6 Months Later

 

 

Brynn

 

 

"Who is she?" I brush my fingers over my brother's shoulder. He's wearing a tuxedo and a look on his face I've never seen before.

"Who?" He turns toward me. "You look beautiful, Brynn. Stunning."

I know I do. I chose this particular dress over a month ago. It's short, fitted and black, as required by the black tie affair my brother is hosting to launch his first ever residence hotel in New York. We're in the main ballroom as he oversees a party attended by top notch real estate agents and their clients who have money to burn.

You'd think that managing the construction of the hotel in Paris at the same time would be too much, but he's on top of every detail, including my touches on the residences here in New York. I was thrilled when he hired me for the job.

"You look good too, Julian." I tilt my chin to the opposite side of the room. "I was asking about the pretty woman wearing the stunning diamond earrings. She's standing next to the man in the dark rimmed eyeglasses."

He looks in their direction, his gaze lingering a moment too long. "That's Maya Baker. She's a broker."

"Does she work for dad?"

He finally tears himself away from her to look back at me. "No. Can I get you a glass of champagne?"

"No champagne for me. How do you know her?" I push because I've never seen Julian so flustered. He's always the one who is in complete control. Yet, right now, perspiration is dotting his upper lip and his hand is fisted so tightly around the tumbler of scotch he's holding that I'm certain it's going to shatter into a million pieces at our feet.

He takes a drink from the glass. "Why all the questions?"

"I want you to be as happy as I am." I glance over to where Smith is deep in conversation with two men. "I love you and I want that for you."

"I love you too." He leans forward to brush his lips against my cheek. "I am happy."

"Does Isadora make your heart pound the way it does when you look at Maya?"

"My heart isn't pounding, Brynn."

I glance at his neck and the vein that's visible over the collar of his starched white dress shirt. "Don't lie to yourself, Julian. You don't have to stay with Isadora forever."

"I care for her."

"I'm crazy in love with Smith," I counter. "I race home from work every day, so I can see him. I can't imagine a day without kissing him. He's in my heart, Julian. I can feel him in there with every beat it takes."

He glances back at Maya. "I'm happy for both of you."

I exhale harshly. "I trust you to know what's best for you. I'm always around if you want to talk to me, you know that, don't you?"

"I'm here for you too." He squeezes my hand. "When are you going to make an honest man out of Smith?"

I'm wondering the same thing myself. We've taken every step but the one where my great-grandmother's ring lands on my finger. Pike and I moved in with Smith four months ago. I put my place up for sale and helped Sydney move her stuff into the extra bedroom at Adley's apartment. They hit it off immediately and now when I go see one of my best friends, I get to see them both at the same time.

"I have a surprise for him tonight."

He eyes my face. "Whatever it is, he's going to love it. He's a good man, Brynn. The best man I know."

He is. He's helped me immensely these past few months. He's gone to therapy with me so I can finally let go of the grief and anger that has haunted me since my grandma died.

Smith's been by my side as I've reconnected with my family. He's gone to Sunday dinners at my parents' apartment with me and held my hand while I made small talk with my dad.

Things are in a better place with Fulton and me now. We lunch together every second Wednesday at a deli we used to go to when I was a little girl. He leaves his phone at his office and focuses every ounce of his attention on me.

We have a long road to get things to where we want them to be, but we're moving forward.

"Did he tell you that he got a tattoo?" I ask, proud of the fact that Smith chose to a get a tattoo on the left side of his chest that matches the one on my elbow. It's a simple heart with the word family written inside of it.

I took inspiration for mine from a drawing my grandma did inside the birthday card she gave me when I was fourteen. Smith took inspiration for his from my tattoo.

Julian laughs. "Smith? He did that? Tattoos hurt like hell. I didn't think he had it in him."

"How would you know how much tattoos hurt?"

He shoots me a look. "That's none of your business."

I giggle as I kiss his cheek. "You're a tough one to figure out. I like that about you."

 

***

 

"Were you and your brother plotting the takeover of more of Manhattan's real estate?" Smith pulls me into a quiet corner of the now crowded room. "I was admiring you from afar when you were talking to him. Jesus, woman, your body is killer in that dress."

"You like?" I spin around so he can catch of glimpse of me from all angles.

"I love." He tugs me into his chest. "I want to go home."

"You have tomorrow off." I look down at the silver watch on my wrist. "No early beddy-bye time for my man tonight. You'll enjoy yourself at this party and then I'll blow you on the ride home in the backseat of the car."

He glances down at the front of his tuxedo pants. "Thanks for that. My cock is at full attention now."

"My brother owns this hotel. I bet I can get us a good hourly rate on a room."

"Hourly rate?" He buries his face in my hair, his lips brushing over the shell of my ear. "Once I get you out of that dress, it's going to be hours until you leave my arms."

"We'll stay for another thirty minutes and then we can leave," I promise with a pat to his cheek. "I have a surprise for you tonight."

"For me?" He questions roughly. "I'm the most impatient man on earth when it comes to you. Tell me what it is now."

"No." I kiss him hard on the mouth. "You have to wait."

I watch him twist his lips as he thinks about it. "I have a surprise for you too, Brynn. I can give it to you now."

"You say the same thing to me every morning," I deadpan. "It's not a surprise anymore, Smith. I know it's your cock and no, you can't give it to me now."

"It's this." He drops to one knee.

What the hell? He drops to one knee and pulls my great-grandma's ring from his pocket.

I knew he had it. I noticed it missing last week.

"All I want in this life is you." He looks up and into my eyes. "You are my sunshine. You give me hope. You're the most incredible person that has ever walked the face of this earth and I promise you that if you will be my wife, I will treasure you every single day until I die in your arms because there's no way in hell I'll spend one moment without you."

"Smith," I breathe out his name slowly. "Oh my God."

"Marry me on the rooftop at the top of the world, my beautiful Petal. Let me show you every day how much I love you."

I cover my hand with my mouth knowing that I'm about to scream out in pure joy. This day started out in the most amazing way possible and now it's ending with a proposal from the man I love more than life itself.

"Say yes," he urges. "Please say yes."

I pull him up with both hands by the lapel of his jacket. "Let me give you my surprise first."

His smile fades. "Why? I need you to say yes. I'm dying here."

I reach in my clutch and pull out a small white rectangular box. I wrapped a red ribbon around it this morning. My hands were shaking, tears were streaming down my face and as I watched Smith on Rise and Shine on the television in our apartment, I felt my heart burst wide open.

"Open it." I push it at him. "Just open it."

He nods in silence.

It feels like eternity as he slowly unties the ribbon and removes the lid of the box. His hands fumble with the white tissue paper before they still.

"Brynn."

Just my name comes from his lips and then tears stream down his cheeks.

"I don't know what the hell this means but I know what I want it to mean."

I touch the tip of the test stick. "Two lines means yes. Yes, I'll marry you and yes, we're having a baby."

He pulls me to him, cradling the back of my head in his hand. "We are leaving now. I need to make love to my fiancée. I may need to cry too, but they're happy tears, Petal. The happiest tears I've ever cried."

I pull back and look up into the face of the man I've been destined to love since I was seventeen. "We're the luckiest, Smith. You and I are the luckiest."

"Life can't get much better than this." He smiles and those damn dimples weaken my knees.

"It will." I perch on my tiptoes to kiss his mouth. "Every day of this life we're building together will be better than the last. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us."