After All - Romancing Manhattan

“No.” His eyes shine with love as he watches me. I realize now he’s been looking at me like this for weeks, I was just too blind, or stubborn, to realize it was love and not just affection. “I don’t have to stop anything. It pleases me to send you flowers.”

“Then they’re going to live in your office because I’m fresh out of room.”

He catches my hand in his before I can march out of the office and pulls me into his lap. He kisses me softly, cupping my cheek.

“I don’t have time for your shenanigans.”

“Sure you do.” He kisses me again. “I’m the boss, and I just put it on your schedule.”

“You think you’re the boss, but I make the schedules around here.”

“So sassy,” he murmurs. “Are we still on for this evening?”

“Yes.” We’re going out to dinner, our first date since our big fight, and I’m more than ready for it.

“Well, add this to our schedule; we’re leaving at two this afternoon.” I frown, but before I can say anything, he says, “That’s not a request, darling.”

“Yes, sir.” I give him a mock salute and kiss him firmly before wiggling out of his lap. “If I’m leaving early, I’d better get back to my desk. I have lots to do.”

“Be sure to eat a banana,” he calls after me.

He’s constantly feeding me. Asking me if I’m hungry, if I feel okay.

I have a feeling he’s going to dote on me during this entire pregnancy, and frankly, it feels pretty damn good.

“So we came all the way to Florida for dinner?” I ask, standing in the condo at the beach, staring at Carter in confusion. We left work at two and drove straight to the airport, where we took the company plane to Jacksonville, and then Carter drove me to a quiet restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner.

And now we’re back at the condo. I’m not complaining. In fact, I’ve discovered I love being at the ocean more than just about anywhere else.

But this is elaborate for a simple date.

“I thought we could use a weekend away,” he says. “Why don’t we go for a walk on the beach? It’s a lovely night for it.”

He’s different tonight. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is just . . . different. He looks so at ease, so calm compared to how he’s been for the past couple of weeks.

Maybe it’s the beach that has this effect on both of us.

“Sure.”

We walk, hand in hand, to the bridge that crosses over the dunes, and down to the sand, where we kick off our flip-flops and leave them by the bridge. We’ll retrieve them on our way back.

The sand is coarse, but it feels good on my feet. We make our way down to the wet sand, which is easier to walk on, and walk south. The sun is just starting to set, shooting orange and purple through the sky.

Carter’s right, it’s a lovely evening for a walk on the beach.

We’re quiet, listening to the waves and wind.

“Look at those birds.” I point to little white birds with long beaks, poking holes in the sand.

“They’re eating little insects in the sand,” he says with a smile. “Watching the pelicans dive into the water is even better.”

“Oh, I want to see that.”

He smiles down at me and leads me farther down the beach, to the driftwood log I found him on the last time we were here.

“Let’s take a rest.”

“This is the perfect spot.” I sit and take a deep breath of salty air. The breeze is in my hair, and I never want to leave this place. “I love it here.”

“I know.” He clears his throat and puts his hand in his pocket.

Holy shit. This is it. He’s going to propose.

But rather than pull out a ring, he has a letter.

“This is something Gabby wanted me to give you.” He offers me the envelope, and as I rip it open, he leans forward, his elbows on his knees, and watches the water.

The letter is written in Gabby’s handwriting. I can tell she took her time to make it as pretty as she could. The paper is pink, and she’s dotted her i’s with hearts.

I smile. She’s so funny.

Dear Nora,

Dad invited me to come with you to the beach, but I decided to stay in NY with Grandma. I can always go down there another time, and you’re just going to be mushy and kiss and stuff. You know, gross stuff. But I hope you have a lot of fun this weekend.

Dad told me that I’m going to be a big sister, and I can’t wait! I promise, I’ll help with everything. You won’t have to do everything by yourself. I mean, I don’t love the idea of changing poopy diapers, but if I have to, I will. Having a sister is going to be awesome.