Chapter 15
Boone was on his third lap of the hospital corridor, smiling at everyone to hide his increasing frustration. He was fine . There were twinges around his wounds, but he’d been through enough to recognize it was part of healing. For three days now, he’d aced his physical therapy sessions and proved he could get around on his own. Still, they wouldn’t clear him to leave and his sister was too attentive for him to sneak out.
Three days with no sign of Nina.
He had to get out of here. Had to see her.
They had things to discuss and she’d ghosted him.
Did she really believe he’d let that stand? She had to know better. Even if his sister hadn’t found the pregnancy tests in the bathroom, he wasn’t going to let her walk away from the good thing they had going.
Good?
More like perfect. He knew it and had to believe Nina knew it as well. They were meant for each other. In his mind, the pregnancy only confirmed—possibly rushed—the inevitable. They’d had one incomparable night and fate had given him a second chance when she needed professional protection. Nina had to know better than to mess with that kind of karma .
If she didn’t, he planned to straighten her out. Finding her, talking to her, proposing to her was all Boone thought about while he waited for the docs to declare him well enough to leave.
Becky was helping—to an extent. After she’d found the pregnancy tests in the bathroom, she’d pulled the whole sordid story out of Boone. And now she was constantly brainstorming extravagant, over-the-top romantic gestures.
Nina deserved romance, especially from him. But she’d resist something big and showy. She wouldn’t want to be the spectacle that fed that island grapevine.
She couldn’t have told anyone about the positive test or Nash would’ve shown up and punched him out by now. Jess was strong, but she wouldn’t have been able to hold back Nina’s brother.
Boone understood that. He was a brother too.
“I have to get out of here,” Boone grumbled. Back at his room, he let the friendly-patient facade drop. He was going stir crazy in here without any contact with Nina.
“Do you want me to go talk to her?” Becky asked.
Boone shuddered at the thought. “I can handle my personal life.”
She hummed, clearly unconvinced.
“If you want to help, tell the nurse I’m leaving.”
“You’re not ready,” she protested.
“The hell I’m not.” He reached for the neck of the hospital gown and ripped it off, grateful he’d been allowed to wear shorts underneath. They’d taken him off the IV yesterday to make his PT easier. And Becky had brought him his suitcase from Nina’s place, packed with clean clothes, anticipating his release.
He was done waiting. There was nothing more the hospital could do for him. Wounds took time to heal and he’d enjoy his convalescence a whole lot more if he wasn’t here .
Two hours later, his sister was still fussing at him as she drove over the bridge to Brookwell Island. Boone had long-since tuned her out in favor of rehearsing his speech for Nina.
“Park right here.” He pointed to a parking space in front of Nina’s shop. The door was propped open by the bucket of free flowers she put out every day. Next door, the bakery was closed for the afternoon. “That’s where the croissants came from,” he said. “You’ll want to be there bright and early tomorrow.”
At his insistence, she’d changed her current hotel reservation from Charleston to the Inn here on the island. He’d been ready to crash Jess and Nash’s place if necessary, though it would’ve been a last resort.
He smothered a groan as he climbed out of the car. No one would make him admit the medical team was right. He was pushing himself, but it was for the best possible reason.
Just walking into the shop made him feel better. The whole place smelled like Nina and the immediate sense of peace washed over him. Yes, this was where he needed to be.
Molly walked out of the work room, her normally bright customer greeting faltering. “Boone? Should you be here?” She glanced past him to Becky. “Should he be here?”
“No,” Becky replied.
“Yes,” Boone countered. “I need to see Nina.”
“She’s not here.”
“When will she be back?”
“I, um , do you need a chair?”
“No,” he snapped before Becky could insist on coddling him. “Is she upstairs?”
“No.” Molly shook her head. “She told me I had free rein while she was away. ”
Boone set his teeth, riding out a small dizzy spell. “When will she be back?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry,” Molly said. “Her friend, Haley Whitman, arrives tomorrow. She comes in when we need design help.”
