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She squeezed him and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Not at all. It sucks Nicole is taking him to California tomorrow.”
Scott went for another kiss, this one longer, before he spoke. “Thought about asking if he could stay here while she went back.”
“I know.”
The arms around her loosened and he looked at her, one eyebrow cocked. “Oh, really? You can read my mind?”
She returned his cocky expression with one of her own. “Yes, really. You wore your emotions all night.”
“What am I thinking now?” All expression left Scott’s face, and he waited for her answer.
Paige placed her palms on either side of his face, his facial hair scratchy against her skin. “You’re thinking about how much you love me.” Before she finished, his stomach rumbled, immediately followed by hers. “And that you want to first feed me then join me in the hot tub.” She’d fallen in love with the master bathroom’s hot tub on her last visit. Before she left tomorrow, she planned to make use of it again.
“Right on all accounts.” Reaching up, he took both her hands. “When Mom asked me to do the auction in June, I said no at first. Getting sold to the highest bidder sounded friggin’ awful. But you have no idea how glad I am that I gave in.” He kissed her fingers.
“Me too.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
“Stop by sometime this weekend. Trent and Addie will be here too.” Derek’s voice came through the smartphone that Scott put on speaker so he could cook and talk at the same time.
“We can’t. Maybe next Saturday.” Scott reached for another carrot while he talked to his cousin. So far everything was on schedule. Assuming he had no setbacks things would be ready when Paige got home. “I’m going to ask Paige to marry me tonight. I don’t need or want an audience. Tomorrow I’m picking Cooper up at the airport.”
Cooper and his nanny were expected in the early afternoon. Even after a year, Scott didn’t understand how Nicole could simply send their son on an airplane with his nanny. But more times than not, if they weren’t in Manhattan it was Leslie and not Nicole who brought Cooper from wherever he’d been with Nicole. He never said anything because he trusted Leslie. Nicole had said he’d like her and she’d been right. Unwilling to lose any time with his son, he always brought Cooper back to Nicole regardless of whether she and Jordan, whom she’d married eight months ago, were in New York or somewhere else in the world.
“Congratulations.”
“She hasn’t said yes, yet.” They’d celebrated their one-year anniversary two months ago, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her.
“She will. Why, I don’t know, but she will.” Derek’s laugh came through the smartphone and filled the kitchen. “But Brooklyn and I won’t be around next weekend. We’re going to visit her sister and brother-in-law. Next time you’re in Newport though, stop over.”
“Will— Damn it.” The knife slipped off the carrot and dug into his skin. Right away blood dripped down his fingers and hit the kitchen counter. “I gotta go.”
Scott grabbed some paper towel and wrapped it around his finger. He didn’t want Paige coming home from the hospital and finding a trail of blood from the kitchen to the bathroom.
He pulled out the box of bandages he kept on his side of the bathroom. Empty. Figured. Everything else today had gone his way. Something had to go wrong eventually. The empty box still in hand, he crossed to Paige’s side. She’d finally moved into his Manhattan apartment more than six months ago, but her side of the bathroom still contained very little. Her side of their bedroom closet, on the other hand, was just the opposite. For someone who wore scrubs to work every day, the woman owned plenty of clothes and shoes.
“Where would she keep bandages, Ryder?” he asked the dog who’d followed him in the bathroom. He opened the cabinets on either side of the mirror. One remained empty, while the other held her hair products and makeup. Pulling open a drawer, he found a decent-sized first aid kit. “Always prepared.” Scott grabbed the kit, the pink and white box underneath it grabbing his complete attention. While Paige was convinced she couldn’t get pregnant without help from a fertility doctor, he wasn’t. Despite her insistence it’d never happen, they’d agreed to start trying a few months earlier. Then if it didn’t happen, they would talk about other options.
With the paper towel still wrapped around his finger, Scott took out the pregnancy test box. The top of the box had been opened, and he turned back the flap for a look inside. The outside label claimed it contained three tests. Only one remained inside. Why hadn’t she said anything? Had she done them today? Last week? One question after another rolled through his head. The tests might still be in the trash if she’d done them yesterday or today.
&nb
sp; He didn’t stop to consider he was about to dig through his girlfriend’s trash can.
A few used bathroom cups and an empty tissue box sat on top. He tossed both on the floor. An empty shampoo bottle followed next. Then he found them. He’d seen enough commercials to recognize a pregnancy test. Flipping over the box, he checked the test instructions, then looked at the results.
***
A heavenly scent greeted Paige when she walked in. Scott had been cooking again. It wasn’t unusual for him to prepare them rather elaborate meals, but she didn’t remember him ever doing it on a weeknight. He preferred to do it on the weekends when he had a lot more time. Since she’d moved in, they either stuck with simple dishes like pasta or got takeout after work. Whatever she smelled now was not plain old pasta, and it definitely wasn’t takeout.
She walked further inside and noticed the dining room table already set with two candles flickering on it. “How long have you been home?” she asked, coming around the corner and entering the kitchen.
Scott didn’t move from the stove where he stirred something in a pot, but he did turn toward her. “Few hours ago. Dinner would’ve been ready, but I had an accident and got distracted.” She spotted the bandage around his index finger when he held up his hand. “It’ll be done by the time you get out of the shower.”
She kissed his cheek. “Can’t wait. Whatever it is smells great.”
