14. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
Nick
Nick exited the carriage first, then turned to his fiancée, and offered his hand. Wow. She looked beautiful and soon she would be all his. His heart thumped in his chest when she placed her hand in his and gazed at him with loving eyes.
He helped her to the ground, and put his hand around her waist, resting on her hip. With his other hand, he dug into his pocket for the fifty-dollar tip he had ready and handed it to the operator. “If she said no, it would be a ten.” He winked.
Beth giggled beside him. Oh, how he loved to make her laugh. One of the many reasons he found her attractive. But mostly it was his gut feeling that they were destined to meet. And now he’d seen that his intuition was right. She’d said yes. Without question.
Nick collected their photo at the booth and tucked it into his inside jacket pocket. With barely a soul around, they walked back through the Esplanade—the park theirs to enjoy alone.
“I feel like a kid at Christmastime.” He swung her around in a dance, her hair gliding through the night. “Let’s go to the swings. Who can reach the highest?”
She laughed. “I’ll race you there.”
That a girl. Nick bolted and, of course, arrived at the playground first. He offered her a swing. “I’ll give you a push for a head start.”
She wriggled onto the rubber strap-like seat and gripped the metal chains. He stood behind and held onto the side loops, pulled back as far as he could, then rushed forward, letting go.
“You can do better than that,” Beth called back.
“Right. I’m going to send you to the moon next.” He stepped backward, and when she swung close, he rushed her forward, and repeated the action until the swing went nearly as high as the top beam. Her laughter echoed throughout the Esplanade.
He hopped on the next swing. “Now, you have an advantage.” He hoisted his weight back and forth, swinging his legs to gain momentum.
Beth’s hair covered her face as she went backward, but her wide smile still showed through.
Soon, at equal heights and timing, he pushed one last time, and at the peak, pointed his feet. “I beat you by a shoe!”
“Not fair!” Her laugh was contagious.
They eventually slowed and gently swayed, swirling their shoes in the white sand.
Beth breathed hard. “I’m not as fit as you. That was a good workout.”
“I’m too competitive. I should’ve let you win like a true gentleman.”
“No, I don’t like to win unfairly. I’m sure we’ll find things I can beat you in.”
“We have a lot to learn about each other. And a lifetime to do so.”
“That we do.” She angled her head in his direction, with the sweetest smile. Beth was in love with him. How he gained favor with her so quickly? Simply destiny. He’d learned from his past mistakes and now he could make a fresh start. Still, there were things he should tell Beth about himself before their wedding day. He didn’t need to go into details, but a mention would be better than her finding out later. He would wait for the right timing. So far, their conversations didn’t go in that direction.
“What are you thinking about, Nick?” She gave a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Thinking about perfect timing.” He dug his shoes into the sand and stopped the movement on his swing.
He switched from his serious expression and burst into a grin. “So, while I was organizing tonight’s proposal, I came up with another grand plan.” He stretched the last two words. “How about, the last day before I leave Australia, we get married so your family and friends can be there? Then you can fly over to meet me in Los Angeles a month later.”
Beth’s blue eyes widened. “You want to get married in four weeks?”
“Why not? It makes sense—saves money with all the travel. We can put that toward a honeymoon or our trip to Israel.”
“Um, I suppose it would be hard to have a long-distance relationship.” She swallowed.
“Exactly.” He got out of his swing and quickly scooped her up into his arms like a bride. She flung her head back and laughed as he twirled around.
“I love you, Bethany Michaels.”
She angled her head to meet his eyes. “And I love you, Nicholas DeHann.” Beth touched his cheek, and he responded with a kiss to her lips.
He placed her feet to the ground and rested his arms around her waist.
“I’ve already done my research.” He smiled. “We’ll need to register for a marriage license tomorrow in Perth. Then it will arrive in time to have the ceremony in Australia. The ship’s coming back to Fremantle for two days before leaving for the States, so it will work perfectly.”
“You do have it all planned.” She raised her brows. “What if I said no?”
“I would have to return the dowry money to your dad.”
She feigned a whack to his chest. “Nicholas. You’re terrible.”
He flung his head back and laughed to the sky.
Pulling her into his embrace, he whispered into her ear. “You’re so easy to stir.”
They cuddled for a few minutes, then he pulled back. “I need to get back to the ship. I’ll walk you to your car, and if you could drop me off at the port, that’d be great.”
“Okay. We can video call later, before you go to sleep.”
“I’ll talk on deck and use my headphones. It’s not private in my shared room, so I can’t talk all gushy with my fiancée.”
“I look forward to our love-sappy conversation then.” She slipped her hands over his shoulders, claimed his lips, and weakened his knees.
BETH
Beth jiggled the Lipton teabag, staring into space, dreaming of Nick. The stereo in the Youth Connect kitchen crackled out some tunes, but the words seemed to fade as Beth lost concentration on what she should be doing.
The squeak of a cupboard door jolted her to the present. “Oh, Cassie. You scared me.” Her hand flew to her throat.
“Scared you?” Cassie’s scrunched her forehead, then her eyes bulged as they focused on Beth’s hand. “It is true!” She rushed over and took Beth’s wrist. “Melissa texted me this morning. Said I should talk to you.”
