Twenty-four
Natalia
One look was all it took for me to know that something was different. Wrong, perhaps.
I was back at work, and it was lunchtime, just a few days after the Christmas holiday.
Unable to stand the wait, I demanded, “Tell me what’s going on, Danielle. I know there’s something you’re keeping from me.”
She let out a long breath, smiled, and held her left hand over the middle of the table between us. “He did it. Stephen proposed on Christmas.”
My eyes rounded as a smile crept onto my face. I reached for her hand to inspect the gorgeous rock on her finger. “Oh my gosh. Are you kidding me? This is stunning.”
“Thanks. I still haven’t gotten used to it.”
I lifted my chin to meet her happy gaze. “Congratulations, Danielle. Oh, I’m so happy for you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t believe it, Nat. I’m engaged!”
This was the best news; I was sure my face was going to start hurting from smiling so much. “Tell me how it happened.”
As I dove into my meal, she shared, “Well, even though I told Stephen I wasn’t ready to move in with him, I wasn’t against spending the night with him on Christmas Eve.
I wanted us to wake up together, and I guess there was a part of me that thought maybe it would help nudge him in the right direction. ”
“Apparently, he was a few steps ahead of you,” I murmured.
“More than a few,” she confirmed. “When we woke up on Christmas morning, he brought up the topic of me moving in with him, explaining how nice it was to wake up together. I was upset because I really didn’t want to get into it with him on the holiday.
And when I moved to say as much, he told me that there was no longer anything standing in our way.
That’s when he pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him. ”
I beamed at her. “I bet you were shocked.”
“I still am.”
For a few beats, I studied her, noting the way she had almost completely transformed.
She was so happy; her smile was brighter than the sun.
“Do you know when you want to do it? I imagine you haven’t set a specific date just yet, but are there any thoughts about when you might want to make it official? ”
“The spring.”
“This coming spring?”
She nodded. “Yes. I don’t want to wait, and Stephen doesn’t either.”
“Wow. Well, I know this planning is right up your alley, but you know that if you need my help with anything, I’m more than willing to lend a hand.”
“You’ll have no choice in the matter if you’re going to be my Maid of Honor.”
Suddenly, it was my turn to have tears clouding my vision. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. You’re my best friend, Nat. Please tell me you’ll take on the job.”
I didn’t hesitate. “Of course, I will. I’m so happy for you.”
“I knew you would be. Now, tell me about your holiday. The last I saw you, you and Reid were getting cozy on a golf cart leaving the Christmas Eve party.”
Tucking my chin toward my chest, I batted my eyelashes. “Well, you weren’t the only one who didn’t spend Christmas Eve alone. Only I didn’t spend the night with Reid at his cabin. He stayed with me.”
Her jaw fell open. “Did you two…”
“We did. And it was the most amazing night of my life.”
Sitting back in her seat, she said, “I honestly don’t know who has the bigger news today.
Because while the engagement is huge news, we can’t discount what’s happened with you.
I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know you’ve found a way to move on from all that you’ve been through to find something so special. ”
Fidgeting with my hands, I dropped my gaze to my plate. “Yeah. Me, too.”
The silence stretched between us for a moment. “Why does it seem like you’re trying to convince yourself that’s the case?”
I took a deep swallow and let out a long breath. “Don’t misunderstand me, I’m so happy with Reid. Really, I am. He’s been so wonderful, and we’ve had such a great time together these last few weeks.”
Curiosity and concern marred her features. “So, what’s the problem?”
“I think I’m falling in love with him.”
“Now, I’m really confused. Isn’t that a good thing?”
I forced a small smile onto my face. “It is, if he’s going to stay.”
That’s when it clicked for her. “And this was only supposed to be a temporary position for him while Sylvia heals.”
I nodded to confirm before I shook my head with such disappointment. “What… What have I done, Danielle? Every other thing between us is great. And I fear I’ve set myself up for worse heartbreak than I’ve ever experienced.”
“Well, what does he say about it?”
Nibbling on my lip, I wondered the same thing. I’d been asking it for days now. Because I knew this was a problem from the very beginning, and somehow, I refused to stop myself from making such a big mistake.
“He hasn’t said anything about it,” I revealed.
