by C. Morgan
“And coleslaw. I want a bucket of that stuff.”
She winked. “Anything you want.”
“In that case…” I said with a grin.
“After we eat, I will make sure you have the best dessert.”
I nodded. “Damn straight you will.”
She was giggling as she walked away. My eyes were on her ass, her hips gently swaying as she moved. Damn, I was going to make her scream. I was glad we were going back to my place. I could make her scream and there wouldn’t be any neighbors shouting at us to keep it down. My woman was a screamer. And the walls of her apartment were a little thicker than tissue paper as it turned out.
It was about ten minutes later when she rejoined me with two bags in her hand. “Ready?”
“Absolutely.”
I followed her back to my place. She had her own place in the driveway now. It was a little fast to talk about moving in together, but I was going to make the move soon. We spent a lot of time together as it was. I wasn’t sure her father would approve of my house. I had been to her childhood home. She said it wasn’t a mansion, but compared to what I lived in, it was pretty damn close.
She went into the kitchen to grab a couple of plates for us to put our meals on while I grabbed us a couple of cold beers. That was something else I was changing about her. She had developed a taste for beer, but I usually kept a couple bottles of wine in the house for the days she wanted something more refined.
We kicked off our shoes and put our feet up on the coffee table. I lied that she didn’t mind my lack of refinement. She actually seemed to relish it, which was even better for me. I took a bite of the burger, nodding and moaning my approval. “So good. Are you ever going to tell me what you added to give it that extra bite of flavor?”
She grinned. “Nope. It’s my secret ingredient.”
“I thought we agreed there would be no more secrets between us.”
“I don’t think this counts as a secret.”
“You just called it your secret ingredient. You used the word secret.”
“But that is a different kind of secret,” she teased.
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll think about it. For now, you just have to appreciate the gourmet burger.”
“I will absolutely enjoy it,” I told her.
“My dad came by earlier.”
“Uh oh,” I groaned.
She slapped my thigh. “It was a good thing. He just wanted to check on things. He didn’t try to change anything. He invited us over for dinner on Sunday. I told him I would have to check with you first.”
“I’m up for it if you are.”
“I’ll call my mom in the morning and let her know. Thank you for agreeing to go. I know it isn’t your favorite thing in the world to do.”
“Amara, it’s cool. Your dad and I have worked things out.”
“Thank you for being so cool about it.”
“His heart was in the right place,” I told her. “I get it. I don’t exactly make the best first impression. Hell, I don’t make the best second or third impression either. He took one look at me in my work clothes and sized me up.”
“But that is so wrong,” she insisted.
“Baby, that’s life. I quit caring what people thought about me and my appearance a long time ago.”
“I know, but that is so not fair. My dad has always taught me to not judge a book by its cover.”
I shrugged. “But it’s the way it is. Are you ashamed of me?”
“No! Why would you think that?”
“I don’t think it, but I’m just wondering if it embarrasses you when I show up at the restaurant wet, stinky, and sweaty.”
She leaned closer, her shoulder rubbing against mine. “Truthfully?”
“Be brutally honest.”
“It turns me on,” she whispered. “I love seeing my man hot and sweaty. I love knowing you put in a hard day’s work. I like to think of you out there lifting heavy things and grunting.”
“You finished eating yet?” I asked.
“I can eat later. There is something else I would like to dine on just now.”
I took her plate and put it on the coffee table before getting to my feet and lifting her in my arms. I carried her to my room, ready to prove to her she made the right choice by choosing me to be her man.
Epilogue
Amara
One year later
I smiled, doing my best to pretend I was interested in the slideshow my mom was showing me on her laptop. It was of her latest benefit dinner. I couldn’t explain why she thought I was interested. I nodded when she rambled on about the people that were there and who said what. I casually checked the time.
“Mom, I should probably get going.”
“Amara!” my father’s voice boomed.
I nearly fell out of the chair. “Dad, what is it?”
“I’ve got some fresh pastries from that little bakery in town that you love.”
Clearly, they were stalling. I didn’t know why but I would go along with it for a little while longer. Fulton would still be fishing for at least another hour. “That sounds great.”
