As Luck Would Have It

It seemed crazy to think that in such a short amount of time they’d started from one point and now ended here. But she knew this was the start of the rest of their lives. Felicity knew this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

With Hawk. Always with him.

They weren’t competition. They were a team.

He grinned at her, as if he could read her thoughts, as if she’d shouted those words to him and he’d heard them perfectly despite the flood of the crowd and the sound of the music.

He lifted his hand and placed it over his chest, right on his heart. She felt her face heat, her knees weaken. She felt everything inside of her tighten at the thought of being Hawk’s.

Yes, this felt like the first day of the rest of her life, and God, did it feel good. She looked forward to seeing what came next.

The café was busy, busier than Hawk had seen in a long time. But then again, he had the help of the crowd from the parade, as well as Rebecca and Felicity’s incredible baked goods.

They’d come together today, making their businesses as one, becoming a community that worked together. He hoped for the future as well.

A town celebrating and raising money for charity, and just being supportive of each other, which was how a community should be.

People came up and ordered the incredible pastries, grabbed a hot chocolate or coffee, a sandwich or soup, then stayed warm by sitting in one of the seats stationed in the café. It was good to see so many people, to see things flourishing.

The flow was perfect, letting him know that this was something that they could talk about, they could build together. It could be successful. They didn’t have to compete for customers to stay in business. Two companies as one, friends and family working together to make a successful company.

He looked over at Felicity and grinned, his heart racing every time he looked at her. Hell, before she’d fallen into his arms, he felt that way about her, but he’d been too much of a wimp to ever say anything. And the truth was, he didn’t know if he ever would have confronted her about how he felt.

She walked up to him and he embraced her immediately. Hawk didn’t care if he showed affection in front of everyone. In fact, he wanted everyone to know she was his.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips and pulled back, smiling and wanting to stay in this moment forever.

“I love you too.”

She turned to help someone at the counter and he stood there thinking what he’d done, how he’d become the luckiest bastard in the world, to have a woman like Felicity in his life.

But as luck would have it, things had worked out exactly how they were supposed to.

Three Months Later

“You okay, son?”

Hawk stared down at the ring in his hand. He and Felicity had been dating now for three months straight. After they had revealed their feelings to each other at the parade, he hadn’t wanted to wait to make her his forever. But he also knew that rushing her wasn’t the smartest move either, so he’d waited, and these three months felt like a lifetime.

He was taking a huge chance right now, and one he wasn’t sure would work.

He loved Felicity and he knew she loved him, but marriage, well, that was something else entirely.

“I’m fine.”

“You keep staring at it, it’s not going to give you the answer,” his father said.

“I know that, Dad.”

“Are you taking her anywhere nice?”

“I’m making dinner for her.” He knew she didn’t like big displays of affection and, well, asking her to marry him was huge. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel on the spot, and only accept a proposal because there were witnesses.

“You’re nervous again?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

His father laughed. “Don’t be nervous. I know that girl loves you so much. You’ve got this, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.” His father slapped him on the back, but it didn’t help him or make him feel encouraged. Releasing a breath, he felt more on edge than ever before.

By the time he closed the café, he couldn’t stop shaking. He’d actually started his and Felicity’s dinner in his slow cooker. She had found it so cute and charming how he owned a slow cooker. He did, and he loved it.

Crossing the road, he waited for Felicity to return. Rebecca knew his plans for the evening and so gave him a thumbs-up without her friend knowing.

He wanted this to be special but with how her friend was reacting, it wouldn’t stay that way.

“Hey,” Felicity said, cupping his face and kissing him. “Rebecca said she was happy to clean up so we can go and have dinner.”