Bonus Scene – Nash’s POV of Engagement Day
Bonus Scene – Nash’s POV of Engagement Day
I rolled my shoulders as I stood on the whitewashed back porch of the Satterfield house, surveying the yard and the copse of trees where Stephanie was doing a photo shoot with Paisley and Greyson.
She’d been itching to photograph her friends, and they’d agreed.
Little did she know it was all part of my plan.
About a month ago, Stephanie had let it slip that this was her favourite spot in Serenity Springs, and she’d love to get married here if she were a local. It might not have been practical for a wedding, but I could manage an engagement. And today was the day.
With nearly five months of real dating and a week of fake dating behind us, today I’d ask Stephanie to be my wife.
I patted my jeans, reassured that the box was still bulging in my jean pocket.
Was it possible to be nervous and excited at the same time?
Having my mom call on the drive up here with Stephanie probably didn’t help.
It was the first time she contacted me after checking out of rehab just before Christmas.
I’d half hoped maybe no news was good news. But no.
She wanted money for rent, she said, but I knew better.
Rent money had a way of turning into drug money, and she’d be on the streets for a while until she called me and agreed to rehab again.
In the past, I’d have given it to her. But something I was learning—Stephanie, too—was about familial boundaries.
I would stand by my mother and fund rehab as many times as it took for her to stick it out…
but I couldn’t be her enabler. It was a hard conversation to have the morning before proposing to my girlfriend.
Taking this step was necessary. Even if it gutted me.
Even if my mom had cussed me out until Stephanie hung up.
Hands clapped on my shoulders from behind, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Feeling ready, man?”
It was an odd thing for a man to meet a famous athlete—my favourite athlete if I was being completely honest (don’t tell Juliet).
Cal was the second most down-to-earth famous person I’d met, and in my position, I had met several.
But first place would always belong to Stephanie’s cousin, Hailey Bishop, because Hailey was family. And also, completely awesome.
Where Greyson, as the older twin, got all the older brother intensity and military bearing, Cal joked and ribbed without mercy.
It never ceased to amaze me how much my circle had grown in the last four and a half months of dating Stephanie.
From just Ryan and Emmett in my corner, I’d gotten Stephanie’s friends and their partners, the Satterfield clan, Gabe and his family, Hailey, and Nana.
I cleared my throat and cuffed Cal’s shoulder. “As ready as a man ever can be in this situation. It didn’t work out in my favour the first time.”
A shadow of pain flashed in his eyes. “I know the feeling. My fiancé left me a month before our wedding.”
Say what now? “I didn’t realize you were engaged before Khia’s mom.”
He shrugged, staring out in the distance with the air of a man seeing ghosts, what-ifs, and a thousand memories. “She’ll always be the one that got away.” Shuffling his feet, he cleared his throat.
There was more of a story there, I could tell. But I wasn’t one to pry, knowing firsthand the complicated emotions that came with exes and disappointed dreams.
“You’re even worse at pep talks than I am, my man,” Ryan called from behind us, breaking the tension.
“Never thought I’d see the day that happened,” Emmett grunted, joining us with Gabe on his heels. “Somebody write this down.”
Stephanie was loved by a lot of people, and while I knew she wanted a private engagement because she hated being the center of attention, I couldn’t say no to our tribe wanting to throw a surprise party afterwards.
So everyone involved had trekked out to Serenity Springs unbeknownst to her.
Including my best friends. Actually, Emmett was the one to cajole Ryan into it.
Emmett could huff his way through an argument about how much he hated drama, but as long as it wasn’t his drama, the man took a front-row seat and brought snacks.
I glanced at my watch. According to the time we’d agreed on, Greyson and Paisley should be making an excuse to leave Stephanie alone any minute. “It’s time,” I said at last.
Gabe slapped my back. “Go get your girl.” Approval crinkled around his amber eyes. For all the talk about protective older brothers hating their younger sisters’ boyfriends, Gabe had honestly been my biggest supporter through our entire relationship.
I patted my pocket one more time, discreetly wiping my damp palms on my jeans. I could do this. Amid the hoots and hollers of the guys, I strode across the lawn and into the trees, keeping to the edge to avoid giving my presence away too early.
Nearing the rustic swing, I caught a glimpse of Stephanie, Greyson, and Paisley and ducked behind a maple. Waiting. Nerves tingling with anticipation. Heart pounding. What if she says no?
“Wait, I left my bag at the swing. I’ll meet you there,” I heard Stephanie call.
Paisley and Greyson exited the trees at a slightly hurried leisurely pace so Stephanie wouldn’t follow them too quickly.
But Stephanie wasn’t in a hurry. She zipped her camera into her bag and stood for a moment, tilting her head back and inhaling deeply, her eyes fluttering shut.
