“That’s a surprise. Just wear comfortable clothes; jeans are fine. Oh, and a light jacket, it’s a little chilly this morning.”
“We’re going now?”
“Well, as soon as you’re dressed. I don’t mind seeing you in a towel, but I don’t think I want the press seeing this much of my future wife.”
“I… give me a couple of minutes,” I start walking down the hall to my bedroom. “Oh, there’s coffee in the pot if you want some.”
I quickly shut my bedroom door, grab the clothes I had left out for today and head into the adjoining bathroom to change. I’m thankful he didn’t say I needed to wear something too dressy. Other than the clothes I have picked out for dinner with his parents tonight, everything else I own has been packed into the half a dozen boxes that now line the wall.
It’s hard to believe that after dinner tonight, I won’t be returning to this apartment; instead I will be accompanying Nicholas to his apartment where I will be moving in. I’ll never admit it, but I stayed up a long time last night questioning my decision to agree to this “marriage.” I can’t help but wonder if I’m making the right decision. It’s been so long since I’ve trusted my instinct in people: I worry if I’m reading Nicholas wrong. I don’t think he is anything like my ex was, but of course, I never thought he would hit me the way he did or control my life to the point where I wasn’t allowed to leave the house without permission. For the first time since I decided to change my life I have to trust my instincts and hope it doesn’t bite me in the end. I take a deep breath and head out to the living room where Nicholas is waiting for me.
“Is this okay?” I ask, indicating what I’m wearing.
“It’s fine; do you have everything you need?”
“You tell me,” I laugh. “I don’t know where we are going, so I’m not sure what to bring.”
“Good point. I guess just grab your purse, and then we can go.”
I set the alarm and we meet Carter in the hallway by the elevator where he typically tends to wait. I like that he gives us a little privacy, but is still close enough should either of us need him. I know it will be different when I move in tonight, but at least he is still in within the apartment somewhere.
“Carter will give you the security code you will need to access the penthouse later today. You won’t be able to access it without this code, but of course Hunter has it, and he should be with you whenever you leave the apartment. But if you go to the gym or something without him, you’ll need to have this code with you.”
“Okay.”
“Are you all packed or do you need any help finishing?”
“No, I have everything packed. I left out something to wear to your parents’ tonight, but otherwise everything is in boxes in the bedroom. There are a few things in the fridge and freezer that I’ll have to get tonight or tomorrow—”
“I’ll have Julie bring anything to the apartment while we’re at dinner tonight. I should have mentioned this before, but she keeps the kitchen fully stocked at all times. If there’s anything you want, just let her know, and she will pick it up when she goes to the market during the week. Obviously she takes care of all the meals during the week, but she is off on the weekends. Typically she freezes a few meals for me for the weekends so I don’t starve…” he chuckles.
“I’ll cook for us on the weekends; you know I enjoy cooking—”
“If you want to cook, I won’t complain, but don’t feel you have to cook.”
We fall into a comfortable silence as the drive continues; I can tell from looking out the window that we are leaving the city limits of New York, but I still have no idea where we are going. Surprisingly though, unlike the last time when I got in the car with Hunter without knowing where I was going, this time there is no anxiety. I’m not worried about where we are going, and I don’t feel trapped like last time. This realization helps reinforce my trust that perhaps I am doing the right thing.
“We will arrive in about twenty minutes,” Carter arrives.
“Perfect, thank you,” Nicholas responds.
“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask.
“No. You trust me, right?” he says it with a smile, but his eyes are questioning, almost as if he wants reassurance that I’m okay with this.
“I do.”
A few minutes later, Carter pulls off the main road and up a long dirt driveway. Glancing out the window, I can’t see anything to give me an idea of where we are or what we’re going to be doing. I glance down at my outfit, relieved to find it similar to Nicholas’s, meaning I’m at least dressed appropriately for whatever he has planned. We drive for some time on the bumpy road, but eventually the SUV stops in front of a large wooden building with a sign that says S&C Ranch.
“A ranch?” I ask.
“We’re going horseback riding,” he answers cautiously.
“Really?”
“Have you ever been?”
“No…”
“My parents used to bring us up here in the summers when we were little. I was so scared at first but by the end of the first lesson I was hooked. We came back every year until we went off to college.”
Talk about coming from completely different worlds... you can’t get any different than that.
“I always wanted to learn to ride,” I quickly stop the thoughts that are threatening to ruin this moment.
“They’ll go basic instructions with us, but the horses know the trails so well that you don’t really need to do anything. We’ll be able to go off by ourselves on a trail that circles the property, the view from—"
“We’ll go by ourselves? What if something happens? What if the horse… does something?”
“They won’t,” he chuckles. “Trust me, they are incredibly gentle creatures and probably know these trails better than the owners do.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive, come let’s go meet the horses we’ll be riding today.”
Despite my fears, I quickly slide out of the SUV where Carter is waiting for us. Nicholas’s hand doesn’t leave mine, as we walk over to the wooden fence where several horses roam in the distance. It’s hard to believe that we’re only a couple of hours outside the city, you would think we were in a completely different state. There’s nothing but mountains and trees surrounding the ranch. Gone is the busy, hustle of the city.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I whisper.
