He laughs as he walks away. “As much as you’ll let me.”
I relax back into the chair and close my eyes. The hum of the foot spa is the only sound in the room, and I enjoy what could be my last opportunity to relax like this for a while.
Eventually Nick comes back, and I open my eyes. He’s holding something behind his back.
“Whatcha got there?” I ask, intrigued.
“You ready for dessert yet?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
He chuckles. “I got your favorite, chocolate lava cake.”
“Hand it over and no one gets hurt.” I hold out my hands with a smile.
He brings the plate from around his back, and yes, there’s a chocolate lava cake on there, the dark brown sauce running out of one side of it. But there’s something else unexpected on top. A diamond ring.
“What is this?” I ask, taking the plate. I keep looking from him to the ring to him again.
He plucks the ring from the top of the cake and gets down on bended knee beside the chair. “We were married so quickly that I never got a chance to shop for an engagement ring for you, and it’s something I wanted to do. Yeah, you have your wedding band, but you picked that out yourself. I wanted you to wear something that I chose for you. Mazzy, will you do me the honor of wearing my ring?”
Tears pour down my face. The nerve of this man doing this when I’m nine months pregnant. I can’t control these emotions.
“Yes,” I whisper through tears and sniffles.
I hold out my left hand and he slides on the ring. It’s a huge pear-shaped diamond with three smaller diamonds on either side, and it perfectly complements my diamond wedding band. “Nick, it’s gorgeous.”
“Not more gorgeous than you. I’m so happy we finally have what we always wanted, Maz—each other.” He gives me a chaste kiss.
I deepen the kiss, and once we close the kiss, questions fly out of my mouth. “I’m shocked. When did you do this? Where did you get it?”
He smiles. “I had a little help from your mother. If anyone knows jewelry, I figured it would be her.”
“True.”
I’m back on speaking terms with my father. Our relationship hasn’t been the same since he stepped down from the company, and I’m not sure it ever will be. But we have a relationship. That’s a start.
Pembrooke Financial has a more-than-capable woman at the helm now, and I feel confident that the business will continue to flourish with her guidance.
I gaze down at the gorgeous ring. I was fine with just my wedding band, but the fact that he wanted to do this for me makes this ring extra special.
“I have something for you too.” I wiggle to get up out of my chair, but he gently pushes my shoulder so I remain in my seat.
“Let me dry your feet so you don’t slip. One second.” He grabs a towel from the kitchen and dries my feet, then he moves the foot spa aside and helps me to stand.
“Come with me.” I lead him up the stairs to the bedroom that houses my art studio.
“You’re kind of stealing my thunder here, Maz.”
I laugh. “I’ve had this for a while. I just wasn’t sure when to give it to you. I wanted it to be the perfect time and now feels right.”
He’s behind me while I stand at the closed studio door, and he leans down and kisses the side of my neck.
“Careful,” I say, “or we won’t even make it that far.”
“You say that as if I’d object.”
It’s fair to say that pregnancy has made me horny. I’ve always loved being intimate with my husband, but pregnancy has turned me insatiable. So much so that Nick will probably try to impregnate me again right away.
I push the door open and point at a painting on the other side of the room that’s turned toward the wall. “See that one there? Go turn it around.”
He looks at me as though he’s intrigued and walks to the painting. Slowly he turns it around to reveal an abstract couple in blues and beiges, wrapped around each other. They’re clearly nude, and while it’s not graphic because of its abstract nature, it has an intimate feel.
“I called it ‘When Two Become One.’ I painted it for you because that’s how I see us.”
He looks from the painting to me and back again. “Mazzy.” His voice is rough, choked up with emotion. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
I beam with pride. I wasn’t sure if he’d like it, but his words and reaction are sincere. I’ve been working on more abstract pieces lately, as opposed to my usual style, and this is the first painting in my new style that I’ve really loved.
Nick sets the painting down and pulls me into a loose embrace so that he doesn’t crush my belly. “How the hell did I get so lucky?”
“I’m the lucky one.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “Sometimes I curse all the years we lost because of my stupidity, but then I question whether we’d be where we are now if things were different. And things right now are perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.” His hand ghosts across my belly.
“Neither would I.”
We aren’t perfect, but we are perfectly paired. That’s what matters most.
THE END
Do you need more Nick & Mazzy? Enjoy this exclusive BONUS SCENE I wrote!!!
If you want to know Oliver and Jemma’s story and exactly how they met (hint: she shot him) be sure to check out Hit or Miss (Love in Apartment 3B #1)!
Deep Thoughts
Confession: This may have been my favorite book to write so far. I just LOVED the dynamic between these two characters. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and enemies to lovers. Add on fake marriage and I’m SOLD! So what could be more fun than throwing all three together in one story? LOL Hopefully you feel the same after reading Nick and Mazzy.
I knew back when I was writing Hit or Miss (Love in Apartment #3B) that I wanted Nick to have his own story. He was a character that jumped off the page for me and it just felt like he needed his own happily ever after. But it was going to take someone special to cure him of his bachelor ways. Enter Mazzy. It took me a while to get to know what she was all about. I had to do a lot of character sketches for her before I could even start writing the book. Sometimes I just dive in and see who shows up, but it wasn’t that easy with her. She took some time and effort but in the end she was worth it.
A huge thanks to you for picking up this book and for making it this far. (If you’re reading this far I’m assuming you made it to the end of the book. LOL) And if this is the first time you’ve read one of my books be sure to check out Nick’s best friend’s, Oliver, in his book Hit or Miss. You’ll get to see exactly how he and Jemma got together. Spoiler alert: she shot him in their meet cute. :P
About the Author
Everly Ashton is a USA Today Bestselling Author writing sexy rom coms under this pseudonym for Kindle Unlimited. Head to her website at EverlyAshtonAuthor.com to join her newsletter for access to exclusive giveaways, bonus scenes and other fun stuff!
Also by Everly Ashton
Love in Apartment 3B Series
Hit or Miss
Three’s A Crowd
Good on Paper
Don't Mind If I Do : A Fake Marriage Romantic Comedy Page 22