The Agent

by Herkness, Nancy

  “Of course.” Natalie cradled the wide-eyed baby in her arms, smiling down at him. Regina had temporarily moved into the apartment over the salon once Deion found a place in the city, so Natalie often stopped by after work to play with Kirk and give Regina a break. Natalie had been honored beyond words when Regina asked her to be the little boy’s godmother.

  She glanced up to find Tully watching her with a wide grin. He looked magnificent in his charcoal-gray suit, white shirt, and red tie . . . and tooled leather boots, of course. He’d taken special care dressing for the baptism, which she’d found so sweet. Of course, she couldn’t wait to peel all that custom tailoring off him later to uncover his gorgeous muscles.

  “You’re a natural,” he said, giving her a secret, warm look.

  “As you pointed out, he’s an easy baby.” She swayed back and forth when Kirk started to fuss and he settled down again.

  “I love the simplicity of this church,” Tully said, his gaze scanning the space. “What do you think of it?”

  Natalie looked around at the white-painted walls and soaring wooden arches. The focal point was the wall of stone that rose behind the altar, decorated with a large but plain wooden cross. Since the location had been Regina’s choice, Natalie hadn’t focused on the church itself, just the pastor and the ceremony. “It’s very peaceful. Why?”

  “Just curious.” Tully seemed strangely keyed up.

  Maybe it was because they’d made a life-changing decision two days before. Natalie had been curled up against Tully on the sectional in her living area, drinking a Manhattan and watching the fire flickering in the gas fireplace when he had said, “What would you think of adopting? I know it’s a big decision but I’ve been thinking that maybe—”

  Natalie’s heart had nearly exploded with joy at the thought of being a parent with Tully. She’d been hoping he would come around to the idea sooner rather than later, but she hadn’t wanted to push him. “Yes! Let’s do it!”

  “Really? No reservations?” His face lit with happiness, but then his expression turned serious again. “If we want to adopt, we should probably get married. I know neither of us planned on that but I’m kind of old-fashioned about starting a family.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” At that point, Natalie had put her glass down so fast the alcohol sloshed all over the table. She climbed onto his lap so she could look him right in the eyes. “If I’m going to be the mother of your children, you had better marry me.”

  Then she had shown him in every way she could how much she wanted to be his wife.

  Tully had asked her not to tell anyone about their engagement until he’d gotten her a ring to make it official. Which meant it was still their secret.

  Natalie smiled inwardly as she hugged the knowledge to herself.

  Regina rejoined the group. “Here, I’ll take Kirk again,” she said.

  “I’m in no rush to let go of him,” Natalie said, loving the feel of the small body in her arms. She and Tully had decided not to adopt an infant because there were so many older foster children who needed permanent homes, but Natalie still enjoyed holding a baby.

  “Oh, I think you might want to have your hands free.” Regina grinned as Natalie passed the baby carefully back to her.

  “Why would I need my—?” Natalie started to ask when Tully took her hand and turned her toward him. He looked nervous, which was not an expression she was accustomed to on his face.

  Then he dropped down onto one knee, moving with his usual panther-like smoothness.

  Someone gasped before silence fell, the atmosphere charged with anticipation.

  Natalie stared down at Tully, her startled brain focusing on odd details like the little lines at the corners of his eyes, the blond glints in his hair, and the bold slash of his jaw.

  “Nat, I want to do this right,” he said, wrapping his big hands around hers. “Because I never thought I’d do it at all.”

  She forgot to breathe as she waited.

  He scanned around their audience and nodded. “In front of these people, who are our best and closest friends, I want to declare that I love you with everything in me and that I cannot imagine living without you.”

  Natalie opened her mouth, but he shook his head to stop her.

  “I’ve got more to say because you deserve more. That first part was all about how I feel and what I want. The next part is about you because that’s more important.” Tully’s face was solemn. “I promise that I will put you first and always consider your needs before my own. I swear that I will never knowingly hurt you. If I hurt you without meaning to, I will do everything in my power to fix it. Because love is about putting yourself in someone else’s boots and making sure they are comfortable for that person to walk in.”

