Chapter 34 ~ Isabella and Carter ~
One year later
Isabella
I carefully adjusted the flowers in the arrangement on the counter.
"You always have such beautiful decorations, Ms. Abbott. And a green thumb that's second to none." The guest who spoke these words was just coming down the stairs and handed me his key. "I've already told my wife that she needs to come here with me sometime so she can see how wonderfully green and blooming everything is here."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Michaels," I replied with a smile. "Of course, we would be delighted to welcome your wife here as well."
"I always say Isabella's is simply the best place in New York. Even on business trips, I feel at home here."
"We're very glad to hear that, Mr. Michaels," I replied and carefully stored the key in one of the small compartments behind the reception. There weren't many, as we only had ten rooms. Ten exclusive, beautifully designed rooms that felt like home.
"About a year ago, I stayed once at that hotel on Crosby Street. Five stars. But they don't live up to their reputation at all. Unfriendly staff. An owner who doesn't invest." Mr. Michaels shook his head in disbelief.
Crosby Street. I thought of my former colleagues, my former boss Emmett Kershaw, and wasn't surprised that no one felt comfortable in his hotel. It made it all the more pleasant to welcome these guests here at Isabella's now.
"Until next time then," Mr. Michaels said goodbye and headed for the door.
Isabella's hadn't been around for very long, yet it already felt like an eternity to me. My dream had finally come true. With Carter's support, I had bought a small townhouse and transformed it into a very special boutique hotel, where my guests received personal attention and had an unforgettable stay in New York. By now, we welcomed not only tourists but also business travelers.
"Isabella's green thumb," Hayley giggled from the next room. "If Mr. Michaels knew what it was like just a year ago... Every plant entrusted to you would die after a few days."
"So what? It's about what you learn, not what you already know." I laughed, turned around and looked from the door behind the reception into the adjacent room. Hayley had been with me from the start as my employee at Isabella's . She was currently creating the room schedule for next week.
"True." She furrowed her brow. "Next week we're fully booked again. And the week after that too. We should expand."
"No thanks," I declined with a laugh. "I'm glad the renovation is finally over. It really kept me busy and tested my nerves."
"Daaaaaaa....", came a sound. I hurried to the baby rocker next to Hayley. In it lay William. My son. My chubby-cheeked, cuddly, dearest son. I looked at him proudly.
"Daaaaa...." William blew a few little bubbles into the air.
I picked him up in my arms. "Yes, you're right, you should be part of what's happening here and not just lie in your rocker. Come to your Mommy." I tickledWilliam's little tummy and was rewarded with more bubbles and a delighted gurgle. I tenderly kissed my son on the cheek and inhaled his wonderful baby scent.
"Getting this little house was really a stroke of luck." Hayley looked around in her office.
"Absolutely," I confirmed. With a mischievous giggle, I added: "And the fact that we snatched it from under Owen's nose, who wanted to open one of those smoky arcades here, was somehow the icing on the cake. Seeing him when the realtor gave us the go-ahead ... Simply divine."
"What became of Owen?" Hayley asked.
"No idea." I shrugged. "We're not in touch anymore. As far as I know, he left New York and now lives somewhere in the countryside in Nebraska. They probably have more use for arcades there. And even if not: Nobody knows him there, so he'll have to earn his bad reputation from scratch." I made a face. The whole thing with Owen was so far in the past that I sometimes wondered if he had ever really existed.
"I'm just going to pop over to the small hardware store." Hayley stood up. "All the guests have checked out, so you'll be fine on your own for fifteen minutes, right?"
"Of course I'll be fine." I sent a questioning look in Hayley's direction. "Why do you need to go over there? Do we need something? Is something broken?"
Hayley waved it off. "Just a light bulb in Room 9 that urgently needs replacing. We don't have anything suitable left in the back storage."
Gratefully, I looked at Hayley. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You keep track of everything."
