Chapter 71
NOAH
Two years later…
I’m more nervous than I should be. I’ve had this planned for months, right down to the minuscule details, courtesy of Maya and her ability to hunt down everything I needed.
Time with Hannah over the past year has been everything and more, from romantic dinners in Italy to early sunrises in Hawaii.
We’ve done everything since saving Snowy Peak, and now I sit, nerves on edge, trying to get myself to calm down enough before she comes up to the roof.
The manager of her apartment finally gave me the okay after bribing him with Olympic merchandise and two free tickets to the Olympic Games. He was more than eager to lead me up here himself, where I had Maya help decorate the rooftop.
I spread out a thick white blanket, trickle some loose rose petals on top, and put a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket.
Maya arranged an assortment of chocolates and even took the liberty of picking up Hannah’s favorite pizza around the corner, Santarpios.
Maya finishes the last of the lights she strung around the entrance, telling me it's on a timer and it’ll shut off in an hour.
Hannah’s only job is to follow the trail of roses I left for her, leading to the very top.
Maya sneaks behind part of the entrance, camera in hand, along with Hannah’s mother, Beth.
I asked her weeks ago, barely able to get the words out, thinking I might puke, when she touched my face, smiled, and gave me her blessing.
Now, I wait with bated breath, counting down the seconds in my head, hearing the soft creak on the stairs as Hannah comes closer to the top.
Suddenly the door opens, and I’m turning, ready to greet the love of my life, when Henry strolls right over.
“Who the fuck invited this clown?” snaps Maya.
“You’re late,” I say, ushering him over to where both ladies are hiding.
“I texted Maya for directions, but she never responded.” He gives her a dirty look, kneeling down so he’s out of sight.
“Never got it.” She rolls her eyes like he’s the biggest inconvenience to walk the planet.
“Liar.”
I squash their bickering before it gets ugly, and save Beth, Hannah’s mom, from having to deal with both idiots on her own.
It’s December, but in New England, the weather isn’t always true to its season. It’s roughly sixty degrees, and a light breeze ruffles some of my hair, and I hold my breath as Hannah makes it through the door.
She’s in her usual comfy clothes, black leggings and her favorite cream sweater, the one she wore on Christmas Day a year ago. Her brown boots click when she walks closer, the brightest smile reaching her blue eyes.
“Hey,” she says, reaching for my hand.
I take it, knowing she can tell how clammy my palm is. “I thought we could have our two-year anniversary dinner up here.”
“Oh really?”
I pull her in, kissing those lips that claimed me a couple of years ago.
I’ll never forget the first time we met. Never forget that red hair, so striking, just like her eyes, so blue it takes my breath away, even now. She cares so deeply about the people she loves and places she calls home. Her determination to save Snowy Peak made her even more irresistible to me.
The way she carries herself, her quick whip of her tongue whenever I piss her off, to the sounds she makes when I get her so close to coming undone. How she comes apart at the seams when it’s just her and I, tangled together in sheets, exploring our bodies, taking it to new heights.
That’s my Hannah.
My cloud nine.
Hannah is a religion I’ll gladly worship, day in and day out. I’ll kneel for her on jagged rocks if it means I can spend every waking moment and from sunrise to nightfall.
We pull apart, and I watch her take a big sniff, eyes lighting up like fireworks. “You got my favorite pizza, didn’t you?”
It’s all going to plan, her walking over to the pizza box and opening the lid, I follow closely behind, getting down on one knee behind her.
This is it, this is everything I’ve wanted and more, to spend the rest of my life with the most selfless, beautiful woman I’ve been given the privilege to know and love.
“What a perfect pie,” she comments, turning back to me, only to find I’m kneeling in front of her.
She gasps, hand covering her mouth, blue eyes glistening. “Noah.”
“Hannah Rose St. Pierre, from the minute we met, I knew exactly who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It’s always been you. My cloud nine. Will you marry me?” Fuck, my hands are clammy, my right leg is trying its best to keep me steady.
Hannah kneels, cupping my face with both hands. “Of course I’ll marry you, Noah Hart.”
Taking the ring out of the velvet red box, I slip it on her ring finger, watching the 14 karat stone shimmer under the city lights. She kisses me senseless, completely unaware her best friend, Henry, and her mother are hiding nearby.
I break away first. “All right, guys, you can come on out!”
Hannah looks confused, searching around, when she spots Beth first, running over. She meets her mother halfway, crying, then Maya joins, and Henry comes over to me, giving me a hug.
“Gonna be a married man now, huh?” he says, ruffling my hair.
I push him playfully. “Yes, will you be my best man?”
Henry beams, face red as he rubs the back of his neck. “Are you sure?”
“Who else is going to stand by my side while I marry the love of my life?” Honestly, Henry has been through so much shit with me, it’s only right he’s the one to stand by my side when I marry Hannah.
“And we all know Maya is going to be her maid of honor, so it makes things easier that you both already know each other,” I add, watching them hug from where we stand.
Henry’s face falls, turning sour. “Great, can’t wait.”
I laugh, smacking his back. “Lighten up. By the way, we’re thinking of doing our reception at a familiar place.”
Hannah comes over then, Maya in tow.
“Oh really? Where?” Maya asks.
Hannah catches on, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Some place snowy, I presume?”
I nod. “Snowy, indeed.”
THE END