  His grip on her hands tightened and he gazed at her with such love and hope in his eyes that tears clogged her throat. “Nat, will you marry me? Right here and right now in this church?”

  She nodded several times, even as she absorbed the surprise of the second part of his proposal. Tully was always a man of action. “Yes! Yes, I will! Right here and right now.”

  Applause and cheers broke out, but Natalie couldn’t take her eyes off Tully’s radiant face. An answering joy sparkled through her.

  He grinned and released her hands to reach into his jacket pocket, pulling out a black velvet box. He flipped it open with one thumb and pulled out a ring that glittered in the afternoon sunlight. Taking her left hand in his, he slid the ring on so that she could see it was set with a deep blue sapphire flanked by two diamonds.

  “To match your eyes,” he said before he patted his other pocket. “And I have wedding bands.”

  “You thought of everything,” she said, smiling down at him through her tears. “But that doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  “It’s perfect, but I would have been happy with a plastic ring from a bubblegum machine if it was from you.”

  “I know, but I wouldn’t be.” Surging to his feet, he cradled her face tenderly between his hands and brought his lips down to hers in a kiss that held love and passion and excitement. She wrapped her arms around his neck and poured all her joy into her response. She was aware that people around her were talking, but all she could hear was the way her heart beat in perfect synchronization with Tully’s.

  Then Tully lifted his head and brushed away the tears that had run down her cheeks with gentle strokes of his thumb. “Our friends are going to think you’re unhappy about marrying me,” he teased.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this right now.” The thrill of it fizzed through her veins like champagne.

  Uncertainty flickered across his face. “Is it too soon?”

  “No! It’s exactly the right time!” She stood on her toes to press another kiss on his mouth. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  Dawn was the first one to hug Natalie. “Thank goodness you two came to your senses! I knew you were meant to be married.”

  Alice joined the hug. “I’m so happy for you and Tully. You both deserve this.”

  Regina gave Natalie a peck on the cheek since she was holding Kirk. “That was so romantic.”

  “You were in on this, weren’t you?” Natalie asked with a smile.

  “I was just the liaison to Pastor John,” Regina said. “I’d talked with him about you and Tully so much that he said he felt like he knew you already. So he felt comfortable with the idea of marrying you in his church.” Her smile faded into a worried look. “This is okay, isn’t it? Tully said you didn’t want a big fancy wedding.”

  “I had one of those before and it didn’t end well. I can’t think of a better way to have a wedding than this,” Natalie said with a reassuring smile.

  Derek joined the group, bending down to hug Natalie warmly. “Tully’s a lucky guy, but I want to point out that you’ve gotten yourself a very fine man too. Take good care of him.”

  Natalie nodded, tears welling up at the depth of Derek�
�s friendship for his partner. “I understand that I’ll have to answer to you and Leland if I don’t.”

  “We may have to appoint Tully our new efficiency expert,” Leland said as Derek stepped aside. “Proposing in a church was a stroke of genius.” He leaned in to kiss Natalie and shake Tully’s hand. “I wish you both great happiness.”

  Natalie looked up at her fiancé to find a twinkle in his eyes as he said, “The planning for Alice and Derek’s wedding convinced me to streamline things.”

  “Hey!” Alice poked Tully in the arm even as she laughed. “If it wasn’t for our wedding, you wouldn’t be engaged to my maid of honor.”

  “She’s got you there,” Derek said, his arm going around his wife in a way that made Natalie’s heart squeeze.

  “I like to think we would have found our way to each other eventually,” Natalie said, smiling at Tully. “We do have friends in common.”

  Tully grinned at Leland and Dawn. “If you want me to plan your wedding, let me know. I’ll get it done in twenty-four hours.”

