Chapter 1
It was a rainy Friday night. It was the first rain of the year, and the roads were slick. Justin drove carefully to his destination, taking care not to disturb the small package on the passenger seat. He was nervous, his stomach a bundle of knots. He could almost feel his heart pounding in his throat.
I thought this was supposed to be easy. I love her, we’ve been together over 2 years, this is the next step. So why am I so afraid? Do I really expect her to say no? She’s been hinting ever since she was in a wedding a few months ago. Damn, she was beautiful that day. The light turquoise dress, her hair up. I couldn’t wait to take her to my place.
He looked at himself in the rear view mirror as he waited for the valet. “You can do this, Justin,” he said aloud. “You love her, she loves you. You have NO clue what you’re going to say, but you’re quick on your feet. By the end of the night, you’ll be engaged.”
He picked up the small box from the seat next to him, put it in his pocket, and pulled up to the valet station. The valet opened the door, holding an umbrella so Justin wouldn’t get wet. He gave the valet his keys, and walked into the restaurant. He felt weird being there before her, but he knew her shift at the hospital might have run long, and she’d need more time to get ready. She was worth the wait, that was for sure. He waited for her just inside the door.
More time to think of what to say, before the obvious, he thought to himself. His mind practiced what felt like 50 different things to say before she walked through the door. His eyes brightened when he saw her, a smile spread across his face. He stood up, greeting her with a hug and a kiss before checking their coats.
He was wearing an all black suit with a red tie. He had left his coat open to put the ring in his suit jacket, so there was no chance of losing it.
She wore a red dress, with a sheer illusion shoulder and collar. It hugged her curves, flaring out a little at her hips, the lace trim along the bottom brushing her knees. She wore what he called her “fuck me” heels, making her tall enough to kiss, among other things. Her hair was pulled back away from her face. It was a chestnut brown, with natural blond highlights that shone like gold, hanging just below her shoulder blades. Her blue green eyes sparkled.
They were shown to their table, he pulled out her chair for her.
“Sorry I’m late, my shift went late, then the extra traffic with the rain…”
“Nicki, no need to apologize. I’d have waited hours for you to get here. You look absolutely beautiful tonight.”
They browsed the menu, even though they had been there what felt like hundreds of times and had their favorite orders. Justin ordered the filet mignon, Nicki the chicken marsala, with bruschetta to start.
“How was work today?” he asked, holding her hand across the table.
“The usual. One of my patients had their tonsils out. He LOVED that he could have all the ice cream and pudding he wanted. Every 6 year old’s dream.”
“Any closer to moving towards oncology?” he asked.
“Not really. I’m still on the fence about it all. It would be great to have the opportunity, but I worry about getting attached and losing a patient. At least working in the pediatric ward we get more happy endings, sending kids home feeling better. Oncology, even with kids, would lead to a lot more heartache day in and out.”
“Life is risk and reward. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Look at us. We’d both been burned pretty bad in previous relationships, I know I wasn’t looking for anyone when I met you. Thank God that Heather brought you to JC’s birthday party; I can’t imagine where I’d be now if she hadn’t. Over 2 years together, and I’ve loved you more each day than I did the one before.”
This is it, he thought. He dropped to one knee, pulling the box out of his pocket. “Nicole Iaconetti, will you let me love you the rest of my life?”
