“I didn’t re-up if that’s what you’re asking. The army doesn’t need me right now, and it looks like we’ve got bigger fish to fry with this monstrous place.” He wrapped her in a sideways hug. “I’m not going anywhere, Sis. Not to worry.”
He shot the “I’m watching you” point at Nick on the way out of the kitchen.
Suppressing a laugh, Nick drummed his thumbs on the table. Alone, Natalie pierced him with her gaze. Anger fled to make room for confusion along with a shot of fear. If he left once, would he do it again?
He still looked like the same Nick she loved. Shaggy blond hair framed his lean face, his snug shirt showed off his trim, muscled physique, but it was his eyes—the same deep blue as the mighty Pacific in the summertime—that stirred her soul.
Nick wiped his palms dry on blue-jeaned thighs. So he was nervous. That was something she could handle.
“So what brings you around, Nick? Since you say it isn’t a check you’re after.”
He cleared his throat, crumbled a bite of scone, and then chased the mouthful down with coffee dregs. “I saw Clinton Fife come over yesterday. Got me thinking.”
“Oh?” The anger started to return. If he thought …
He stood up and set his hands on her shoulders. “If you’re thinking I came back just because some other guy is circling, that’s not exactly true.”
She opened her mouth in rebuttal, but he silenced her with his fingertips. Gentle. Soft. He cupped her cheek, voice as melancholy as his gaze. “I got a job offer.” He let that sink in before continuing. “Triage wants me back.”
Mouth open, she blinked. Her heart leapt in nervous beats. Stay. Please. But the words didn’t come. Instead, she wet her lips and forced herself to keep calm.
After a moment, she sighed. “What do you want, Nick?”
Silence welled, unsaid words balled in her throat, but he’d done this. He’d left her alone rather than jump in and brave the storm by her side. He would have to be the one to undo it.
Nick had returned just as she was starting to get back on her feet—knocking her right down again. But she knew she would hear him out. Trembling, she watched the words as they formed on his lips.
“I was confused. Angry. I stepped aside until I could sort it all out.” His gaze went stormy, but his intentions were clear. “There’s only one thing I want, Natalie. And nothing can change that. Not your auction, or this place, or my sister, or who your birth parents might have been … I want you. Now. Forever. Just you.”
“How can you be sure?” She tightened her lips together before the fear tumbled out. “There’s so much about my past that we don’t know. That I’ll never understand.”
“You’re the same woman I met in that hotel lobby. The same woman who walked with me in a vineyard and saw the potential in this rundown place. The same woman who gave everything she had to turn those dreams into a reality. All I need to know is if you still want me too.”
His gaze was full of desire as he stepped closer, but he didn’t touch her. Instead, he waited. From what felt like a mile away, he waited for her to close the gap, to claim what was rightfully hers.
“I see my future in your eyes, Natalie. I am in love with you, and nothing can change that.”
She blinked through a rush of tears. “You still love me?”
He nodded. “And that’s just the start of it. I want to show you something.” He grinned and took her by the hand out the back door. “I almost lost you once. I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”
They stepped onto the lawn.
He’d created his vision on her property. The stubs of grass had been replaced by a bright-green, carefully manicured lawn edged with half wine barrels and leafy chrysanthemums.
“These will be in full bloom by Thanksgiving. Bright reds and whites. They’ll look gorgeous through Christmastime … I’m thinking that will be long enough.”
“Long enough for what?”
“To wait for our wedding.” He walked up the flagstones to the arbor dripping with cones of wisteria blooms. Inhaling their honey fragrance, he kissed her hair, kissed her neck at the ear.
“The wedding you’ve already booked a florist for.” Natalie smiled, her heart tripping over her stuttering breath.
He knelt, grinning like a fool, a tiny ring box gleaming in his outstretched hand.
“Don’t make me cancel now.” The mirth left his gaze as he spoke again. “I didn’t know how to handle what happened. So many years, so much anger, and all I wanted was revenge. But then, there was you. You are proof of hope, new life. You’re my future. My life isn’t complete without you. Be my wife, Natalie. I’ll love you forever. A promise is a promise.”
Heart hammering, the weight of her fear lifted as he placed the ring on her left hand. “I promise to love you every moment of every day, from now until eternity.”
“And I promise to love you right back,” she said.
In a breath, he stood and drew her in, claimed her mouth with his, hands as hungry as her heart. Love, true love, welled in her heart and soul. What they had would withstand the years ahead, just as she’d always dreamed.
She sighed into his shoulder. “You know?” This is the first time I’ve ever been in love.
His breath stuttered. Nick’s thumb circled the fourth finger of her left hand, tracing the sparkling ring that fit just right. “You are my last love. No more searching—for either of us.”
Covered by a canopy of flowers, Natalie kissed his smile. She drank in his faith and his hope for their future, knowing that the best was yet to come.
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First Crush Page 27