39. Noah
39
NOAH
I t was hard to believe it had been a year since Maddy and I had first come to Spain. That trip had been a ridiculous whirlwind, a nonstop rush of meetings with a side of flirting that left both of us wanting more. I could tell Maddy had wished for more time to explore, but the old me didn’t have the bandwidth for that kind of frivolity. I saw it as a waste of time when there was so much work to be done.
The new me saw life differently. This time I was determined to do it right, and based on Maddy’s awed expression, I was off to a phenomenal start.
“I don’t know how you do it,” she said as I led her through the rose bushes to the table set for two beneath an arch. “You keep surprising me.”
“You deserve it,” I said as I pulled out her chair.
I’d rented out the entire Jardines de la Rosaleda in Madrid for a special moonlight dinner with Maddy, which was no small feat considering it was peak bloom season. The botanical garden featured hundreds of varieties of roses, and between the sweetly scented air and the twinkling lights, it was the perfect location for the first night of our grand tour. Maddy was in a floaty pink dress looking like something out of a fairytale, which made the setting that much more perfect.
I’d planned the trip for months, making sure my team was ready for me to be completely off-grid for three weeks. It took a Herculean effort for me to hand over the reins as I left, but I knew that it would be worth it to show Maddy nothing meant more to me than her. It was something I’d been working on for the past year—delegating more. It was still a struggle, but Maddy was worth it.
I’d called on Hope, Nia, and Cassie to tease out all the locations Maddy had wanted to visit before her father fell ill. It took time for them to collect the information from her in a way that wouldn’t make her suspicious. I was able to create her dream itinerary, one that included the spots she’d wanted to visit with the added benefit of my connections. It was going to be a tour unlike she’d ever imagined all those years ago. First Spain, then Italy, France, Switzerland, England, and Ireland. I’d even planned for wiggle room, so if we fell in love with one destination we could stay longer. Not the norm for me, but Maddy had helped me see the wisdom in letting passion take the lead instead of being strictly bound to a plan.
“Look at this!” Maddy exclaimed. She held out a crown of pale pink roses, a surprise from the staff.
“Put it on, I want to take a picture of you,” I answered, pulling my phone from my pocket.
She placed it on her head, and my beautiful Maddy was transformed into a medieval princess. How was it possible that she grew more lovely with each day? I framed the shot so the lights behind her were blurry.
“Perfect, even though I wish I had my Nikon,” I said after I scanned the image. “Look.”
I held my phone out to her and she smiled. “Wow, you’ve gotten so good, Noah. Even with your phone.”
It was one of the many changes Maddy had brought about in my life. She’d pointed out that my photo wall showed real skill and had encouraged me to pursue photography as a hobby, something I’d never considered. The workaholic with a hobby ? As usual, she was right. I’d loaded up on the best equipment, hired a National Geographic pro to give me pointers, and it wasn’t long before I was hooked. It was the perfect stress reliever for me, plus my clients were incredible subjects. Now I actually went to some games with the intention of photographing them, which made me enjoy my career that much more. Sports Illustrated had even featured a few of them in a profile of me.
Photography had been a great distraction as I slowly rebuilt my reputation. It had taken time as well as the attention of the skilled PR rep we’d finally hired, but my clients as well as the general public had started to regain their trust in PSM. It helped that the full story had come out about Beckett Tate, with plenty of women stepping forward to establish a narrative of years of bad behavior. Once it became obvious he was a liar—and worse yet, a predator—it was impossible to believe anything he said.
A waiter seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Champagne?”
“Oh, yes, please,” Maddy said, eyeing the bottle of Moet & Chandon.
Glasses poured, the man disappeared just as quickly.
“To us,” I said, raising my glass.
She tapped her flute against mine. “To new beginnings and celebrations.”
I took a sip before I noticed the Cheshire cat grin on her face. My heart sped up. Had she been snooping through my luggage? Did she find the little navy box? “What exactly are we celebrating?”
She clapped her hands with glee. “You’re dating an about-to-be-published author!”
My jaw dropped. “Maddy! Are you serious?”
She nodded, her face glowing with excitement. “I got the email from my agent today, and I thought I’d wait for the perfect moment to tell you.”
I jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug. “I knew you could do it, Mads. Congratulations!”
I gave her a kiss and immediately wished we weren’t in a public space. It was tempting to rush her off to the hotel. But there was something else on my agenda I had to do before we could celebrate any other big news together.
She looked up at me when we finally pulled apart. “My publisher thinks I need to include photographs of my subjects. I wish I knew a talented, super-hot and sexy photographer who could take care of that for me.” She raised a brow at me.
“Oh, Maddy, no way. I’m not that good yet. I couldn’t,” I demurred.
“But you are ! And you know all the people I wrote about personally, which means you’d be able to get incredible shots, Noah!”
