Page 31 of Mine This Time

Mari

Two years later

“And tonight’s award goes to Mari Channing,” the presenter announced from the stage.

Nash leaned over and whispered something indecipherable in my ear as applause broke out. I dimly felt the press of his lips on my cheek and then him nudging me up from my seat. I was in shock, but I moved automatically and walked forward.

“Mari spearheaded the renovation of several historical sections of downtown New Orleans still recovering from the damage left by Hurricane Katrina,” the announcer said. “Her organization and promotion were central to this work.”

I didn’t even remember what I said after I received the award, but I did remember returning to my seat and being wrapped in Nash’s embrace.

“See,” he murmured. “I told you you’re amazing.”

The rest of the night was a blur where I was surrounded by friends, business acquaintances and family—in the form of Nash’s parents and sister, Max and Harlow, and our parents.

When I’d decided to move to New Orleans and throw common sense to the wind, I hadn’t expected to land so firmly on my feet.

In the time that had passed, I’d only fallen more deeply in love with Nash.

Our lives were insanely busy. Nash had meant what he said. I didn’t work for him, I worked with him.

Later that night, at the birthday bash his parents and mine had organized for me out at our house, I slipped into the dress Harlow had helped me find. “Oh, it’s gorgeous on you.” She canted her head to the side and sighed happily.

Smoothing my hands over the creamy silk fabric that twirled around my knees and rose up in a fitted bodice, I asked, “Really?”

Harlow clasped me gently by the shoulders and turned me around. “Yes.”

With my hair twisted into a knot and loose tendrils surrounding my face, my blue eyes stood out. Even I had to admit, the dress looked good.

“Now, come on,” she said, slipping her hand through my elbow and walking me briskly out of the bedroom I shared with Nash. With Harlow close to six feet tall and strong, I didn’t resist her tugging me along. It would’ve been pointless.

Moments later, I was weaving through the gardens behind our house.

Nash had let me call all the shots when we’d landscaped the yard.

As lovely as the home was when I moved in with him, he’d taken no time with landscaping since he’d started living there.

I’d turned the yard into a lush, fragrant garden.

The scent of gardenias in bloom drifted through the air mingling this evening.

I paused beside Max. His blue eyes twinkled as he smiled down at me. “Good work, Mari.”

“Thanks, Max. It’s been fun. Who knew I’d be so good at this?”

“I did.” His gaze had gone dead serious.

I smiled softly. “I landed in the right place.”

“You did,” he replied with a nod. “Nash is looking for you, by the way.” He nudged his chin through the crowd to where Nash stood on the edges.

I leaned up and pressed a kiss on my brother’s cheek. “Well then, I guess I’ll go find him.”

Nash still took my breath away. He had tossed off the suit jacket he’d been wearing earlier and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. This showed off his muscled forearms, which I totally had a thing for.

Stopping in front of him, I commented, “I heard a rumor you were looking for me.”

His hazel eyes locked with mine, and for the thousandth or more time, I felt as if I were all alone in the world with him. It didn’t matter that we were in a crowd. My breath hitched in my throat when he leaned over to brush his lips across mine.

“I’m always looking for you,” he murmured.

Nash

Music played softly in the background as the night wore on, and I searched out Mari once again.

We kept getting pulled apart by the various demands of our guests.

I didn’t mind being social and had the manners to get through it, but damn, I was ready for this night to end so I could have her all to myself.

My eyes landed on her back. Her shoulders were exposed in this gorgeous cream silk confection she was wearing. Her bronze skin glinted under the lanterns circling the garden.

“Here you are,” I murmured from behind as I slid my hand around her waist.

She smiled at me, her blue eyes almost navy in the dim light. “And there you are.”

I couldn’t wait any longer.

Looking into her eyes, I kept my hold on her with one arm as I slipped my hand into my pocket. Conveniently, Mari didn’t notice because she threw her head back in a laugh when the band said they were dedicating the next song to her.

The band was a regular at Johnny’s Bar. While we didn’t frequent any bars, Johnny was an old friend and we did occasionally go there for drinks and business. The band had come to know Mari loved old blues music and usually dedicated random songs to her.

She met my eyes again, her gaze laughing. “They’re ridiculous.”

I shrugged, leaning over to drop a kiss on the side of her neck because she was too tempting. “So tell me something,” I began as I lifted my head.

“Anything,” she said swiftly, her tone light and teasing.

“Now, don’t you go promising me the world until you know what I want.”

While I was teasing too, my heart felt like it was going to split at the seams. Mari did that, made me feel so full of love it almost hurt.

Loving her was always like walking along that knife’s edge of pleasure and pain.

Because it felt so good, and yet she had so much power to cause me so much pain.

“What is it, Nash?”

“Well, I was wondering if you’d marry me.”

I’d never wrestled this much with my feelings. I rarely worried about rejection. But then, when there wasn’t anything that mattered on the line, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Yet, right here, right now, my heart pounded harder than I’d ever experienced and holding myself steady as I waited for her answer was another form of agony. I knew Mari loved me, but I didn’t know just yet if she was ready to cross the line into promising forever.

Her eyes widened, and her breath hitched in her throat as she took a sharp inhalation. “Oh! I wasn’t ready,” she gasped, her voice raspy.

I held steady inside, although my stomach clenched in response to that. “Ready for what?”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Nash,” she said as she slid her hand up to cup my cheek.

“I’m ready for forever with you. I just wasn’t expecting the question tonight.

I had it all planned out how I was going to say yes.

I was even thinking I might have to ask you because you’re taking your sweet time, as usual. ”

My heart did split wide open then, and a sense of unbearable joy filled my chest. Somehow, she always managed to say the perfect thing. “I do like to take my time.”

My tendency to take it slow was a joke between us. She was prone to getting impatient when we were making love or fucking like crazy wherever we happened to be.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes.” Each word came out stronger, and her eyes glittered with tears as I opened my palm. The ring that had been practically burning a hole in my pocket was now held there.

“Oh, oh,” she breathed. “It’s gorgeous.”

My mother had given me my grandmother’s wedding ring a few months back, and I’d been waiting for the exact right time to ask. It was a white gold band set with a sapphire that matched Mari’s eyes. According to my mother, she was supposed to give it to me when I found the right woman.

Then, I was sliding the ring on Mari’s finger and lifting her against me as we spun in a circle. At some point, someone figured out what was happening, and we were surrounded by well-wishers.

Hours later, the party had dispersed from our garden.

Mari sat with me on a bench between an oak tree and a flowering gardenia.

The moon was hazy through the clouds drifting above us, and the stars winked brightly from light-years away.

Mari’s legs were draped over my lap, and her head was tucked against my shoulder.

My fingers sifted through her hair, and my voice was quiet in the darkness. “I didn’t plan on a public proposal.”

“It was perfect,” she said as she lifted her head. “What now?”

“Well, now I’m impatient. I think we should go to the courthouse tomorrow.”

“Did you forget tomorrow’s Saturday, Nash?” Her lips kicked up a small smile when she lifted a hand and traced her fingertips along my jawline.

“Monday then. I can wait two days.”

Mari giggled and leaned forward. Her lips landed in a soft, open kiss on the side of my neck. “For once, you’re in a hurry.”

“When it comes to forever with you, I am absolutely in a hurry.”

With that, my almost-wife climbed onto my lap and made me forget everything but the moon, the stars, and her.

Thank you for reading Mari & Nash’s story!