“Yeah, I’m going to get Nikki.”
He reaches into his desk and pulls out his keys. “Take the Benz.”
I hug my father again and run out of his office to the parking garage. I drive across town and stop where Nikki’s car is parked. I change the tire and notice a lunch box in the passenger seat. I had planned to see her when she got off work, but now is as good as time as any.
I stop at her favorite restaurant, Red’s Diner, and grab her a sandwich and a Blaze apple cinnamon cake before driving into Jasper to the hospital.
It’s not until I’m parked outside the hospital that my nerves start to set in. This is crazy, but damn, I know she’s worth it.
I grab the sack of food and stride into the hospital. I see a few surprised glances, but I ignore them. Everyone here knows about the Cannons, and no one is going to stop me from roaming the halls.
I look at my watch and see it’s lunch time, so I head in the direction of the breakroom. When I get to the door, I take a deep breath and push my way in. The whole room is silent as they stare at me, but it’s only one person’s reaction that I care about.
Nikki looks at me, and her mouth drops open. She gets up from the table and walks toward me and grabs my hand. “Everyone, this is my husband, Ethan. Ethan, this is everybody.”
They all wave, and once they get back to talking and their meals, Nikki turns to me with a smile on her face. “What are you doing here? I mean, I’m glad you’re here…”
I hold the bag out for her. “I saw you forgot your lunch in your car, so I grabbed your favorite.”
She looks between the bag in my hand and me. “You brought me lunch...Wait, how’d you know I forgot it in my car?”
I cup her face in my hand. “I went and fixed your tire. I have someone bringing it here for you.”
She opens her mouth, but I stop her. “And I went and saw my dad. I asked him for my job back.”
“You what? You’re moving back to Whiskey Run?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m moving back to my wife, the love of my life. I’ve been a fool, Nikki, but I promise if you’ll have me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Her eyes never waver from mine. “I love you, Ethan Cannon. Welcome home.”
I lean down and press my head to hers. “Wherever you’re at... that’s my home.”
I kiss her, wanting to show her just how much she means to me. We break apart, breathless, when someone hollers out with a laugh, “Get a room.”
I hold Nikki to me and kiss the top of her head. From this point forward, she’ll never doubt my love.
Epilogue
Nikki
Six Months Later
Isit and watch my husband run circles around me. He’s picking up the living room, cooking dinner, and handling a business call all at the same time. I can’t just sit here another minute.
I wait until he’s walking into the kitchen and then I make my move. With one hand on my stomach, I stand up. I reach my hands over my head and stretch and moan as my muscles expand. Damn, that feels good.
Obviously my moan was a little too loud because here comes Ethan walking back in the room with a stern expression on his face. “I’ll have to call you back,” he says into the phone before hanging up.
I point at the phone he just threw in the chair across the room. “Wasn’t that Mr. Tarot? In China?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah.”
My mouth falls open. “Ethan, you’ve been trying to coordinate that call for a month now.”
He’s coming for me and lifts me in his arms before sitting on the couch and setting me in his lap. “Yeah, so?”
I roll my eyes and wrap my arms around his neck. “So... don’t you think you should finish the conversation?”