Music turned on from invisible speakers hidden in the rose bushes, and I took advantage of her being in my arms to start swaying, hoping to shift her focus.
“Noah. Say you’ll do it. You have to,” she demanded, stomping her foot.
I laughed at her. No one spoke to me like that and got away with it but Maddy.
“We’ll see,” I said, kissing the top of her head.
It seemed to be enough to get her to stand down—for now, at least. I had no illusions about my ability to say no to her in the long term. She relaxed into the dance, pressing her body against mine. I still couldn’t believe this was my life. I’d always thought I was happy. My work dictated my entire existence, and for too long I’d thought it was enough for me. It had taken this petite force of nature to make me reevaluate everything I thought I’d known. Work was important, but it had to come in second place.
“I feel so lucky,” I mused.
Maddy snuggled closer. “Do you? Please tell me more.”
I chuckled. “Fishing for compliments, huh?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, buckle up, because I’ve got plenty.”
I stroked Maddy’s back and tried to remain calm. The unsettled feelings in my gut were new for me. I wasn’t the type of man to get nervous, but in this situation, I was downright rattled. It wasn’t that I was doubting myself. In fact, I’d never felt more sure of a decision. When I explored the sensation, I realized what I was feeling was pure childlike excitement.
I couldn’t wait for what was to come.
“Well, I feel lucky because you were in my hotel room that night.”
“Excuse me, but you came into my room. I was there first, creeper.”
I chuckled. “We’ll agree to disagree on that one. But what an incredible stroke of luck, discovering you there.”
“It wasn’t luck, it was fate.”
I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Agreed. It was fate,” I said, squeezing her a little tighter.
“What else?” she whispered.
“I feel lucky that you understand me. I know I’m not easy to love, Maddy.”
She leaned away and frowned up at me. “Stop it right now! There’s nothing easier than loving you, Noah Parker.”
“You know what I mean,” I said as she settled against me again. “I’ve got some work-sized baggage to contend with.”
“We all have baggage,” she shot back.
“Okay, okay.” I sighed. “I feel lucky that you have a comeback for nearly everything I say. You keep me in line.”
“Someone has to,” she giggled. “Why not me?”
“Why not you indeed?”
We swayed in sync, and I realized it was yet another way Maddy completed me. I wasn’t usually a dancer, but moving with her felt so natural.
“Thank you for this trip, Noah,” she said. “I love it.”
“It’s only day one,” I laughed. “How do you know that?”
“Because I’m with you ,” she insisted. “Just us two, without any interruptions. It’s the most beautiful gift you could ever give me. The gift of your time.”
I considered it for a moment.
“Speaking of time…” I moved away from Maddy and reached into my pocket to pull out the small box then dropped to my knee and popped it open. “How do you feel about forever?”
Her hands flew to her mouth in shock. “Noah!”
I centered myself to say what I needed to say, because all I wanted to do was kiss her happy tears away.
“Maddy, I never knew I could love this way. You’ve opened me up and brought so much sunshine into my life. You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever known, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much you mean to me.” I took a steadying breath. “Will you be my wife, Maddy Malone?”
“Yes, yes, yes !” she cried, jumping up and down. “Noah, yes!”
I stood up and she threw herself into my arms, nearly toppling me off balance despite the size difference between us. Maddy kissed my cheeks over and over until our mouths came together in a kiss that sealed our pact.
“Put that ring on me, Noah Parker,” she managed through her tears.
I was surprised that my hands were a little shaky. It was the first time adrenaline had ever gotten the best of me, but I could think of no better reason to feel buzzy.
“It’s gigantic,” Maddy said in shock once it was on her finger. “It’s too much!”
The six-carat oval diamond looked stunning on her pale skin.
“I think it’s perfect,” I said as I turned her hand back and forth to catch the light. “But if you want something else, we can go back to Harry Winston and?—”
“No! I’m never taking this off!” she said, clutching the ring to her chest. “I adore it, Noah.”
Her bottom lip quivered, and she started crying again.
“Hey, hey,” I whispered, taking her in my arms.
“I’m just so happy ,” she said through her tears. “I didn’t think this was possible for me.”
“That makes two of us,” I said, feeling a little overcome myself.
I’d thought I had it all. My empire was all I needed until Maddy came into my life and showed me how much more there was to experience. She taught me about being in the moment, and finding joy in the mundane, and how sharing your days with someone who truly understood you could make even the worst day better.
“I love you, Maddy,” I said, circling my arms around her and giving her a squeeze. “And I’m going to spend all of our days proving it to you.”
“You don’t have to. I already know.” She sniffled.
I reached down to gently turn her face up to mine then wiped away her tears with my thumb. “Here’s to our next adventure, my love.”
I couldn’t wait to see what our future had in store for us.