I walked into the kitchen and slid onto a barstool. The pastries smelled delicious. I reached for one and took a bite. “I wish I could bake like this. I could make a killing if I had this kind of dessert in my restaurant.”
“Maybe you could create a partnership,” he offered.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“I don’t know that you need it,” he said. “Your restaurant is doing so well. I know I have told you before, but I will tell you again. I am so proud of you. I will admit I was nervous for you. I was so afraid you wouldn’t be successful.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a downer, but you know the statistics.”
“I do and I think about them all the time.”
“You know you didn’t have to pay me back,” he said.
I shrugged. “I told you I would. I wanted to do this on my own. I didn’t necessarily do it on my own, but I’m glad I was able to pay you back. It makes me feel a lot better. I feel like I’m actually doing what I set out to do.”
“Do you have any plans for later?” he asked.
“Um, not like anything concrete. I was just going to make dinner for Fulton and spend a quiet night in.”
“How’s the new house?” my mom asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“I love it. I love the kitchen. It is exactly what I wanted.”
“It’s a beautiful home.”
“Thank you,” I said. “We still need to do a little furniture shopping, but Fulton is all about paying cash. He doesn’t like debt.”
“That’s a good man,” my father said.
“I thought you would like that.”
“You know I’m willing to help out,” he offered again.
“And you know Fulton is stubborn and likes to be independent.”
He nodded. “I do know. It was just an offer.”
“And we both appreciate it.”
“Hank, maybe we should go.”
“Do you guys have plans?” I asked.
“Yes, we want to show you something,” she answered.
“Oh?”
“Yes, you can follow us.”
I had no idea what they were up to but figured I would play along. I just hoped it wasn’t an extravagant gift. Fulton was a proud man and liked taking care of me. I liked being taken care of. We’d just closed on our house last month. It was a respectable three-bedroom house with a nice, big yard. It wasn’t a fixer upper, but Fulton and I were already making grand plans to renovate it to suit our tastes. My favorite room was the kitchen. We had picked the house because of the kitchen. It was bright and roomy, and I couldn’t wait to cook my man some meals.
I followed my parents’ car for a few miles until I recognized the area. It was the warehouse where my dad had arranged for Fulton’s boat to be docked and renovated last year. It seemed a
little suspect. I prayed they had not bought him another boat. He would not want one. He loved his boat. The repairs were enough to keep things going and the lobster fishing had been successful.
I parked the car next to theirs and got out. “What’s going on?”
“There is something we want to show you.”
“Please tell me you didn’t buy him a boat,” I groaned.
My mom laughed. “Oh no. We are not that generous.”
I laughed with relief. I heard the door open and looked over to see Fulton standing in the doorway. “Fulton?”
“Hi, babe.”
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you fishing?” It was then I realized he was wearing a nice suit. I didn’t think he owned a suit. “What are you wearing?”
“Why don’t you walk over there and find out?” my dad suggested.
I walked across the blacktop. There were red rose petals scattered over the doorway. Fulton stepped inside. I followed him in, a trail of petals leading to the center of the warehouse. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw my parents standing just inside the door. My father’s arm was draped over my mother’s shoulders and hugging her close.
“Fulton?” I noticed a small table with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket with four glasses on the side. I felt like I’d missed a memo.
“Surprise,” Fulton said with a laugh.
“I am definitely that.”
“I brought you here because this is where everything changed. This spot is where I knew I was going to love you for the rest of my days. I knew I loved you when I first laid eyes on you, but I knew I was going to love you forever the day you gave me back the boat you stole from me.”
I giggled, putting a hand over my mouth. “How many times are you going make me apologize for stealing your boat?”
“Stealing a man’s boat is a pretty big deal, but that’s not why we are here. We are here because I wanted to do this right. It felt right to come back to this place to ask you a very important question. Before I ask, I want you to know I love you. I know I’m not an easy man to get along with. I know I challenge you and drive you crazy. I know I’m stubborn and you just go with it. I love you even more for all of that. We are building a life together and I want to make it official.”
“Official?”