Boone turned on his heel and carefully walked out. Behind him, he heard his sister thank Molly. He started down the block, determined to check for Nina’s car behind the building, and stopped himself. Molly wouldn’t lie to him. He needed to conserve his energy if he was going to be worth anything when he did find Nina.
“Back to the hospital?”
He shook his head. Where would Nina go? He knew where she went when she wanted company. He considered the shop her oasis, and yet, here or in her upstairs apartment, she’d be too available.
Becky patted his shoulder. “Why don’t you call her?”
“Because if I do, she doesn’t have to answer.” He wouldn’t let her ignore him. Them. Their future. “Can you help me check one more place this evening? Please?”
“One more and then you’re taking a break until tomorrow.”
He nodded, though he intended to argue like hell if necessary.
Becky drove him over to Hargrave Hideaway. He’d bet everything he had, every dream in his heart, that she was down at the private cove.
It dawned on him just how much he’d learned about her life in the past week. And how natural it felt to have all that knowledge. He was confident Celeste would let Nina take advantage of the one place on the island where she could truly be alone with her thoughts.
“Wow!” Becky pulled to a stop at the end of the drive and just gawked at the house. “Remind me to check availability here next time I visit.”
“You’ve barely visited this time. ”
Her gaze locked with his. “Something tells me I’ll be back.” She smiled. “You think she’s inside?”
“No. Around back.” He hoped so anyway. If Nina was inside with Celeste, the oldest of the Hargrave sisters, there was no guarantee he’d be allowed to talk to her. Which wasn’t the least bit fair. He hadn’t done anything wrong, other than let Spratt get too close. Nina had walked away before they’d had a chance to settle anything.
“Should I wait?”
“Please don’t,” he replied, reaching for the door. The idea tempted him, but he didn’t want an easy out. If she wasn’t here, he could benefit from a few minutes of solitude himself. “I’ll call if I need you to pick me up.”
“Be smart, Boone.”
“Stop worrying. I won’t overdo it.”
Becky chuckled. “You already have. I was talking about Nina. Be smart with her .”
“Oh. Right.” What was the smart play? He didn’t want to be a dictator, but he deserved to hear her tell him he would be a father. He deserved to have a role in that child’s life.
His sister caught his arm. “Tell her what’s in your heart, Boone. Don’t hold back. It’s the only way either of you can make an informed decision.”
Her sisterly advice echoed in his head as he walked up the driveway, aiming around toward the cove. His legs were heavy, his steps slow, but he pushed on. This effort would all be worth it if she was there.
He was crossing the small patio out back when a sliding glass door opened in a rush. The last thing he wanted was to get busted for trespassing.
“Boone?” Celeste rushed outside. “My goodness.” Her mouth opened and snapped shut. “Are you okay? ”
If he was okay, he doubted she would need to ask. “Is Nina here?”
Celeste nodded. “She said Spratt is back in jail. Is it over then?”
“The criminal part, yes,” he said. Hopefully the personal part was just getting started.
“I’m glad to hear it.” She gripped the back of a chair. “Why don’t you sit down. I’ll go down and tell Nina you’re waiting.”
“No, thanks.” With his luck, she’d jump into the ocean and swim away first. “I’ll be fine.”
Celeste shook her head, even as a soft smile bloomed across her face. “Good luck.”
He gave her a nod and walked on.
At first, he thought Celeste had purposely misled him, until he finally spotted Nina. She sat in the sand, well back from the water and slightly hidden by the tall grasses flanking the path. Her back was to him. Maybe he shouldn’t intrude. This was her island, her family and community. What gave him the right to storm into her quiet, safe space?
Then he caught the unmistakable sound of a sniffle.
“Nina.” He moved forward, his tired legs dragging a little in the soft sand.
“Boone?” She scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing?” Her arm slipped around his waist, lending support. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Had to come to you.”
“Why?”
“Because you stopped coming to me.”
“I just…” Her voice trailed off and heat suffused her face. “Needed time,” she finished. “You should’ve called.”