“It is,” when I look up, Nicholas’s gaze is on me instead of the view.
“Mr. Parker,” an older gentleman approaches us.
“Scott,” Nicholas shakes his hand. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Kenzie. Kenzie, this is Scott; he owns the ranch with his wife Carol.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say.
“Nicholas, it’s been too long since you’ve come to ride.”
“I know, I’m going to try to come back more often.”
“Good,” he turns to me. “Are you ready to ride?”
“I hope so,” I laugh.
“First time?”
“Yes.”
“You have nothing to worry about, let’s go meet your horse.”
Scott leads us around the fence where we come to a smaller enclosed area with two horses are waiting patiently. For the next hour, he reviews everything we need to know about the horses. I will be riding a horse named Amber, for her beautiful color, who Scott assures me is their most gentle horse. Nicholas will be leading with Max, a slightly larger horse.
“Are you ready, Kenzie?” Scott asks.
“I hope so,” I try to force myself to relax.
“Just remember, the horses know where they’re going. They won’t lead you off the path, so don’t worry about getting lost or anything.”
“I’m more worried about falling off!”
“It’s never happened here, but in the event it does, that’s why you’re wearing a helmet. They don’t spook easily, and there’s nothing on this trail that would bother them.
In fact, they just came back from the trip a couple of hours ago.”
“Okay…”
I let out the breath I was holding and nod, Nicholas squeezes my hand before leaning in and gently kissing me. Getting up on the horse is a lot scarier than I thought; for some reason the seat didn’t look so high when I was standing next to the horse, but being up here now is completely different. After some adjustments, Scott declares I’m set to ride. When I look up, I find Nicholas is already on his horse, patiently waiting for me.
I gently nudge the horse as Scott instructed, and Amber quickly follows Max. I’m holding the reins tightly, convinced I’m going to fall off each time I bounce in the saddle. Nicholas leads us along a worn trail, into the woods but it takes me quite a while to relax enough to actually look at anything other than the horse I’m riding.
“You okay?” he turns to look back at me.
“I think so.”
“Try to relax, you’ll enjoy it more if you do,” he chuckles.
“I’m trying.”
“We’ll stop in a little while for some lunch—”
“We’re going to stop? How do I get off of her?” I know he didn’t bring the stool I used to climb up here with us.
“You’ll be fine, I’ll help you down.”
I try not to worry about that, instead I slowly try to do what Nicholas suggested and relax. The area really is beautiful, I don’t think there’s anyone else out here but us today. I definitely can’t hear anyone and the parking lot was empty when we pulled in.
By the time we stop, I can see why Nicholas said he wasn’t scared at the end of his first lesson. As scared as I was when we started off, I’m less so now. He quickly hops off his horse, as if it’s something he does every day, and ties the reins around a large wooden post. He does the same to Amber, before coming to the side to help me down.
“Put all your weight on this foot and just swing your other leg over. I’ll help guide you down,” he instructs.
It’s incredibly awkward, but I follow his instructions. With his hands firm on my hips, he guides me from the horse. He steps closer to me, so there isn’t much space between my back and his front. He quickly unhooks the helmet, gently putting it next to his on the ground. He turns me around, so we’re facing each other, but doesn’t add any space between us.
“What did you think?” he asks.
“Oh God, that was amazing! I was so scared at first, but once I finally relaxed… it was amazing! It’s so beautiful out here… breathtaking. Thank you for sharing this with me,” I stand on my toes, wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. I think I caught him by surprise because it takes a few seconds before he wraps his arms around my waist. I don’t know how long we stay like that, but as I slide back down to my feet, our eyes meet. I don’t move my arms from his neck, and he doesn’t move his from my waist. In fact, our bodies are still touching as if neither of us wants to pull away just yet.
I don’t know who initiates it, but the next thing I know, our lips meet, and the spark that I felt the last night when we kissed is once again there. The kiss starts off gentle and slow but is quickly deepened when we both grant each other the access we’re seeking. Nicholas’s hands slowly move from my waist, sliding up and down my back and my sides as we kiss. When I run my fingers through his hair, he groans just barely loud enough for me to hear him. I want to touch more of him; I want to run my hands down his chest so I can feel the muscles that I saw when we went swimming on the boat.
“We should get going,” his heavy breathing matches mine when he pulls back just barely enough so I can hear him.
“We probably should,” I admit but I don’t move either. “Thank you for sharing this with me; it really was an amazing experience.”
“I’m glad you were here too,” he kisses me one last time before taking me by the hand and leading me away from the horses.
My face flushes with the realization of what just happened, and then of course, my mind goes into overdrive, analyzing what, if anything, it meant. There was no press around, no parents, no one except us. There was no one to put the act on for; yet that kiss was one of the most passionate ones we have shared. Last night’s kiss on the dance floor at dinner, I chalked up to the photographer; I figured Nicholas just wanted to drive the point home to the press so there would be no doubt that we were still together. Today though… there was no one around to put on a show for. I’m not sure what to think about what just happened; of course, I enjoyed it but I don’t want things to get complicated between us.
