Chapter Twenty-One
Dinner plans are made, and our “date” night with Arden and Willow is set. But even as Nils and I are driving to the French restaurant we let them pick out, we’re still not sure if we should divulge the news that we’re a couple and are madly in love.
“Are we still playing it by ear?” Nils asks when we stop at a red light about five minutes from the restaurant.
Our hands are joined on the console, and I give him a light squeeze. “Ugh,” I groan, “I don’t know. Part of me just doesn’t feel like saying anything at all. Not tonight.”
Glancing over at me, he says, “I’m fine with waiting.”
The light turns green, and as he hits the gas, I blow out a breath. “You know what? Let’s just wait. I want to enjoy a nice dinner with my brother and his girlfriend with no added pressure.”
Nils looks as relieved as I feel as he says, “Sounds good to me.”
We are clearly both putting off the inevitable. I hope it doesn’t bite us in the ass.
For the rest of the drive, we just chat about mundane things, laughing here and there.
And then we reach the restaurant.
We decide to valet, but there’s one car in front of us. While we wait, I check out the modern, sleek glass-and-steel facade of the building and take in all the high-end cars in the parking lot.
“Wow,” I say to Nils, “Arden said this place is nice, but I didn’t think it was this fancy. I’m glad I wore this pretty cashmere dress and heels.”
“It is upscale,” he replies as he ducks down to get a better view. “Good thing I went with a suit and tie and not the dress pants and button-down I was thinking of wearing.”
“Yeah, good call.”
I don’t tell him, but I’m actually glad he went with a suit and tie as well. He’s so damn hot and sexy when he’s dressed to the nines.
After the valet attendant gets to us and takes over the Range Rover, we make our way into the restaurant.
The host just inside the entranceway takes our names and, upon checking the reservation, informs us that the rest of our party is already seated.
As we follow him to a private table in the back, Nils leans in and whispers, “I thought we were on time.”
“We are.” I roll my eyes and chuckle. “This is just typical Arden. He loves to be early.”
“Hmmm,” he says with a nod. “That sounds about right. He is usually one of the first guys out on the ice at practice and warm-ups.”
I laugh. “That sounds about right.”
As we approach the table, I notice Arden and Willow are dressed quite nicely too. My brother has on a black suit similar to Nils, and Willow is wearing a pencil skirt that’s a shade darker than my blue cashmere dress, along with a white blouse.
Arden stands when he sees us.
He greets us warmly when we reach the table, giving me a hug and Nils a handshake.
“Ankle still feeling a little better each day?” he asks Nils.
“Yeah,” Nils replies, nodding. “I think I’m going to be cleared to play soon.”
Smiling, Arden tells him, “That’s fantastic.”
“That is great,” Willow says, jumping in.
She stands and comes over to hug Nils, then me.
Stepping back, her hands still on my elbows, she says, “And you, I heard the great news that you’re staying here in Atlanta. I’m happy you’re not leaving town, Ellie.”
“I am too,” I reply honestly. “It just feels right to stay.”
“No second thoughts, then?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Not a single one.”
She glances over at Nils, almost kind of knowingly, as she says to me, “Almost like it’s meant to be, huh?”
Nils and Arden are busy talking as they take their seats, so I catch her gaze and say softly, “I think it is.”
“Hmmm,” she hums noncommittally.
I sense she’s onto us.
You know, women’s intuition and all that.
Willow and I take our seats, and, after we’re settled, we all begin perusing our menus.
When the waiter comes over to take our orders, we’re ready.
We each order the salade Ni?oise and a large coquille appetizer to share. For our entrées, I choose chicken cordon bleu, Nils orders beef bourguignon, which is a kind of French beef stew, and my brother and Willow both go with poached salmon with Hollandaise sauce.
With our orders in, the conversation flows freely. We all laugh and have a good time.
The courses arrive one by one, and we end up sharing bites of our entrées with one another.
“This salmon is amazing,” I remark.
“It is good,” Willow says. “And I’m in love with your cordon bleu.”
The guys jump in with their own commentary, and the consensus is that everything is beyond delicious.
After we’re done with our meals, we decide we’re too full for dessert, but we do opt for coffee.
There are more comments about how wonderful dinner was and how we’ll have to do this again, but I can’t help but notice that Arden and Willow keep smiling at each other like they have something to share.
Finally, Arden clears his throat, then, with a big smile, announces, “Hey, we have something we want to tell you guys. We discussed it on the way over and feel like tonight is a good time to share our news.”
From Arden’s big smile and the way Willow is blushing ever so slightly, I have a feeling she’s either pregnant or they’re getting engaged.
I’m humming with excitement at the prospect of either—or both!—when I say, “Well tell us!”
Laughing, Arden says, “It’s not official-official—’cause we’re having the engagement ring designed and it’s not ready yet—but I asked Willow to marry me.”
“And I said yes,” Willow blurts out excitedly.
“Oh my God!” I’m practically bouncing in my seat. “I am so freaking happy for you two. This is fantastic news!”
I truly am beyond ecstatic for my brother and Willow.
Nils reaches over and shakes Arden’s hand. “Congratulations, man.”
“Thanks.”
Nils raises his coffee cup and says, “We don’t have champagne, but let’s toast the good news.”
“Hear, hear,” my brother says as we all clink our cups.
What a perfect, perfect night.