll never keep anything in reserve.’
‘You never have, and neither will I. Oh, Kitt, I’m so happy. I wish everyone was here to see how incredibly happy you just made me.’
There was a loud chorus of “Surprise,” and I looked away from Kitt’s eyes and over his shoulder, then screamed with excitement. Amidst the strangers up on this floor clapping our engagement was everyone I loved from Dilbury. Abbie, Miller, Daphne, Jack, Georgie, Weston, and Quinn. The girls were all dabbing their eyes, even Quinn, though she did her best to do it discreetly so no one would notice. I felt my chest rattle to see my mum and dad standing there with them as well. Dad had his arm around Mum as she sobbed on his shoulder. I think she’d always despaired of me ever finding love.
‘You arranged all of this?’ I uttered as I slid down Kitt’s body and my heels touched the floor.
‘I did, weeks ago, so I nearly died when I thought you were about to ruin my carefully laid out plans by proposing to me this morning. We’re all going to The Domville now for a private gourmet dinner to celebrate.’
‘What if I’d said no?’ I laughed, quickly dabbing my eyes.
‘Then I’d have looked a prize idiot, but I figured we know each other well enough by now to trust in our feelings and where we were at in our relationship. Did I do ok with the ring?’
‘It’s stunning, Kitt,’ I said, smiling down at it and drinking it in. ‘And the fact that you got a round diamond, to remind me of pizza every day, means even more.’ I grinned up at him as he laughed and kissed me again, not denying it.
‘And I’m moving the ring you got me today to my other finger, it can be my engagement ring too.’
‘We’re engaged,’ I cried loudly, making our friends and family cheer again.
‘We are, and it won’t be a long engagement. I want to be married and working on a baby Fraser in the next year or so,’ he grinned, as we were swamped by everyone, too impatient to wait to congratulate us any longer.
A baby Fraser. My God, I couldn’t wait either. Ever since we’d started dating, I’d felt the ticking of my biological clock, an undeniable craving to create something beautiful with him.
‘Congratulations, darling,’ my mum smiled as she wrapped me up in a hug. ‘We’re both so happy for you. I knew he was the one for you the first time I met him. The way you both looked at each other was … it was so beautiful to see the love you shared. We couldn’t be more thrilled that you’re going to become Mrs. Christopher Fraser.’
‘Oh my God, forget Mrs. Fraser. I’m going to be Pizzawoman!’ I exclaimed, making everyone laugh.