  Dawn gave him one of her “don’t mess with me” looks and Leland laughed. “I’m a more patient man than you are.” He looked at Dawn in a way that made Natalie sigh and press herself tighter against Tully’s big, hot body.

  A babble of new voices drifted in from the church foyer, and Regina looked toward the big entrance door. “Oh, good! They’re here!”

  Natalie pivoted to see her entire staff from the Mane Attraction pour in. Her heart nearly burst as Gino waved a bouquet of cream-colored roses over his head like a flag. “The flowers have arrived!” he announced.

  Natalie glanced at Tully to find him watching for her reaction. She stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss of delight before they were engulfed by more well-wishers.

  They had brought bouquets for Alice and Dawn as the maids of honor, as well as boutonnieres for the groom and his two best men. Gino arranged a headband of silk roses on Natalie’s hair and stepped back. “Yes! You are a beautiful bride.” He gave her a smacking kiss on each cheek.

  There was a chorus of appreciative murmurs from the women when Deion walked in, looking like a model out of a high-fashion magazine in a slim-cut blue suit. “I’m so glad you came,” Natalie said, feeling like the day couldn’t get any better.

  Deion wrapped her in a bear hug. “If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you. Tully’s a good man. But if he ever makes you cry, he knows he’ll have to answer to me even if he is my boss.”

  Natalie laughed and hugged him back.

  Alice and Dawn swooped down on her and carried her off to the bride’s room. “Not because you need any help looking gorgeous,” Alice said as she closed the door in the small antechamber, “but because we want you to ourselves for five minutes. Besides, I take credit for this wonderful news since it all started at my wedding. Of course, then I missed all the excitement while I was off on my honeymoon.”

  “Trust me, I would have liked to miss all the excitement,” Natalie said. Although it had given her Tully, so she couldn’t regret it . . . since they’d both survived.

  Alice looked hesitant as she said, “I thought you and Tully were both against marriage. For your own very good reasons,” she hastened to add.

  Natalie started to explain about their plan to adopt, but she realized that wasn’t the real reason they were getting married. “I couldn’t imagine myself ever trusting a man in my life again. But you know Tully. He would literally die for me.” She smiled. “Which is wonderful in some ways and terrifying in others.”

  “I hear you.” Dawn shuddered.

  “But I would do the same for him,” Natalie said. “So that’s why I want to marry him.”

  “Well, there’s no need to explain why Tully changed his mind,” Alice said. “He knows how lucky he is that you love him.”

  “Don’t make her cry. You’ll ruin her makeup. Not that I disagree,” Dawn said, handing Alice’s bouquet to her. “Let’s see how we look as a bridal party.”

  They stood in front of the floor-length mirror the church had hung for last-minute dress adjustments. The flowers looked perfect against the medium-blue raw-silk sheath Natalie wore. She’d added nude high-heeled pumps and a pearl necklace since she was going to be in church. The floral headband gave just the right bridal touch to the look.

  Alice wore a lavender dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt, while Dawn was in a burgundy A-line that showed off her toned arms.

  “You know what I love about this?” Natalie said, her eyes misty. “We all look like who we are. Dawn, you look strong and fierce. Alice, you look smart and romantic.”

  “And you look like Grace Kelly,” Alice said. “Elegant and beautiful as always.”

  “You’d think we planned it,” Dawn agreed. She pulled her phone out of her purse. “We need to record this historic moment!”

  A knock sounded on the door before it opened and Gino leaned in. “Showtime!” After he’d been pressed into taking the photo, they all proceeded to the back of the church.

  The organ was playing a soaring classical piece as Alice began her walk down the aisle, followed by Dawn about ten steps later.

  Natalie looked past them at the three men standing so straight and tall at the altar—very different people who had been brought together by recognizing each other’s brilliance. From that they had forged a deep friendship that had carried them here. A bright happiness glowed on their faces as the women they loved walked toward them. As Tully’s gaze met hers, Natalie knew she would carry this memory with her forever.