"It's become much easier to keep track since you're not so scatterbrained anymore." Hayley grinned at me cheerfully. She loved as always to tease me a little. As she passed, she also tickled William a bit and he chuckled again. I bounced him up and down in my arms.
"That's true, I'm much more... organized," I said thoughtfully.
"Carter has been good for you in many ways," Hayley noted.
"You think it's because of him?" This assumption surprised me.
"Who else?" Hayley grinned at me. "Alright, I really have to go now." She squeezed past me and yanked the door open. "Oh," was all I heard before she disappeared and I heard the door close behind me.
"Well, now it's just us two cuties all alone." I smiled at William and planted a soft kiss on his little head. I still couldn't quite believe that I was a mother. William was a wonderful, easy-going baby. I took him with me to Isabella's every day, where he felt right at home. The guests loved him just as much as he loved them.
"Almost. You're almost alone."
I spun around.
Carter was standing in front of me.
As always when I saw him, my heart skipped a beat.
"You startled me," I smiled.
"That wasn't my intention."
"What are you doing here? I thought you had an urgent appointment in town, with Don." I was quite sure that Carter had told me exactly that this morning at breakfast.
"I do have an urgent appointment. Just without Don." Carter grinned at me. How I loved that grin. "Good old Don is unfortunately unavailable. Ever since he met a lawyer on a dating website, he's usually quite busy." Carter grinned again. "He seems to be very happy."
"I'm glad to hear that," I replied, and I meant it sincerely. Carter's friend had visited us frequently over the past few months and had grown on me as well. "But what are you doing here then?" I asked Carter. "If Don is unavailable, shouldn't you be heading to your appointment even faster?"
"The appointment is at Isabella's ." Carter looked deep into my eyes. I still didn't understand. Carter cleared his throat. Then he brought his right hand, which had been hidden behind his back, forward. In it, he held a large bouquet of purple roses.
He looked at me and got down on one knee.
"Isabella Abbott, you've changed my life. You burst in with a bang and almost destroyed my car in the process." Here Carter grinned a little. Then he continued: "You make me laugh and dream, you've given me a wonderful son, and you've stolen my heart. Will you marry me?"
At that moment, Carter pulled out a ring from the bouquet of roses. A ring with a green stone. It matched perfectly with the stone in the necklace that Joanna had once given me and that I wore every day.
Breathlessly, I stared at the ring. Then I looked into the eyes of the man who meant everything to me. He gazed at me expectantly.
"Daaaaa," William crowed in my arms and happily bubbled away.
"Of course," I managed to say, unsuccessfully trying to wipe away the tear that was just running down my cheek. "Of course I want to marry you."
Carter stood up and took me in his arms. He gently kissed away the tear on my cheek. I breathed in his scent while holding William. My two men. The two people I loved more than anything in the world were as close to me as I could ever wish for.
***
Carter
"Well, where's my favorite great-grandson?" Grandma Ruth leaned on her silver cane and peered curiously at William.
"Daaaaa..." he crowed and blew a bubble into the air. Isabella was holding him in her arms and gently rocking him back and forth. That was William's favorite movement.
"He's still a bit tired from eating," Isabella explained.
"Yes, we all know that," my grandmother chuckled. "Come on in, the coffee table is set, and the cake is waiting for you."
Grandma Ruth patted Isabella's arm. The two had long since settled their argument from the wedding. Grandma Ruth had apologized profusely to Isabella, and Isabella had forgiven her all too gladly. Since then, the two got along splendidly, and Grandma Ruth had taken Isabella so much to heart that she often jokingly called her "my granddaughter".
We entered the dining room. On the table were a cranberry bundt cake, which I had loved since childhood, and a white chocolate and raspberry torte. My brother Cameron was sitting at the table with his usual sour expression. Our parents had wanted to come too, but they were both in bed with a cold.
"Hello Cameron."
"Carter." The greeting was short and curt. Since Grandma Ruth had announced a month ago that her great-grandson William would inherit the majority of her fortune, Cameron was usually even more ill-tempered than usual. As for me, thanks to Isabella and William, I was managing to get along a bit better with my brother.
