Page 144 of Marry Me Forever

Abby: Still.

Beck: I thought tonight was supposed to be a grown-up night out? I miss those.

Me: The movie is kid-friendly, though. So if you’ve changed your mind…

Beck: No! I love my daughter. But seriously, I need a night off.

Me: Don’t worry, our nanny is the best. Maybe in the country. She’ll take good care of them all.

Aunt Lori: And we’re getting a family photo taken together, too, no matter if I have to ask some stranger to do it. Now, finish getting ready. I can’t wait to see you all.

Iheld my one-year-old son, Bowen, against my hip and kissed his cheek. “We’ll be back later. You’ll be good for Maria, won’t you?”

He nodded and then laid his head on my shoulder and sucked his thumb.

I hugged his little body close and breathed in his baby scent. It was never easy leaving him, no matter how many times I’d done it to go to work.

I whispered, “I love you, Bowen. And I’ll make sure to get you one of the stuffed dragons for your bed.”

He nodded again.

Just as I debated whether or not to see if he’d call me Daddy again—he was a champ at Mommy but saved Daddy for rare occasions, which made Katie laugh—Katie came down the grand staircase.

My jaw dropped. She wore a dark blue gown, complete with the sapphire necklace I’d given her during our fake engagement and the little tiara I bought on a whim a few years ago. “You’re beautiful, baby. So beautiful.”

Katie smiled, smoothed her dress, and asked, “You can’t tell I’m pregnant again, can you?”

She was only three months along but carried twins this time. Tonight we’d planned to tell our family the news. “No, you look just as stunning as normal.”

She walked up to me, laid a hand on Bowen’s back, and kissed our son’s cheek. “You’ll be a good boy, won’t you, Bowen, for Maria?”

Bowen removed his thumb and nodded. “Good boy, Mommy. Me good.”

Katie smiled. “Of course you are, love.” She raised her face, and I kissed her. She murmured, “You look sexy yourself.”

“You always did have a thing for a guy in a tuxedo.”

“Not any guy—just you.”

I kissed her again. But before I could say another word, the nanny came to retrieve Bowen.

With her dark hair streaked with gray and smile lines around her mouth, Maria looked the part of a kind nanny. Jenn even said she could’ve been from central casting. With the salary to match. However, she was rumored to be the best in town and I didn’t care how much it cost when it came to my kid’s happiness.

Once Katie and I kissed Bowen and said goodnight, we were alone in the main entryway of my Malibu mansion. I offered my arm, and Katie wound hers through it. She asked, “Ready for the big night?”

“Mostly. I know all the test audiences went great. And yet, critics can be brutal.”

She patted my upper arm. “It’s the kids and families who matter. You made a wonderful Christmas movie, Nolan. One that will become an instant classic. I’m so proud of you.”

It’d taken some work and a lot of revisions, but I’d finally written a cute, heartwarming Christmas movie about dragons. It took my production company, some investors, and a director I had worked with before to make it happen. Tonight was the premiere.

“I hope so.”

Katie replied, “I know so. And look, here come more people who’ll agree with me.”

All of my siblings and their spouses came down the hall, including Aunt Lori and her fiancé, Fernando. Everyone wore either tuxedos or fancy evening gowns. I’d insisted they let me buy everything for the premiere. After years of them refusing everything, they’d slowly started to say yes.

Aunt Lori spoke first. “Agree with what?”

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