  When she stepped through the doorway, Gino joined her. “I’ve been deputized to give you away,” he said, offering her his arm. “Except you’d better not leave the salon, or we’ll all be pissed at Tully.”

  Natalie laughed as the music changed and the guests stood and turned.

  It was not the wedding march. It was the country-western song she and Tully had danced to at Alice and Derek’s wedding.

  She looked up the aisle to see Tully looking pleased with himself. “Do you know how to do the two-step?” she asked Gino in a murmur.

  “I am a dancing machine,” he said.

  “Then let’s make this a memorable entrance.” Natalie shifted her bouquet to one hand so she and Gino could intertwine their arms at waist level in the side-by-side position. “One, two, three, go!”

  So she two-stepped down the aisle in country time to meet her groom at the foot of the altar, with all the guests bobbing in rhythm as she passed. When Gino relinquished her hands, Tully took the free one and twirled her twice around before he bent her into a dip, his gray eyes alight with adoration and mischief as he gazed at her from a few inches away. “You are my kind of woman.”

  His arms supported her with a tensile strength that made her feel safe and secure. When he stole a quick kiss, his warm lips made her feel loved.

  As he effortlessly lifted her back onto her feet, steadying her with care, she looked into his eyes and said, “I’ll never dance with anyone but you for the rest of my life.”

  Author’s Note

  This book was begun in a very normal way in January 2020. It was completed in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not normal at all. Since writing a novel is about sitting in front of a computer alone—conjuring up imaginary characters and seeing what they do—being under lockdown would not appear to interfere with my work. Yet I—and many of my fellow writers—have struggled to tap into our creativity during this strange and frightening time.

  Deep down, novelists must be control freaks. We shape our material so it has a beginning, middle, and end; a crescendo to the big finish; a conclusion where loose ends are tied up. Reality isn’t like that but we have a compulsion to make it so in our stories. Which is perhaps why the time of coronavirus is destructive to our creativity. It’s impossible to shape a narrative of our world because there is so much uncertainty, so much anxiety, so many unanswered questions and endings that we can’t make sense of. So much sadness and tragedy that we ca
n’t turn into a big finish, no matter how hard we try.

  Yet the human spirit continues to show its resilience and caring in the thousands of stories about neighbors helping each other, as well as helping total strangers; about celebrities using their media platforms to raise millions of dollars to help laid-off workers; about the incredible bravery of medical professionals and first responders on the front lines; about the cashiers, delivery people, and other essential workers doing their jobs in masks and gloves so we can continue to live our lives.

  I’m all choked up as I type this because these selfless stories are what make me a romance writer: I have a soul-deep belief in the ultimate goodness of the vast majority of people around me. These uplifting stories are about love. Not romantic love, of course—although there is some of that in the Zoom weddings—but love of one’s fellow human beings.

  So when I struggled to find the words for this book, I reminded myself that I was writing about love and, therefore, hope. Because falling in love is an act of hope, and we all need to hold on to that comfort as we stumble into the strange and uncertain future.

  Acknowledgments

  With all the worrisome events going on in the outside world, I am so lucky to have a network of folks who share their experience, expertise, and support with me through thick and thin. They have held out a helping hand and been a steadying presence no matter what else was happening around us, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. There would be no book without all these amazing people:

  Maria Gomez, my marvelous acquiring editor, who brings such passion and professionalism to her work and who is my treasured anchor and friend at Montlake.

  Jane Dystel and Miriam Goderich, my brilliant agents, who always have my back, always give excellent advice (most of which I take), and whom I admire immensely.

  The entire superb Montlake Romance team, who care so much about the quality of my books, who are always finding new and better ways to support my work, and who are an absolute pleasure to work with.

  Andrea Hurst, my beloved and admired developmental editor, who is a consummate professional with an unerring eye for how to make a book better. It’s been a privilege and a delight to work with her on every novel I’ve published with Montlake Romance.