“I’ve talked with your parents and they have given me their blessing to do this.”
“Do what?”
He dropped to his knee and produced a ring from his pocket. I couldn’t breathe. My heart was in my throat. He took my hand and held it between his. “Amara, I love you. God, I love you so much I can’t breathe sometimes. You are an amazing woman. Every day, I wake up next to you, and I can’t believe you are mine. I want to make sure you know how much I love you. I will tell you and show you every single day for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?”
I was having a hard time seeing straight. Tears welled in my eyes. “Fulton, I want nothing more than to marry you. Yes! Yes! I want to be your wife.”
He slid the ring on my finger before getting to his feet. His hands rested on my cheeks before he laid a gentle kiss on my lips. I was completely lost in the moment and almost forgot where we were. I heard a sniffle and was instantly reminded of our company.
I spun around and looked at my mom, who had tears streaming down her face. She walked toward me with her arms out. She wrapped me up in a warm hug. “My baby girl is getting married.”
“You knew?”
“I did and it has killed me to keep my mouth closed.”
“I’ll open the champagne,” my father said.
“Thank you guys for being here,” Fulton said. “This is an important moment in our lives and I’m glad we can share it with you.”
The tears started flowing again. I walked into my dad’s waiting arms. He gave me his usual bear hug. When he stepped back, I was sure I saw a tear in his eye. “I’m proud of you. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thanks, Dad. You guys are all very sneaky.”
Fulton gave me a glass of champagne. “You are a difficult woman to hide anything from.”
“Let’s toast and then we will leave you two alone,” my father said.
We each held our glasses while my dad did the honors.
“I knew one day I would have a son-in-law. As a protective father, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of giving my little girl to anyone. I know I was a real bear. I know I made it difficult for you in the beginning. I just want to say, you passed every test I gave you. I will be proud to call you my son. I look forward to spending more time with you. Maybe I’ll even teach you how to golf. Congratulations to you both.”
My mom was openly bawling. I was barely keeping it together.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Thank you, Hank,” Fulton said, clapping a hand on my father’s shoulder. “I will do my best to take care of her.”
“I know you will. Now, we are going to get out of here. We’ll see you next week for dinner.”
“At our house,” I reminded him.
“At your house.”
My mom hugged me again before hugging Fulton. “I’m so happy for both of you. Hurry up and pick a date. We’ve got so many plans to make.”
“I will let you know as soon as we do.”
They left, leaving me alone with my fiancé. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“I’m really digging this suit,” I told him.
He grinned, doing a slow turn to show it all off. “There will be one other time I will wear a suit.”
“If you are talking about our wedding, you better believe it is going to be a tux. I want to see you all dressed up, especially if I’m wearing a dress.”
“We could elope,” he offered.
My mouth fell open. “Oh no,” I said, shaking my head. “We are having a wedding. My mother and I have been planning my wedding from the time I saw my first Disney princess. I will do my best to spare you as much as I can, but this is going to be a big deal. This is going to be a party like no other. My parents have talked about my wedding forever.”
He groaned, throwing his head back and looking at the high ceiling. “Mercy. Please have mercy.”
“All you have to do is show up.”
“Really?” he asked, perking up a little.
“Yes. We’ll keep the wedding party small and try to keep the guest list relatively thin, but I want bling. I want lots of bling. I want sparkles and lights and pretty things.”
“Baby, you can have whatever you want. I will wear whatever you want. I will do whatever I can to make you happy. You are my priority.”
“I will do the same for you. I want you to be a happy, content man.”
“I am beyond content. If I wake up with you by my side every morning, I will be very satisfied.”
“Then we are set.”
With my parents gone, he gave me a kiss that promised a lifetime of happiness.
The End.
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About the Author
Chloe is a hometown girl from Tennessee who loves a great short romance, drinking coffee most of the day, and hanging out with family. When she's not writing, she can be found playing the piano or surfing Facebook!
Having been a reader all her life, she's hoping that you'll find yourself lost to time, laughing and falling in love all over again with her books.
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My Uptown Girl
Copyright © 2020 by C. Morgan.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without
the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art