“This is really fancy,” Gabby says as she places her napkin in her lap, once we’re seated.
“I thought it would be a nice change. Besides, I’ve been slacking on the spoiling you part of our relationship.”
“Did I miss a memo on that?” she teases.
“Yep. It clearly states as the man who’s madly in love with you, I must show you how much every day.”
Her eyes soften. “I like this new sweet Chase. So much better than the one who used to pick on me all the time.”
“Me too, baby.” We order our meals and talk about work and the baby. I mention that we should start shopping for the nursery and her eyes light up.
“We should probably find out what we’re having first.”
“How long do we have to wait for that?”
“I think Gwen was around twenty weeks or so when she was able to find out.”
“How far along are we?”
She smiles. “Just a few weeks, Chase. We found out really early.”
“Well, we can still pick out furniture and stuff, right?” I don’t know why, but this feels important. I want her roots to be at my place.
“We can definitely do that.”
“Good.” The waiter brings our food, and we dig in. “You okay?”
She smiles. “Yes. This actually smells incredible and I’m starving. I think I could inhale this.” True to her word, she makes quick work of eating her meal.
“Now where?” Gabby asks as we slide back into the limo with dessert boxes in hand.
“I have one more surprise for you.”
“Do I get a hint?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” She settles back against the seat and rests her head on my shoulder.
“You tired?” I ask, but I already know the answer. The baby has been taking a lot out of her, but never once has she complained. She smiles through the nausea, the vomiting, being tired all the time, all of it.
“Yeah.”
“Rest. We have about a twenty-minute drive, I’ll wake you when we get there.” She relaxes against me, and in no time, her breathing has evened out. I manage to pull my phone out of my pocket without waking her and send Colt a message.* * *Me: We good?* * *Colt: All set.* * *Me: Thank you.* * *Colt: I’m glad I’m here for this. For all of it.* * *Me: Me too, brother. Me too.* * *Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I pull her close and just enjoy having her in my arms. She fits next to me as if she were made for me. I never want a day to pass that she’s not by my side.
When we reach our destination, I run my finger down the side of her face. “Gabs, baby, time to wake up.” Slowly, her eyes blink open, and she gives me one of her beautiful smiles, the ones that she reserves for me.
“Sorry about that.” She sits up and stretches. “Where are we?” She tries to look out the window, but it’s dark outside and the windows are tinted.
“I have a surprise for you.” Reaching into the small cubby in the door, I pull out a black silk scarf. “I need you to wear this. Just so it doesn’t spoil the surprise.”
“Chase, it’s dark out. I’ll fall.”
“Never. I will never let you fall. I promise I’ll take good care of you. Please, just humor me?”
“Fine, but it’s me and our baby, you know?”
“And I would never let anything happen to either of you.” Taking the scarf, I tie it around her eyes and open the door. “Take my hand.” I hold it out for her, helping her scoot toward the door and step out of the limo. “Okay, there’s a small pathway we’re going to be walking on. Just follow my voice. I promise you I won’t let you fall.”
“Okay.” She’s hesitant in her answer but gives me her trust and allows me to guide her to our destination.
I take a look around, admiring Colt’s handiwork before I turn my attention back to Gabby. Bending down, I kiss her lips quickly before pulling the ring out of my pocket and dropping to one knee. “Okay, you can take it off,” I say, never taking my eyes off her. Slowly, she peels back the blindfold and takes in my family’s cabin. It’s just a small two-bedroom, down by the lake, but this place holds a lot of memories for me.
She finally looks down and gasps. Her hand covers her mouth as tears well in her eyes. “C-Chase,” she murmurs behind her hand.
“Gabrielle, this cabin is where I first met you. Harrison brought Gwen one summer during college, and you tagged along. I was instantly drawn to your beauty, to your spirit. At the time I wasn’t ready. I was still a young college guy, fearful of the word commitment. I’m no longer that guy. Over the years, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, no matter how hard I tried. You were always the one who never left my mind. Now, here we are, having a baby.” I place the hand that’s not holding the ring over her belly. “I love you, Gabby. Not because you’re having my baby, but because of the incredible woman that you are. You bring so much joy and happiness into my life.” Tears begin to roll across her cheeks, but her smile—the one I can now see—tells me they are tears of joy.