He and the woman he’s dating, Ashley, follow behind Nessa into the kitchen. It shocked the shit out of us when he brought Ashley home to a family dinner a few months ago. Up until then, he’d shown no interest in dating since his wife, Mandy, died. According to Mom, Ashley’s been an excellent mother figure to Nessa, and it seems like things are getting serious between her and my brother. I couldn’t be happier for him.
I close the door. When I turn, I see Poppy standing a few feet away watching me, a smile playing on her lips. I walk to her and wrap my arms around her waist.
“Hey, Beautiful.” I lean down and put my lips against hers.
“What did she give you?” she asks after we break apart.
I bring it between us to show her and her hand flies to her mouth. Carefully, she picks up the small delicate silver rose. Poppy’s told everyone how our relationship started with me sending her weekly flowers. Nessa thought it was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. She’s obviously going to be a romantic when she grows up.
I look over and spot the vase sitting on the coffee table. I still send Poppy flowers every week, and I’ll continue to do so until the day I die.
She walks over and puts the rose down on the mantle beside our wedding picture.
“How was the store?” I ask, throwing my arm around her shoulder as we walk to the kitchen.
“It was great. The new owners love the place and promise to keep all the original plans. I really like them and think they’ll do the place justice.”
The day Poppy saw the article in the paper, saying they were bulldozing her family’s old hardware store, was the same day she discovered someone broke into her house. After watching Eric in her room, I rewound the video of her that night and saw the devastation on her face as she looked at something in the paper. Later that night, I broke into her house and pulled the paper from the trash. The next day, I was on the phone with the owners, and after paying triple what the building was worth, it was back in her name. I presented her with the deed on the one-year anniversary of the day I first saw her. I held her while she cried against my shoulder. It wasn’t until recently that she decided what to do with the building. Instead of leaving Silver Technologies and opening the store back up like I feared she would, it stayed empty. I would have supported her if she had, but I’d be lying if I said my chest didn’t hurt with the thought of not having her with me at work. A few months ago, she came to me and told me she wanted to sell it, but she wanted to sell it to someone that would open it and use it as a hardware store. It took a while, but we finally found someone that met her demands. I could see the pain in her eyes when she signed the paperwork, but I also saw the happiness at knowing the store would open again. She became good friends with new owners and visits them sometimes.
“I have a surprise for you,” she says, and I look down at her.
We’re standing just outside the kitchen door. “What do you have for me, Beautiful?”
She takes my hand and places it over her lower stomach. The smile she gives me could light an entire fucking stadium. The implication of what she’s saying has my breath catching in my t
hroat.
“Are you saying…?” I ask, my voice shaky with unrestrained hope.
If it’s even possible, her smile gets wider. “Yes.”
I bend my knees, pick her up, and crush my mouth to hers. Laughing against my lips, she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me just as hard as I’m kissing her. Tears prick my eyes as I take my lips from hers. I throw my head back and yell, “It’s about damn time!” She laughs.
The commotion in the kitchen comes to a screeching halt, and everyone comes tumbling out.
“What in the world…”
I look over at our family and give them a huge smile, saying proudly, “We’re having a baby!”
“Oh, my God,” my mom whispers, tears immediately coming to her eyes.
“It’s about damn time,” my dad mimics my words.
Other words are spoken, but I don’t hear them. My focus is solely on the woman in my arms. I lean my forehead against hers.
“We’re having a baby,” I whisper, and watch as tears gather in her eyes. She smiles beautifully at me. I wipe away a tear that escapes and trails down her face.
“We are.”
“Are you happy, Beautiful?” I ask, already knowing the answer. She shows me every day that she’s happy. I just like hearing her confirm it.
“Deliriously happy.”
“Good. We can be deliriously happy together,” I tell her, and claim her lips once more…