"Isn't Hanny coming? Is she sick?" I inquired. The place next to Cameron was not only empty but also not set. His wife must be at home.
"Moved out." Cameron shrugged as if it didn't matter to him at all. I thought about everything he had told me during our argument in the pub nearly a year ago. Had he loved Hanny? Hard to say.
"I'm very sorry to hear that," I replied as sympathetically as I could. I secretly nudged Isabella. She had a big heart. But I didn't want her to get any ideas about inviting Cameron now to join us or including him more closely in our circle. My brother would surely be fine without us. Isabella had obviously understood, because she winked at me conspiratorially and shook her head slightly.
Relieved, I went around the table and pulled out a chair for Isabella. She sat down. Then I did the same for my grandmother.
"Carter!" Grandma Ruth's exclamation sounded almost horrified.
"What's wrong?" I quickly glanced around the room. But everything looked as usual. The dining room with Grandma Ruth's pictures and furniture was unchanged since our last visit. Isabella was sitting at the table with William in her arms. Cameron was also in his chair and looked as normal as someone who had just been left by his wife could look.
"Are you sick?" Grandma Ruth stared at me in horror.
"Sick?" I looked at her, puzzled. How did she come up with that idea? I threw a questioning look at Isabella, who just shrugged her shoulders. So she had no idea what my grandmother meant, either.
"Your shoes!" Grandma Ruth pointed at my feet with her silver cane. I looked down at myself. As always for Sunday coffee at Grandma Ruth's, I was wearing a black suit. This was a tradition that my grandmother held onto firmly. I thought the custom was largely pointless, but since I could please my grandmother with it, I had complied with her wish every time since my teenage years and had appeared in a suit for coffee on Sundays. Today was no exception.
"You're wearing... black shoes! Not sneakers!" Grandma Ruth was obviously stunned. She was still staring at my feet as if I was wearing at least the eighth wonder of the world there. Even Cameron raised himself a little from his chair and tried to catch a glimpse of my shoes.
"I want to know right now what happened!" Grandma Ruth looked at me sternly. "You can't tell me that you just got up this morning and decided to stop wearing sneakers with your suit from now on. Nobody would believe that."
"No. Not even my grandmother believes that." I grinned mischievously at Grandma Ruth.
"Carter!" My grandmother forcefully tapped her silver cane on the carpet. William let out a protesting cry. Isabella rocked him soothingly and patted his back, at which William fell silent again. Grandma Ruth glanced briefly at her great-grandson. Her features softened as she did so. But when she looked at me again, the usual sternness was back in her gaze. "You tell me right now what's going on. Or do you want your grandmother to lie awake all night worrying?"
"Alright, alright." I raised my hands placatingly. "I won't keep you in suspense any longer." I slowly walked around the table and placed a hand on Isabella's shoulder. I cleared my throat.
"Well..." I glanced around the small gathering. "Dear Grandma Ruth, I've decided... how do you like to put it? I've decided to finally settle down. You were right back then. It's really time for me. I asked Isabella for her hand yesterday, and she said 'Yes.' Isabella and I are engaged. And since I do want to wear black shoes to my wedding, I thought I might as well start practicing today. After all, it takes some getting used to after all these years in sneakers." I grinned at my grandmother. Isabella placed her hand on mine and squeezed it gently. She looked up at me.
My fiancée smiled at me.
My fiancée.
For the first time, Isabella had entered the house as my fiancée nearly a year ago, but that had only been a facade. Today it was real.
I felt better than ever in my life.
"James!" My grandmother called her butler, tapping her silver cane on the floor. "Bring champagne for everyone. We have something to celebrate." She looked at me, visibly moved.
I smiled, holding Isabella's hand in mine.
For the first time in my life, I felt like I had arrived. I wanted for nothing. I had more than I had ever dreamed of.
THE END