I follow Nicholas through the trees, to a small open area that has a blanket laid out in the grass, and a picnic basket set out on it. I had no idea what to expect when he said we were going to stop for lunch, but a picnic lunch on a blanket in the middle of nowhere was definitely not one of them. When we reach the blanket, he turns around and drops to one knee, completely surprising me even more.
“Kenzie…” He takes a deep breath before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small black square box. “The day I met you on the sidewalk that rainy afternoon, I knew you were like no one I had ever met. You were the first woman who ever tried to refuse money from me; it was in that moment that I knew you saw me for me and not for my bank account. You shocked me again when we met to negotiate our contract with Bridget and you had no idea who I was. I had expected after that afternoon on the sidewalk you would have gone home and searched me out on the internet.
“Since we met, you have continued to surprise and amaze me. You’re a strong, independent and beautiful woman who puts others before her own needs. I am glad that Bridget brought us together; that she sent me your profile that day so many months ago. You have helped me in more ways than you will ever know, and one day I hope to be able to do the same for you. I never expected a friendship to have come from a contract with Bridget, but I am very thankful one did. I have enjoyed spending time with you these last few months, and I look forward to getting to know you further. Kenzie, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.
Despite knowing that this whole “marriage” and subsequent proposal is fake, my eyes can’t help but fill with tears at his words. I never expected an actual marriage proposal; I guess I just of expected him to slip a ring on my finger in the car on the way to his parents’ tonight or maybe before we left the condo. I never dreamed he would have gone through such lengths to actually propose. This entire day… all the trouble he went through to arrange this, with incredibly short time no less, has been nothing short of amazing. Hell, this puts my first marriage proposal to absolute shame, and this one isn’t even real.
“Kenzie? You’re kind of freaking me out here…” Nicholas pulls me from my thoughts which were about to absolutely ruin the moment.
“I’m sorry, you took me completely by surprise.”
“Will you marry me, Kenzie?”
“Yes, I will, Nicholas,” I smile and quickly blink away the tears hoping that he didn’t see them. He slips the ring onto my finger, which is a perfect fit, despite not knowing my ring size. He stands up, pulls me close to him and hugs me tightly.
“Thank you,” he whispers just before he places a quick kiss on my lips. “Hey, what’s wrong? Is it the ring? If you don’t like it—”
“God, no! The ring is perfect!” I barely glanced at as he slid it on my finger, but no matter what it looks like, I would never ask him to exchange it.
“Then, why do you look like you’re about to burst into tears?” his arms remain around my waist, not letting me move away from him and save myself the embarrassment I’m feeling right now.
“Nothing is wrong,” I try to assure him while finding the words to explain what I’m feeling right now. “This… today… it was just perfect and completely unexpected, Nicholas. Thank you for all of this, for making today…”
“Kenzie,” he lifts my chin up so our eyes meet again. I desperately try to blink the last few tears threatening to fall away, not wanting him
to think that he did something wrong. His proposal got to me: what he said to me, made me realize how little my ex really knew me and how little he thought of me. “You deserve this and so much more.”
His lips once again find mine; they are soft and gentle as his arms hold me against him. Unlike the kiss by the horses, this one doesn’t deepen, but in an odd way is very different from that kiss. I don’t know how to describe it, but even without his hands sliding over my body, this kiss feels… more intimate. I quickly push those thoughts from my head; surely I’m just feeling that way because I’m emotional from his proposal.
“What do you say we have some lunch?” he asks.
“Sure.”
I see Nicholas try to adjust himself without being noticed before he sits down, and the heat immediately rushes to my face, with the realization that our kiss had turned him on. The lines between us are blurring already, and we haven't even moved in together yet. I don’t know what I think about it either. The last thing he needs right now is for things to get complicated between us. What happens if the lines are blurred even more between us, and then we suddenly become uncomfortable with each other?
“Julie sent some sandwiches, fruit and bottled water for lunch,” he has unpacked the picnic basket and placed everything on the blanket in front of us, completely oblivious to my worried thoughts.
“Sounds good,” I smile and take one of the wrapped sandwiches from him.
When we’re eating, I finally look at the ring he slipped on my finger. The center of the ring holds a large square diamond that is easily the biggest diamond that I’ve ever seen. There are at least a dozen smaller diamonds on each side of the large ring which all glimmer in the sunlight.
“Are you sure you like it? I wanted something that you would feel comfortable wearing every day, but if you would rather have something—”
“No, Nicholas. The ring is absolutely perfect; it’s really beautiful.”
“I was thinking that until the wedding, you shouldn’t wear the ring in public, so the press doesn’t find out about the engagement before we’re ready for them to. Wearing it tonight to my parents’ and of course, around the condo is fine but for dinners or events…”
The Arrangement Duet Box Set Page 37