Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Bryan wraps his arms around my waist. “You‘re not going anywhere. I’ll keep you safe and sound.”
As we descend the tall building, I ask Bryan about our next stop.
“What’s a tour of Manhattan without a Broadway show?”
“Seriously? A show?”
“Yes, and then dinner.”
The lights of Broadway are truly as amazing as I’ve been told, and there’s electricity in the air inside the theater. These have been the best two days of my life, and I don’t know how anything could possibly top it. Knowing Bryan, however, he’ll find a way to amaze me again.
After the show, we head to dinner at a place called Bond 45 NY. It’s a stylish Italian bistro that attracts some of the wealthiest people in the city. The music from the show is still playing in my head as we sit down and order our drinks. When the waitress returns to take our order, I nod at Bryan who orders for us both again.
There’s something a little strange about Bryan’s behavior. He seems to fidget in his seat and stare off into space. He’s normally so intense that I wonder if I may have done something to upset him. I want to ask him if something is on his mind, but I don’t want to put a damper on such a wonderful day.
After dinner, Bryan calls the waitress back to the table and tells her that it’s time for some champagne.
“Champagne? What are we celebrating?”
“I’m celebrating how wonderful it is to have you in my life and commemorating this amazing day. What are you celebrating, baby girl?”
I put my finger up to my lips and say, “The same thing that I celebrate every day, Daddy. You.”
The waitress returns with two bubbling flutes on her tray. She sets one glass in front of Bryan and the other in front of me. The look on her face confuses me. She’s practically beaming. Bryan raises his glass and waits for me to do the same.
“Here’s to us, baby girl. This is just the beginning.”
He sips his champagne and watches as I bring my glass to my lips. I’m about to take a sip but something shining in the glass catches my eye.
“What is this?” I ask, tipping the glass slightly to get a better view.
“Is there something in your glass? Let me see.” He takes the flute from my hand, sticks his fingers in my glass, and pulls out a diamond ring. The lights hit the huge stone, which sends back a prism of rainbow colors. Bryan pats the champagne off the ring with his napkin before he drops to one knee in front of me.
“I’d like to have more adventures with you, Beth. I want to bring you everywhere and let you experience everything. Will you do that with me? Will you marry me, baby?”
At this moment, time stands still. I look down at the brilliant diamond then back up at Bryan’s face. Can this be true? Is he really asking me to marry him? Time begins to move again but now at hyper-speed, and I grip the table to keep from falling off the edge of the world. This is not what I expected and the very thought of being Bryan’s wife leaves me breathless.
“Baby?” Bryan asks and I realize I haven’t answered him yet. My heart pounds in my chest and I think about the wonderful life Bryan and I can have together.
“Oh my god, yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He slides the ring on my finger. “I love you, baby. I’ve loved you from the first time I laid eyes on you. I promise I’ll make you happy.”
“I love you too, Daddy and I know that you will. You always do.”
EPILOGUE
BETH
Brianna is three months old now, and it’s high time she meets her family in Sleepy Hollow.
I collect the diaper bag and survey the room to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. Bryan likes to poke fun at me for this very thing. He says, “You act like there aren’t stores on every corner. If you forget something, we’ll just stop over and buy a new one.”
Having children changes you. I reached out to my own mother when Brianna was born, but her number had been disconnected. Seeing my concern, Bryan employed the company’s private investigator to locate her. When he did, we discovered that her new husband had already left her. He’d taken all of their money and her car when he did.
With no transportation and no rent money, she realized that she finally hit rock bottom and went in for treatment. She’d been sober for almost a year and living in a group home when I called her there. It’s crazy but she didn’t even sound like the woman who raised me.
There was such a tenderness in her voice when she found out about the baby. It made me think that Bryan was right as usual. You never know what tomorrow will bring.