She wilted her hand like a posh lady. “Isn’t the ring spectacular? Nick didn’t hold back in spoiling me.”
Cassie dropped her hand, mouth ajar. “Beth. It’s been two weeks. How can you say yes to a proposal this soon?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but he leaves Australia in four weeks.” She shrugged. “We want to get married here so my family can come.”
Cassie placed her palms to her cheeks. Chris had bought her a solid rock too. Maybe not as big as hers. “What did your dad say?”
“He’s all for it. Dad adores Nick.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath as she went to the fridge and grabbed the milk. She slapped the carton on the counter, and the white liquid spluttered from the cardboard spout. “I’m in shock.” Cassie continued to fuss around the kitchen, making herself an instant coffee.
Beth squeezed the excess tea from its bag, then popped it in the bin below the counter. “I’m getting older. Time is running out. I need to get on with life and start a family. Nick’s the kind of person that together we could make a difference in this world.”
Cassie shot daggers with her eyes. “What have you been doing here then?” She flapped her hand in the direction of the offices down the hall. “Wasting your time? You help kids at Youth Connect and your homeless center. You do have a large family already and a busy life.” Cassie raked her fingers through her wavy hair. “I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes for two beats. “I’m concerned for you, that’s all. I’ve been divorced, so I see through a filter. Not all marriages go well. How can you know enough about him in such a short time?”
Cassie walked to the white melamine table and gestured for Beth to join her.
Beth added a teaspoon of sugar, stirred, then sat at the table with the cup in hand.
“Have you had an opportunity to see Nick mad? Frustrated? Under pressure?”
Beth lifted the corner of her mouth. “No.”
“How is he with money, responsibility, or commitments?” Cassie raised a brow.
Beth huffed out a sigh and stared into her tea. The cup’s warmth offered no comfort, while Cassie gave her a lecture.
Cassie crossed her arms. “What’s his past, family background, future ideals?”
“Okay, okay. I get your point. I know hardly anything about him.” She shook her head. “I was just trusting my instinct. It seems like it was meant to be. Nick and Dad think so too.”
“You thought that about Braydon once.”
Beth felt a stab to her pride. Why did Cassie have to mention Braydon? “I may have been happily married with children if I’d forgiven him at the time.”
Cassie straightened. “Huh?”
“Well, he did the right thing when he got Nina pregnant. He married her. If I hadn’t put off having sex with him in the first place, he might not have ended up with her.”
Cassie placed a reassuring hand on hers. “Beth, he shouldn’t have pressured you. You told Braydon clearly in the beginning that you wanted him to wait.”
“True.” Beth took a sip of her tea, somehow bitter more than sweet.
Cassie tugged at her necklace. “Is it only me that’s concerned? What about your sisters?”
Timothy entered the kitchen. “Hi, ladies.” He looked between them, raised a brow, darted his gaze elsewhere, took a soda from the fridge, and fled.
The ceiling’s fluorescent globe irritated Beth’s eyes. Cassie had her under the spotlight. Should she take the warning as seriously as Cassie’s expression—pretty scary.
“And your brothers? Has your family met Nick?” She leaned forward.
“All my family love him.” She gave a small smile. “Dad especially.”
Cassie lifted her hands. “Okay. I gave my opinion. I don’t know Nick. Haven’t met him. I could be blowing this out of proportion.” She lowered her voice and connected her gaze with Beth. “But I encourage you to slow down. Listen to your inner self. The answer won’t be clear if every spare moment you’re with Nick or on the phone to him. You need time alone to process everything. Quiet your mind and hear from the very depths of your soul.”
Beth nodded. “I will do that. You’re right. It’s hard to think clearly when my emotions want this so much.”
Beth’s phone buzzed with her English class reminder. “Gotta go.” She placed her hand on Cassie’s. “Thanks for the motherly chat.”
Cassie grinned. “Anytime. And sorry for freaking out so much.”
Beth pinched her forefinger to her thumb. “Just a little.”
They both laughed, and the tension eased.
Beth poured her leftover tea into the sink, rinsed her cup, and headed down the echoey hallway. How would she concentrate in class?
She’d registered for the marriage license that morning with Nick. Plans were underway. Nick had booked the park home in Exmouth, and he left with the ship an hour ago. At least she had a few more weeks to get to know him better. He should understand her wanting details about his family background and past relationships. And if he was the offensive type, she better find that out now, so she knew what she was getting into.
Beth swung the door open to the studio room, where four students sat around an oval table. She pasted on a fake smile, which these teens would probably see through. Beth needed to focus on these precious people before her. Chelsea, with her piercings and humble heart. Luke, with his gothic style and goofy laugh. Ruth and her big mouth that always interrupted the lesson. And Nigel from Singapore who’d bring her sushi nearly every week. Her smile became genuine from the love she had for each, but a pang of sadness took residence in her heart. She’d miss them when she was gone. And how would she announce that she was leaving so soon—suddenly? Following Nick across the globe would cost the people dear to her. But she must dream of the bigger picture as Nick explained last night on the phone. The possibilities—endless.