by Naomi Niles
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” Vanessa nodded. “Kami and Madison are joining us, too.”
“That does sound fun,” I said. “Are you sure Kami will be up for a night out ,though? She was pretty tired this morning.”
“That’s because she’s seven months pregnant,” Vanessa said. “But she’s rested now.”
“Ok,” I said. “If you say so.”
Just then, the door opened and Sam walked in. He looked particularly handsome in his opened collared shirt and dark jeans. His dark brown hair had grown out a little, and I was finding the look incredibly sexy. He looked excited.
“Hi,” I greeted, standing up and twirling. “What do you think?”
“It fits,” he said happily. “Geez, you look amazing.”
“Nice choice,” I complimented.
“You’re sure you like it?” he checked.
“I love it,” I assured him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Renni jumped down off the bed and ran towards Sam. He grabbed her and hiked her up onto his hip. “You’re getting too big to be carried like this, Renni,” he said, giving her a little kiss on the cheek.
“Aw, but I like it,” Renni said, as her lower lip jutted out.
Sam smiled, his eyes lighting up when he looked at her. “In that case, I’ll carry you until you’re twenty-five. How’s that?”
“It’s a deal,” she said readily, offering him her pinkie finger to seal the deal.
I laughed. “You’re not going to be so excited about that promise when you hit thirteen, sweetheart,” I warned her. “Be careful what you wish for.”
“I’ll always want Sam to carry me,” she insisted.
“Yeah – p don’t try and break our deal, Mia,” Sam told me sternly.
I held up my hands and backed away from their agreement. “Okay, I’ll stay out of it,” I said in amusement.
“You and the girls are heading out tonight, huh?” Sam asked Renni.
“Yup,” she nodded.
“Well, there’s one more person that’s going to be joining you girls tonight,” he said.
Vanessa stood from the bed and adjusted her dress. “Who is that?” she asked.
“Jessica.”
“Jessica?” I asked startled. “She and Alan are on their honeymoon. I thought they were coming down next week.”
Sam smiled. “That’s just what they told us. I think they wanted to surprise everyone.”
“Yea,” Renni crowed. “Did they bring presents from Paris?”
“I’m pretty sure they did,” Sam nodded and Renni beamed with anticipation. “Aunt Jessica said she had something special for you.”
I shook my head at her. “It seems everyone’s spoiling you.”
“I agree,” Vanessa said, putting her hands on her hips. “And to be frank, I resent the competition. I used to be your number one favorite aunt.”
“You still are,” Renni insisted.
Vanessa threw her a shrewd look. “And where are your other aunts on the list?”
She smiled. “They’re number one, too.”
“You’re a cheeky little girl,” Vanessa said as she grabbed Renni from Sam’s arms, threw her down on the bed, and started tickling her. As Renni screamed with laughter, Sam turned to me and pulled me into his arms.
“Are you ready for our romantic night?”
“All set,” I nodded. “I should go and say hi to Jessica and Alan first, though… I know it’s only been a month since the wedding, but I feel as though I haven’t spoken to them in ages.”
“You’ll see them tomorrow,” he said dismissively. “Tonight is our night.”
I smiled and nodded, allowing him to lead me to the door. We blew Renni kisses and then we were off to start our romantic night together. The atmosphere in Vegas was electric, or maybe it was just my mood. Either way, it was great to be out and about in a new dress with a handsome man on my arm. I noticed the appreciative looks Sam and I got, and it made me feel young and beautiful.
The restaurant we were heading towards resided in one of Vegas’ oldest and most beautiful hotels. And it was just a stone’s throw away from our own hotel. We walked hand in hand, enjoying the cool night air before we stepped into the beautiful lobby of the Charlton. It was a smaller hotel, but its interior was spectacular, and I had no doubts it’s restaurant would be, too.
“The restaurant we want is on the third floor,” Sam told me.
I followed him without question as he led me through the third floor. “Hold on,” I said, as I pulled Sam to a stop in front of a huge area of floor to ceiling glass windows. “Let’s take a moment to appreciate that view.”
