39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter thirty-nine
A ria tossed the last flower pot onto the grass behind her, then gently plopped the root ball into the hole she’d dug and scooped the remaining dirt into the space around the roots and top of the plant, patting it down until it was properly planted. She poured some mulch around the new plant, then stood and surveyed her work.
Nick had bought some really lovely plants to fill in the garden space out back. She didn’t know the names of all of them, but they sure were pretty. He’d taken a picture of the garden space before going to the nursery, where the lovely employee who helped him pick out plants also told him where to plant them in the space based on how big they’d grow.
Nick had laid out the potted plants days ago according to the plan the garden employee had laid out for him on paper. He’d even managed to plant the largest ones already. She needed to thank him for digging those huge holes.
Since she barely slept after all the excitement last night and she needed something to blow off some steam and keep her from thinking about what she’d done at the bar and what happened here at home, she’d come out here after her morning coffee and started planting. It helped. A lot. More than she thought it would.
But it felt great to look at her work, see how it all came together to create this pretty and serene spot, to know it would make Nick happy and that it made her happy to do it for herself, them, and their home. The weight of what happened yesterday just seemed to fade away.
She was looking forward, not back.
This was the start of something wonderful. This was the first day of them living their lives free of Javier Lopez and the nightmare he brought into their lives.
From now on, they were free to live their happy, healthy, and love-filled lives as a family. Here.
Aria looked out over the beautiful garden at the yellow, white, blue, pink, red, and fuchsia colored flowers amongst the lush green leaves and bushes. She looked up at the sprawling branches of the trees at the back. She loved the crushed gravel path that meandered through the space.
“I think we should add a fire pit out here, so we can roast marshmallows and look up at the stars.” Nick’s hands swept around her waist and overlapped on her belly as his chest met her back, and he held her as he surveyed the garden.
“We could string some lights out here, too. That way we can see the garden at night.”
Nick nuzzled his nose into her hair. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Some.” Then she’d woken from a nightmare, her mind spinning after that.
It had taken a couple of hours last night to answer questions, for the forensic team to do their thing for the report, and for everyone to finally leave.
Nick had taken her into their room, where someone had cleaned up the glass from the broken window and put up cardboard to cover the window and keep the bugs out, and they’d undressed and fallen into bed exhausted. It hadn’t stopped him from sweeping his hands over every inch of her skin, slowly. Sensually. Where his hands went, his lips followed. He made love to her in the same way with deep kisses, his body telling her how much he loved her. Worshipped her. Needed her.
She loved the attention, the care, the connection he reinforced with every stroke of his body into hers, making them one as their hearts beat against each other’s and their breaths mingled as they breathed each other in.
It was the most romantic, erotic, lovely thing she’d ever shared with anyone.
She snuggled back into him and sighed out her contentment. “I love you. I love this place. I love that after everything we’ve been through to get here, that we’re even more connected to each other. The past is done. It’s time for us to really start living the life we dreamed.”
Nick kissed her on the head. “I’m in.” He held up his phone. “Are you up for a serious talk?”
She gave him her full attention. “Of course. What is it?”
“I just got an email letting me know that Stacy is being moved out of protective custody today.”
Her heart beat faster. “Where are they sending her?” She wanted Stacy safe.
“To a foster home. I have the details. We can check in on her later.”
“Okay. That’s good. She might be scared in a new place with new strangers.” Aria wished she had family who could take her in, someone who cared.
Nick took her hand. “So I was thinking about her situation. This foster home might be temporary. She could be moved again.”
“They might even put her in a group home because of her age. Finding adoptive parents for a ten-year-old won’t be easy.”
“Unless…” Nick held her stare.
She tried to read his face. “Are you thinking we should take her?”
“We could give her a good life. A mom. A dad. A big-ass family.”
Aria grinned. “You don’t mean foster her. You want to adopt her?”
“Why not? I saved her. I feel responsible for her. And…I really want to do this. With you.”
Her heart couldn’t take how compassionate and kind he could be. “You know I adore her.”
“Are you sure though? You said you wanted to wait a year before we tried for a baby…”
“Stacy is special. You saved her. She’s ours.”
“I just can’t get that feeling out of my chest.” Nick rubbed his hand over his heart.
“Because she’s a piece of you already.” She wrapped her arms around him. “She needs us. I’m in.”
He brushed his fingers along the side of her face. “You’re going to be an amazing mother.”
“Thank you.” Really, her heart couldn’t take much more.
“After all that’s happened on this case, the too many close calls we’ve had, I don’t want to waste any more time.”
She gripped his sides tighter and smiled up at him, excitement fluttering in her belly. “Well then, let’s not leave her with strangers longer than she has to be there.”
“You’re sure. You want to adopt her and make her ours?” Hope filled his eyes.
“She’s already ours.” The relief in his eyes made her grin even wider. “We can be her safe place.”
Nick cupped her face and kissed her with such tenderness, it brought tears to her eyes. “You’ve always been mine.”
“She needs us. We can give her a good life. Certainly better than the one she’s had so far. Between your family and mine, she’d have all the help and support she needs to grow into a new version of herself that looks nothing like the girl she was.”
He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. “With a role model like you to show her how to be a strong, independent, loving, and amazing woman… Yeah. She couldn’t do better than you.”
“Nick.” His praise set off a love bomb in her heart. He made her feel all of those things.
He touched his forehead to hers. “I mean it.”
They held each other for a long moment.
This was good, standing in the garden together, the bright morning sun on their backs, the birds chirping, and the flowers showing off their beautiful colors, and her and Nick planning what would come next for them.
She could get used to mornings like this. With him.