“So, you haven’t said anything to him about it?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say. What could I say? Hey, Reid, I know this probably isn’t what you wanted or expected, but I’ve fallen in love with you and now I’m terrified you’re going to be leaving to head back to Pennsylvania in four months. ”
She studied me for a long time. “What would be wrong with that?”
How my eyes didn’t fall out of my head, I didn’t know. “Are you nuts?”
“No. That’s what you told me to do.”
“What?”
Reaching across the table, Danielle grabbed hold of my hand.
“With Stephen asking me to move in. I was worried that I was being unreasonable or that I’d be making a mistake if I declined moving in with him, because he’s such a great guy.
And you encouraged me to talk to him and tell him the truth about how I felt.
If you hadn’t done that, if I hadn’t taken your advice, I might not be sitting here with an engagement ring on my finger.
That’s what happens when you have a great guy, Nat.
And I think Reid is a wonderful man. You won’t know how he feels about the situation unless you talk to him about it.
I’m sure it’s crossed his mind once or twice already, anyway. ”
I guess this was a situation where I should have been able to take my own advice.
If what was upsetting me had been on Reid’s mind, he hadn’t given me any indication of it.
And when I thought about the second Christmas gift he’d given me—the streetboard—he’d made it clear he would teach me how to use it when the weather was nice again.
“But you and Stephen were together for a long time, and he asked you to move in,” I argued. “I’m not sure Reid and I are there after only knowing each other for two months, the first few weeks of which were rather tense between us.”
“Does he make you happy?”
I inclined my head. “Very.”
“Then talk to him. Tell him you’re afraid. If he’s the guy I think he is, he’ll do what’s necessary to reassure you. And be honest with yourself, Nat. If he wasn’t that guy, you wouldn’t have fallen for him.”
Her words had me reconsidering.
Because for weeks I’d been noticing everything Reid had been doing to prove to me that he was serious about me and that he cared. He made it possible for me to trust myself in a relationship again, so I shouldn’t have been feeling any concern about what would happen if I brought this up to him.
“Maybe I’ll just do it casually,” I said. “Find a way to tease him about it. At least it won’t feel threatening if I do it like that.”
“Exactly. I think you’ll be fine. And I’m sure there’s nothing for you to worry about. Reid probably already has it all figured out.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll talk to him later today.”
“Why not after lunch?”
“His friend from Pittsburgh came to visit, and I know they went out to grab a bite to eat this afternoon. He told me to stop in his office to meet his friend this afternoon, so I’ll have to wait until we’re alone to talk about this.”
Danielle’s eyes brightened, her smile growing. “You’re meeting his friend. Tell me that’s not a good sign.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled back. “I guess that’s a great sign.”
Danielle let out a squeal. “Oh, this is so exciting. Maybe by this time next year, you’ll be showing off your engagement ring.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, I need to figure out if that man ever plans to move back here, because I could never leave this place.”
“He will. I just know it.”
I could’ve sat and argued with Danielle, but I didn’t see the point. I wanted her to be right about this, about all of it, so I dove back into my meal and did it with a smile on my face, thinking about the man who’d changed my life.
Reid
The contrast between where I was two months ago and now was stark.
Walking toward my current office at Sandstone Heart with my best friend beside me, it couldn’t have been more apparent.
I’d just spent the last hour at lunch telling Cole all about what had been happening in my life ever since I’d returned to Cardinal.
It was nice being able to catch up with him, to share a bit of the excitement I was feeling over everything that had changed over the last few weeks.
And with all the talking I’d done, I still hadn’t been able to communicate everything to him. I really wanted him to meet Natalia, to see just how lovely she was. We’d gotten back to the office building, and I led us to her office, but it appeared she hadn’t yet returned from her lunch break.
So, I figured I’d show him where I was working for the next few months, and we could chat for a few minutes until Natalia returned. She knew to meet me back here, so I could make introductions.
“This is it,” I said as we walked into the office.
Cole didn’t hide how impressed he was as he looked around the room. “This isn’t bad, Reid. It’s a great space.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. It took me a minute to get used to it, considering it was where my dad spent his days for years upon years. But it’s grown on me.”
“You mean, this girl has grown on you.”
I chuckled. “Well, I’m certainly not going to deny that she’s had a lot to do with it. That’s for sure.”