“As if you or anyone in your circle would take my calls,” he groused. “Blame Jess if you want. She would only talk business with me. ”
“So?”
“She’s marrying your brother in a couple of months. If you’d told Nash about the test results, he would’ve told her. Probably after he came to the hospital to punch me.”
She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Sit down before you fall.” Not the words he’d been expecting. “Where’s your sister?”
“The Inn.” He had to pause to catch his breath. Sucked to be winded from such a small effort. “I wanted to talk to you alone.”
“And if I hadn’t been here?” she demanded. “You were not going to walk back to town.” She plopped down on her knees beside him, her back to the ocean and her gaze intent on his face.
“No.”
“Well, that’s something.”
“You were here,” he pointed out after a soft silence. “I found you, Nina. I like to think I always will.”
Her eyes glistened with emotion. “Is that your way of reminding me I walked out on you in Charleston?”
With a sigh, he reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “No. It’s my way of saying you’re in here.” He tapped his chest, then his temple. “These days with you have become part of me, Nina. When you weren’t at the shop, I only had to stop panicking for a minute and I knew where you’d be. That must count for something.”
“You panicked?”
Did she have to sound so delighted by the prospect? Maybe he shouldn’t have taken his sister’s advice. “Yes,” he replied, sticking with honesty. “We need to talk about us. About what we both need and want. My sister found the pregnancy test you left behind in the hospital.”
She cringed. “Sorry.”
“It wasn’t a false positive, was it? ”
“No.” She gave a short laugh. “I went to the clinic to verify it. There’s stress, but my stomach issues can all be blamed on the baby.”
Their baby . His heart soared. The proposal was right there on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t want her to hear it as a reflexive solution. He needed her to know his heart was hers. That she was the catalyst for becoming a family sooner rather than later.
She scooted closer, her thigh warm against his hip. He breathed her in. Her hands sandwiched one of his. “I planned to tell you. I just.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t go back to the hospital because I didn’t want to interfere.” She swallowed. “I didn’t want you or your sister to think I was making demands.”
“Nina. Make all the demands you want,” he encouraged. “I’m yours. I love you.”
She gaped at him. “No. No. You don’t have to say that.”
“I do.” he insisted. “It’s the truth. I love you.” He reached for her and missed. “Do not make me chase you.” He would do it. She must’ve seen that in his gaze. “Stay here and talk with me.”
“I don’t want that.” She was wringing her hands. “I don’t need grandiose declarations. This is just a situation.” She shoved her hair back from her face. “We should slow this down.”
“All right.” He didn’t move, just held out a hand. “Come here. Please. Just sit with me.” He patted the soft sand.
After a small, heart-squeezing eternity, she sat down again, this time facing the water as he did. He left his hand within her reach, hoping that she would take it, take him. “Most of this is within your control and I’ll respect your decisions.”
“Most?”
“You can’t control my feelings,” he said, quietly and firmly. “But if you don’t want to hear the words, I’ll keep them to myself.” Now, for the tricky part. “Legally, I have rights and responsibilities to our baby. I want to be an involved father, Nina.” He wanted to be her husband, to love her and cherish her and build a family with her.
He could see it so clearly. How did he share that vision with her? How did he share it so that she could accept him and want to be part of that?
“I won’t shut you out,” she said. “We can keep everything legal and civilized.”
Civilized? Sounded like hell to him, but he nodded along. “If that’s what you want.”
She went absolutely still. Boone wasn’t even sure she was breathing. Until she simply launched to her feet and started shouting.
“What I want?” She shook her head and her hair came loose, flying in the breeze. “Does it even matter at this point?”
“Yes.” She was everything. Providing for her, making sure she got what she wanted and needed would become his sole focus.
“Brace yourself, Boone. I didn’t want any of this.” She swiped a tear from her cheek and glared at him. “Not like this. I want to fall in love, plan a wedding with flowers brides will envy for decades.”
Boone was making mental notes, they could still do all of that.
“I want to have children. More than one,” she emphasized. “With a husband who loves me. I want that life to be here.”
