Chapter 29
Stella
“Are we finding out the gender today?” Dr. Gregario asked as he moved the wand over my belly.
“We sure are,” Miles said. “Wow. I can’t believe how much the baby has grown in a month.” He gripped my hand.
“Oh, look at that. I have a perfect view. Tell me what you see,” Dr. Gregario said.
I studied the monitor and looked at Miles, who sat there with a wide grin on his face.
“That’s my boy,” he said.
“You are correct, Miles. Congratulations, you two. You’re having a boy.”
Tears filled my eyes as Miles leaned over and kissed me.
“We’re having a boy, babe.” He softly stroked my forehead.
“A beautiful boy.” I smiled, bringing my hand up to his face.
Miles took the whole day off, and we went shopping for furniture for the nursery. When we entered the baby store, Miles wrapped his arm around me.
“See, aren’t you glad we found out it’s a boy? Now, we can shop accordingly.” He grinned.
“Yes, babe.” I patted his chest. “I’m happy we found out.”
I was looking at a certain crib, and when I looked over, I saw that Miles was gone. Walking around the store, I found him standing in front of a display of furniture in dark gray.
“I was looking for you,” I said.
“Sorry, sweetheart. This bedroom set caught my eye. I have a vision.”
“And what is your vision, Miles?”
“Light gray walls with this dark gray furniture—the crib, dresser, chest, rocker, and bookcases. What do you think?”
“I do love it.” I turned the price tag over, and my eyes widened. “Wow. It’s very, very expensive.”
“Really, Stella?” Miles furrowed his brows. “Nothing is too expensive for my son. You know money is no object. And the same goes for you.” He placed his finger under my chin and kissed my lips.
“In that case, can we hire an interior decorator to decorate the nursery? A.K.A. Adalyn Grant?”
“As long as we get this furniture, of course. I’m meeting with Harrison tomorrow, and I’ll mention it to him.”
“Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.” Miles smiled.
After a long day of shopping, I wanted to go home, take a bath, and relax.
“One more store.” Miles glanced at his watch.
“I’m tired, Miles. I want to go home.”
“We will, sweetheart. Right after this store.” He opened the shop’s door, and we stepped inside.
I was incredibly happy that he was excited about the baby, but he was taking his excitement to a whole new level.
“Can we pick up dinner on the way home?” I asked him.
“We’ll have dinner at home. Dora said it’s in the warming oven.”
“Okay.” I lay my head on his shoulder as we left the store.
I let out a sigh of relief when we finally made it home. Walking into the bedroom to strip out of my clothes, I saw a garment bag neatly placed on the bed.
“What’s this?” I turned to Miles.
“I have no idea. Unzip it and see.”
Grabbing hold of the zipper, I unzipped the bag and stared at the champagne-colored short, beaded, off-the-shoulder, flowy dress.
“This is beautiful.” I removed it from the garment bag. “What did you do?” I smiled, looking at Miles.
“Try it on.”
“What is this for?” I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into the dress. “Can you zip me up?”
“I’d be happy to.” His fingers zipped the back of my dress as his lips caressed my neck. “It’s a perfect fit for now.” He winked, placing his hands on my belly from behind.
“Very funny. Did you pick this out?” I turned around in his arms.
“I did. I saw it and knew you would look stunning in it.” His lips met mine.
“Thank you, but what’s the occasion?”
“Come with me and find out.”
He took hold of my hand and led me up the stairs to the rooftop. I gasped when I saw a round table draped in white linen with two matching chairs. A beautiful floral centerpiece made of red roses and white geraniums with a candle in the center graced the table. Red and pink rose petals were scattered over the rooftop, and soft music played in the background.
“What is all this?”
“Dinner.” A smile crossed his lips. “I may have told you a lie.”
“I’m already guessing you did.” I smirked.
“I hired a chef to cook us a special dinner tonight.”
“For?” My brow arched.
“To celebrate finding out the gender of our kid.”
“Okay.” I smiled as he pulled out the chair for me. “It’s a little elaborate. Don’t you think?”
“Nothing is too elaborate for you, Stella. Get used to it.” A smirk crossed his lips.
We were served a wonderful dinner with a delicious dessert to top it off.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so full.” I placed my hand on my belly.
“I hope not too full for a dance.” Miles smiled as he pulled a small remote from his pocket, and the song You Are The Reason by Calum Scott started to play.
Miles took my hand and helped me from my chair.
“I picked this song because every word of it represents how much I love you.”
“Oh, Miles.” Tears filled my eyes. “I love you, too.”
We danced and held each other close. I lay my head on his shoulder as contentment and peace flowed through me. Right when the song ended, Miles got down on one knee and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. Placing my hand over my mouth, tears streamed in my eyes.
“Here we go again.” He smiled. “Stella, I know my first proposal to you was not romantic, even if it was a proposal at all. I wasn’t a very good husband the first time, but I hope you’ll give me a second chance to show you that I can be the best husband and man you deserve. I love you so much, sweetheart. I want to give you the world, my love, and my life. I didn’t want to go through with the annulment, but I had to because I knew I’d win you back and wanted us to start over. I know your first ring wasn’t anything special, and I hope this one makes up for it.” He flipped open the box. “Will you do the honor of marrying me and become Mrs. Miles Bradshaw for a second time?”
I gasped when I saw the four-carat, flawless cushion-cut diamond ring with a diamond-accented shank.
“Yes, Miles. I will marry you again.”
With a smile, he removed the ring and placed it on my left hand, bringing it to his lips. He stood up and placed his hands on each side of my face, wiping the tears with his thumbs as they fell down my cheeks.
“I love you so much, Stella.”
“I love you too.” Our lips met passionately.
“By the way. We’re not getting married in a courthouse this time. I want to make that very clear,” he said, placing his forehead against mine.
I laughed as the tears continued to fall. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Yes, it was. You’re going to have the wedding of your dreams, sweetheart.”