The city was lit up like a gem. It was so bright and bursting with color that I had to avert my eyes after a moment. I found my gaze shifting to Sam’s perfect profile. He noticed me watching him after a moment and he smiled.
“Like what you see?” he teased.
“Always,” I nodded.
He turned to me and kissed me slowly, passionately. I felt my right leg flick up in an old world gesture of romance. “I didn’t expect to like Vegas this much,” I admitted, when we broke apart at last.
Sam smiled. “It’s not Vegas,” he said.
“It’s not?” I asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course not,” he replied. “It’s us… It’s being with each other that makes the magic. I feel this way every single day I’m with you and Renni. We take the magic with us wherever we go.”
“Wow,” I smiled. “You could have been a poet.”
“I can take up poetry when I retire from fire fighting,” he laughed.
“I look forward to that day,” I said, joining in his laughter.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes falling on a point passed me.
“What?”
“A ballroom,” he said, taking me hand and pulled me along behind him.
“A ballroom?” I repeated. “What about it?”
Sam pushed open the huge brass doors and peeked in. “Wow… It’s amazing in there. Let’s sneak in.”
Before I could protest, he had pulled me through the doors and into the breathtaking ballroom. It was lit up as though in anticipation of some special event. Dainty arrangements of flowers lined the circular tilt of the room and the chandelier above us glittered with the strength of a million diamonds.
“Wow,” I said, staring up at the ceiling.
The ceiling was filled with paintings of angels, cherubs, and a number of other fantastical creatures. I was so caught up in the stories on the ceiling that I didn’t even notice the music start to play until Sam had pulled me into his arms for a dance.
“We’re dancing,” I said, looking at him in surprise.
“We’re dancing,” he nodded, twirling me underneath his arm. “This is practically a scene from Beauty and the Beast.”
I laughed at that. “Renni would love to see this,” I said. “She would have really appreciated the similarities.”
“Hmm…maybe we should go and get her then,” Sam suggested.
“I thought this night was just about us?”
“Since when has ‘us’ not included Renni? She is a part of us.”
I smiled. “I love how much you love her,” I said as we danced around the empty ballroom.
“I love her like she’s my own,” he said sincerely, and I saw the truth of that in her eyes.
“I know you do,” I said. “You can’t know how much that means to me.”
“I think I have an idea,” Sam replied.
Then he stopped abruptly and dropped his hands from my waist. I frowned, wondering what had happened. Then I saw him nod at someone behind me and I whirled around to see who he was looking at.
I stopped short when I saw Renni standing there, only a few feet from us. “Renni?”
The smile on her face was huge. She took a step forward and drew out a little box from the pocket of her dress. “Hi, Mommy,” she said. “I have something for you.”
I stare
d at the box in her hand. “Renni…what is that?”
Her answer was to open the box and reveal the small but beautiful diamond sitting in the center of a midnight blue cushion. I sucked in my breath and turned towards Sam. I stopped short when I realized he was on one knee, staring up at me with stars in his eyes.
“Sam…”
“Mia,” he whispered. “I’ve thought about a million ways to do this over the past few months. I knew I had to do it someplace special, with Renni at my side.”
Renni came to stand by Sam’s shoulder. He gave her a small wink, took the ring from her hands and then turned back to me. “Mia, you are the first woman I’ve ever loved ,and I want you to be the last. I want you to be my wife, and I want your daughter to be my daughter. Will you marry me?”
I could only stare at him for a moment, completely taken back, completely touched and completely overwhelmed by the unexpected moment.
“Say yes, Mommy,” Renni prompted, her little earnest voice cutting through my emotional thoughts.
And really, that was all the encouragement I needed. A tear slipped from my eye as I laughed. “Yes,” I said. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”
Renni gave a scream of delight as Sam rose to his feet and lifted me off mine. I felt Renni barrel into us, and I reached down to touch the silky softness of her hair. Just at that moment, the door to the ballroom opened and Sam’s family trooped in, screaming and cheering and yelling their congratulations.
“You planned this,” I breathed, looking into Sam’s hazel eyes.
“I did,” he nodded, smiling hugely.
He took my hand and we turned together to our bright new future.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Naomi Niles