Page 51 of Wishes at Water's Edge
“Thank you! So are you.” Julia kissed the little girl on the top of the head.
“I can’t wait for you to be my mommy.” Macey swung her legs happily while she said it, nonchalant and energetic, but both Julia and Cooper froze when they heard the words. They shared a look over Macey’s head, and Julia blinked back the tears that had suddenly filled her eyes.
“I can’t wait either, baby,” she whispered.
She remembered how helpless she’d felt concerning Macey when she and Cooper first started dating. She’d thought that she would be clueless when it came to taking care of a little girl, and she’d wondered if things between her and Cooper would work out, since she was so inexperienced with children. Macey had immediately captured her heart, however. Learning how to care for her had been challenging, certainly, but Julia loved the little girl in ways she hadn’t known she was capable of loving. The toddler brought joy to her and Cooper’s lives like no one else could.
Beside her, Cooper wiped away a tear. He offered Julia a watery smile and then laughed over how emotional he’d gotten.
“Come here,” Julia said, holding her arm out for him. He scooted his chair closer to hers and the three of them shared a hug.
Julia felt as though her heart was overflowing with love. Soon, both Macey and Cooper would officially be a permanent fixture in her future. The three of them would be their own, new family. She couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dean put his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and leaned into the wind. It was a brisk afternoon, and although it was sunny, there was a chill in the air. He didn’t mind, since he found autumn invigorating, and the colder weather always heralded the coming of the best parts of fall, such as apple-picking, pumpkin carving, and corn mazes.
His heart was beating faster than usual, since he was on his way to Noelle’s apartment. He was trying not to let himself get too nervous about the visit, but he knew that he hoped to propose to his girlfriend at some point on their date that evening.
He sighed as he watched a leaf scuttle across the sidewalk. Even after the discussion that he’d had with his mother and sisters, he couldn’t help wanting to think of a romantic way to propose to Noelle. He wanted to ask her to marry him in a setting that she found beautiful and thoughtful.
I know she doesn’t need things to be fancy,he thought,but I want it all to be special.
He wondered what he could do to make their date a little extra romantic. He was determined not to act too overblownabout it, but he didn’t want to arrive empty-handed if he was going to propose to her later on.
Flowers,he thought, smiling to himself.I’ll buy her some of those pink roses she loves, and then I’ll get her favorite raspberry croissant from Seaside Sweets Bakery.
He made his way to the grocery store, where they usually had a small but high-quality assortment of flower bouquets. When he reached the floral department, however, he stopped and looked around in confusion. There wasn’t a single bouquet in stock, and a small sign written on a whiteboard announced that the flower bouquets that usually came in to Harvest Market hadn’t arrived because of a shipment delay.
Dean’s heart sank with disappointment. He’d been hoping to get a bouquet of pink and yellow roses for Noelle, since those were her favorite colors. He’d never come across an empty floral department before—but then again, he hadn’t gone out to buy flowers all that often in his life.
He left Harvest Market and made his way to Seaside Sweets Bakery. When he arrived, he stared at the door in dismay. There was a sign on it stating that they had closed early due to an issue with their furnace.
Dean groaned. He’d wanted to arrive to Noelle’s with tokens of his affection, but it seemed he was going to have to show up empty handed.
It doesn’t matter,he told himself firmly.I’m still going to propose to her today. I’m determined to make the engagement happen this time.
He reached Noelle’s apartment building and rang her buzzer. By then, it was starting to get uncomfortably cold, and he was glad when the door buzzed and he could get inside the building.
He made his way up to her apartment door, feeling his heart thump in his chest. He felt nervous, but not so nervous that he was worried he wouldn’t be able to speak. Still, by the timeshe opened her door, there were beads of perspiration on his temples.
“Dean!” She looked delighted to see him. She was wearing sweatpants and a comfortable-looking pink sweatshirt. “What a wonderful surprise. I was just reading and drinking tea.”
“Sounds nice.” He smiled at her. She looked so beautiful that he was starting to feel at a loss for words again. He cleared his throat. “Um, Noelle, I—there’s…” His words trailed off.
“What is it, Dean?” she asked, starting to look a little concerned. “There’s something on your mind, isn’t there? You keep starting to tell me something and then you stop. Are we okay? Are you worried that things aren’t going to work out between us or something? Should I be worried?”
Dean’s jaw dropped. “Oh no,” he said. “Noelle, we’re—you’re—everything’s perfect. I mean, I hope so. I love you more than anything, and you have nothing to worry about. I just—I’ve been wanting to tell you?—”
All at once, he found the courage he’d been lacking. He couldn’t bear the thought of her thinking that he was pulling away from their relationship. He got down on one knee in the doorway of her apartment and took a deep breath.
“Noelle, will you marry me?”
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. For one horrible moment, Dean wondered if she was going to say no. Then she burst into tears and threw her arms around him.
“Yes! Oh my gosh, Dean, yes!”
He held her tightly, joy flooding him. She was shaking, and he couldn’t tell if it was from laughter or happy crying. He rocked her back and forth a little, feeling intensely relieved. He’d done it. He’d finally managed it. And she’d said yes.
