Page 83 of Stick to the Deal
“I see that. How are you feeling, ma’am?” I nod a greeting at the matron as I place the packages on the nearby table. Nic’s face tells me all is well, but I know this woman never approved of me, and despite the tubes and hideous hospital gown, she looks every inch the ferocious matriarch I know she can be.
“Much better. Thank you for getting my granddaughter here.”
Hands now free, I resume my post behind Nic’s chair and smooth a hand over her hair. Smiling down at her as she turns that sunny face in my direction. “Of course. I got you a little bit of everything, Nic. So no excuses, please eat something.”
Foster enters with the remaining bags and drink tray, and an orderly with an extra rolling table and chairs.
Nic immediately wraps the man in a tight hug. “Oh, Foster, it’s so good to see you.” She doesn’t even question his presence, simply grabs a smoothie from him and sets about organizing the various containers. Her shoulders relax and all the strain from the past few months eases. For maybe the first time in our year together, she’s at peace.
“Oo, fries. And a spicy tuna roll?” She keeps opening cartons. “Is this vindaloo?” Her hazel eyes are wide as she looks up at me, love shining clearly. “You got all my favorites?”
I wrap my arms around her—careful of her overflowing plate—and kiss her forehead. “Of course, Princess. Whatever you need, remember? Now would you fucking eat something, please?”
She pops a sushi slice in her mouth, her eyes full of heated promise.
“Well, I’d best be going.” Foster says behind us, hat clenched in his hands. “I’m glad I was able to help. Be good to each other.”
“Oh no, you must stay, Foster,” Nic entreats.
My chest tightens at the idea of never seeing him again. “Please, do. I may have overdone it on the food.” My stomach drops as I remember the other person in the room. Slowly, I turn wide eyes to the bed. “That is, if it’s alright with you, Mrs. Atherton.”
The room falls silent, the faint hum of the lights suddenly loud.
“Young man,” she begins. I tense for the dragon to roast me alive. “It’s Grandmama.” She emphasizes the last two syllables. Then her lips tilt in the subtlest of smiles as gratitude and affection shine in her eyes before she turns to her granddaughter.
We spend the evening passing food and sharing stories, the room filled with a warmth I’ve only recently learned a gathering can have. A sense of belonging and excitement for the future fills me.
Later, as Foster drives us to my flat, I wrap my arm around Nic as she leans into me. “I love you, Princess.”
“I know,” she quips, a wicked smile on her lips as she faces me.
My nose tickles her jaw as I growl against her neck. “That right?”
The husky laugh that always makes me hard vibrates through her. “I love you, too.”
I know. It’s the one thing in this life I’m most sure about.
Epilogue: September
“Is there anything else I can get you?” the air steward asks as he lowers two mimosas onto the nearby table.
I smile and shake my head as I reach for the bubbling glass.
Reginald grumbles in the cream leather seat beside me, glaring at the retreating man’s back. “You had to hire a male flight attendant.”
Chuckling, I curl into his side. A year of marriage and he still gets stupidly jealous. The possessiveness actually makes my inner lost-girl happy—not that I’ll ever tell him that. “Missing the blond from our first flight?”
A deep V wrinkles his eyebrows as he turns to me. “What blond?”
Smiling, I stroke the creases until they relax. “I love you.”
His lips spread into a full grin. “I love you, too.” I see so many more of these real smiles since we cut ties with his parents. Each one still gives me butterflies. “A month of you all to myself. What should we do first?”
After a vow renewal ceremony in Friendship Springs, we’re headed to Hawaii for a long-overdue honeymoon.
The last few months have been a whirlwind. Although the lack of Bancroft family obligations has cleared some of our schedules, with the recent successes in both of our careers, we’ve been pulled in different directions.
“Hmm, probably some shopping in Honolulu. Then maybe a hike up Diamond Head. Are you sure you can leave the magazine for a whole month?”