“Then that’s what you’ll have.”
She shook her head again. “You don’t get it. That ship has sailed. The whispers will swallow me whole when news of this baby gets out. Oh, it won’t affect my contracts or the tourism, but socially this will follow me the rest of my life.”
“You want me to go away?” he suggested. She stared, so he continued. “You could pretend we had an incredible love affair and I died on a job before the wedding of your dreams. ”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t lie that well.” Her hand drifted to her abdomen. “I won’t lie to your baby.”
“Our baby.” He lumbered to his feet, ignoring the pinch of his healing wounds, and pulled her close. Swaying gently, her arms came around him and he smiled to himself. She needed a reminder of where they started, how good they were together. On a dance floor, in bed, at work, or in a fight for their lives. She rested her head on his shoulder and he tempered the surge of hope.
“I think you’re in love already,” he said. “With me.”
She snorted.
“Call it fate or karma or divine intervention, but maybe our bodies knew something before our hearts. Some of the best things in life don’t happen in what we think is the right order.” He glided his hands up and down her back. “We moved in sync when Spratt attacked. Did you notice?”
She pulled back to study his face, an adorable frown creasing her brow. “We did. I hadn’t thought about it because I was so mad about your injury.”
“Mad, worried, it’s all part of the same bucket called love.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Stop telling me what I feel.”
“Fair.” He wanted to kiss her so badly. Better to let her make the next move. “I love you, Nina Billings. I’m not confused. I don’t feel obligated to say the words. It’s not lust or wishful thinking. It’s love. Simple, enduring. Forever. I heard what you want and though I can’t fix this particular timing, I can give you the rest. Whether it’s next week or next year, we can have the wedding brides will envy. I’d be honored to be the husband who loves you and gives you more children.”
“Boone. We can’t—”
He cut her off. “I mean it, Nina. With everything I am. I’ll stay here until you’ re convinced.”
“I believe you.” She caught his face in her hands and a smile bloomed. A smile full of joy even as tears danced on her dark eyelashes. “We can’t have a wedding next year. I won’t give the gossips that much to chew on.”
“Is that a yes?” For a minute he feared this was all an elaborate dream. “You’ll marry me?”
She kissed him and he knew it was real. Right here, with the sun setting and the ocean drumming and his heart full, it was real. Better than anything he or Becky could’ve dreamed up.
“Yes. I love you, Boone. And not because you told me I did.”
He laughed and hugged her tight. “You were afraid.”
She sighed. “I was,” she admitted. “But never again. Not with you beside me.”
“Let’s go tell your parents.”
“And your sister.” Nina beamed. “Nash and Jess too.”
She was right. And he wanted everyone together when they shared the happy news. Holding hands, they started back through the dunes. He paused, waving off her immediate concern about his health. “I’m good. But just so we’re on the same page here, are we telling them everything or just the engagement part?”
“Oh.” She nibbled on her lip. “Nash found the pregnancy tests in your car. That’s the news they’re expecting to hear.” She cuddled up close. “I can’t wait to tell everyone that I’m in love. With you.”
“Same goes,” he murmured.
His wounds hardly ached at all as they walked back to the house and made the calls. And though he was tired as night fell on the impromptu backyard party her parents threw together to celebrate all the news, it was the happiest he’d ever been.
There was champagne for everyone who wasn’t pregnant or recovering from knife wounds and sparkling juice for him and Nina. He wished he could share this moment with his parents, but somehow, he knew they would’ve loved Nina instantly, just as he did.
“I love you,” he said. They were cuddled together in the glider and her hand rested lightly on her flat stomach. The next few months would be fascinating. And wonderful. And likely filled with lots of tea.
“So you’ve said,” she teased.
“Tired of hearing it?”
She kissed his cheek. “Never. And I’ll never tire of saying it. I love you, Boone.” She gave the glider another push. “Ready to go home?”
“With you? Always.”
Hearts full, hand in hand, they left the others to carry on. All too happy to create a quieter celebration for just the two of them. Together.