This was it. I wiped my hands on my jeans again and twitched my shoulders. Then I stepped out from behind the tree. “Steph?”
She jumped, whirling around with a hand to her heart. “Jeepers, you’ve got to stop that!”
I chuckled apologetically. “You’re pretty cute when you’re scared.”
She snorted, pouting a little “Maybe, but that jolt to my blood pressure may lead to fainting.”
Which, to be fair, it had happened once at the office. Thankfully, I’d caught her before she hit the ground, but I definitely wasn’t auditioning for a repeat performance, and she didn’t let me forget it.
“Why are you here?” Stephanie asked. “I thought you were waiting for me at the house. Get tired of Cal’s hockey lingo? I know you were secretly fangirling.” Her eyes danced with amusement.
Cal and I got along just fine, and he’d barely mentioned hockey all day actually.
I smiled and cleared my throat. I hated nerves.
I never got them. But this was important.
Really important. Stephanie wasn’t Alexis.
Wasn’t my mother. These women couldn’t be more different, and I was done with a ghost living inside my head. It was time to let go once and for all.
But panic morphed Stephanie’s face. “Did something happen with the lawsuit with Nova? I thought it was a straightforward case, especially with other victim companies working with us?”
“Steph,” I said, my voice low, and she looked up at me with such devotion and assurance, I nearly forgot where I was going with all this and just skipped to kissing her. After. First things first. “Everything’s fine. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh?”
I moved towards her, taking her hand in mine.
Running a thumb over the smooth skin of her knuckles, I admired the way the sunlight warmed her fair skin, bringing out the green tints in her hazel eyes.
This woman had my heart. I swallowed hard, then smiled down at her, finding the words I needed.
“I’ve got another bargain for you, sweetheart. ”
“Should I feel special?” Her tone was teasing. “You kept making deals with Italia’s after all.”
I smirked. “This is an exclusive bargain, so it’s special all right.” Releasing her hand, I took a deep breath and slipped the box from my back pocket, dropping to one knee as I opened the box.
She inhaled sharply, hands flying to her mouth. “Nash.” My name was a whispered plea on her lips.
Kneeling at her feet, I laid my heart bare. “Stephanie Addams, you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’ve loved you for years. Will you do me the honour of being my wife so I can love you for a lifetime?”
Stephanie sniffed and a single tear trickled down her cheek. “Yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”
And just like that, history was rewritten. The love of my life said yes and threw herself into my arms. My heart soared, and I crushed her to my chest as she perched on my knee, laughter and tears shaking her frame.
“Thank you,” she whispered against my neck.
I pulled back slightly, showing her the ring box again. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the ring. A round diamond solitaire set in a silver band. It was classic and elegant, just like her. And I had her friends to thank, especially for figuring out the sizing.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered as I slid the ring onto her left ring finger.
I lifted her hand, still in awe at her wearing my ring, and pressed a kiss to her soft skin. “Thank you for saying yes,” I whispered. “I love you.”
Her arms looped around my neck, filling my nose with her heady vanilla scent. I loved that smell. Loved her. Her gaze shone with emotion. I’d found a woman who accepted me as I was, who saw me as enough despite my imperfections and flaws. A woman who was my forever.
“And I love you. Forever and always.” She waggled her hand with an impish grin. “Shake on it?”
I ignored her hand, smirking as I leaned in. “I can think of a better way to seal the deal, darlin’.” And I kissed her, long and slow. Cherishing the moment. Cherishing her.
“As much as I’d love to keep you here to myself,” I said after reluctantly breaking the kiss several minutes later, “we should head back.”
She sighed and rose from sitting on my knee. “How horribly responsible of you,” she teased.
I laughed, taking her hand and weaving our fingers together as we walked. “I’m in favour of short engagements. What do you say?”
She blushed peony pink. “Please.”
Our surprise entourage erupted into cheers and clapping as we emerged from the trees, and I raised our laced hands overhead.
Stephanie jumped in surprise, then laughed. “They all came for this?”
“Not for this,” I whispered. “For us.”
She studied the crowd clustered on the porch, the familiar faces of friends and family. Her hazel eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
Fishing a free hand into my pocket, I twirled a piece of disfigured mistletoe between my fingers. “For old times’ sake?”
Stephanie eyed it, biting back a smile. “Is that… plastic?”
“Don’t ruin the mood, woman,” I growled playfully, looping a finger through the belt loop of her jeans and tugging her closer. “Do you know how hard it is to find real mistletoe in April?”
She just laughed and rocked up on her tiptoes, pausing a breath from my lips. “You’re really a romantic, Mr. Prescott.”
“Only for you, darlin’.”
And just like the first time on Christmas Eve, she kissed me.