"Mara, are you trying to say something?" He leaned in closer to her, closing the distance between them and letting his hand rest on her hip, guiding her closer. His voice lowered to just above a whisper. "Are you asking me to be your Valentine?"
She tilted her chin up until her lips were parallel with his. "Valentine's Day is over," she teased, and he could feel her breath against his face. Sweet, like cinnamon. "But I'm still available next year if you'll have me."
Val wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her body to his. His voice dropped lower, a gravelly quality to it now. "I don't think I can wait fifty-one more weeks to kiss you, Mara."
"Please don't," she breathed back in response.
And so, he didn't.
Cheers came from around them as kids and teens clapped, but he didn't even notice because all he could understand in that moment was how incredible it felt to have his arms around the woman he'd found himself falling head over heels for. He lifted her up off her feet and spun her in a circle, never once breaking their kiss, before he finally set her back down on the ground.
"It's a date," he finally said to her question. "I'll be your Valentine."
"You kind of already were," she joked, squeezing his hand. "We just hadn't made it official."
"Are we official now?" he asked, dipping down to kiss her once more.
She lingered on his kiss for a moment, breathing a soft smile when she broke away. "Like Harold and Ruth official."
Epilogue
One Year Later
"You can't just throw the corsage at her and run away, Marco." Amara straightened the young boy's tie as he stood in front of her. "You have to hand it to her nicely and ask her to dance, get her some punch, and make sure she gets home safe at the end of the night."
"That's so boring though," Marco whined. He looked over at the couch where Val was seated with his feet up on the coffee table, drinking a glass of red wine. "Val, will you tell her that people don't do that old school dance thing anymore? It's all about prom-posals and fancy asks and who’s got the best outfit and stuff like that. You know, you're a jeweler!"
"He's got a point there, babe. Kids are really into those flash dance mobs and trendy viral video proposals and stuff. I don’t think they sit on the sidelines as much as we used to at school dances." Val took another sip of wine. "But I wouldn't be much help there. I have no idea how Mara is even still with me."
She laughed and turned to give him the stink eye, then lifted her hand and waggled her fingers at him. The black opal stone on her ring finger shimmered under the lights in their family room. "You're stuck with me for good now," she reminded him.
They'd moved in together about nine months ago when Val had agreed to become a temporary foster parent for Marco while his older brother served out his jail sentence for the robbery. They'd only been dating a few months at that point, but there was zero doubt in her mind that she not only wanted to be with Val for the rest of her life, but also be part of the weird little family they'd created.
And she couldn't wait until later tonight when they were alone, and she could tell him about the new addition they'd created for their little family, who would be joining them in about seven and a half months. They hadn't talked about the timing around kids when they'd gotten married at the courthouse on their sixth month anniversary, but this all felt right. It was fast. It was insane. It was completely out of character for anything she'd ever done before, but there was no doubt…this was right. This was her family.
Amara ran a hand over her stomach, feeling a flutter of excitement race through her.
"Okay, the tie is as straight as it's going to get." She stepped back and looked at Marco with a proud smile. Tonight was the Valentine's Day Dance at school and he'd never gone to a dance with a date before. Somehow, he'd summoned the courage this year to ask his science class partner, Elena, to go with him and she'd said yes. "Remember—ten o'clock curfew. No alcohol or anything worse. If you need anything, call me with the code word melon and I'll pick you up immediately. No questions asked."
"I know, I know." Marco groaned and rolled his eyes as any typical fourteen-year-old might. "I'll see you guys later. Have fun on your date night, too!"
She waved him off as his friend's mom pulled up out front with a van full of teenagers carpooling to the dance. Amara waved to her and shouted thank you, then she returned inside to find Val in the kitchen. He was pulling a tray of salmon out of the oven that he'd made and stuffed with blue cheese, spinach, and a white wine burr blanc sauce. The smell was already making her stomach growl, which wasn't unusual since she was hungrier than normal these days.
"It's almost ready. I set the table." Val placed the fish back in the oven for a few more minutes. "Would you like another glass of wine?"
He looked over to where her glass was sitting on the tabletop untouched. "Oh, you didn't finish it yet. Guess I'm outpacing you," he joked, holding up his own glass, which was close to empty.
She didn't say anything, but his gaze caught hers and he paused, the glass at his lips.
He lowered it, staring at her. "Wait a minute…"
A smile spread across her face, and she looked down at her stomach, her hands cupping the small bump that was probably mostly bloating at this early stage. "I don't think I'll be having any wine for a little bit," she admitted. "Maybe for Christmas?"
"You're pregnant?" The words left his lips in a whisper, a smile so wide that it lit up his eyes. "We're pregnant?"
She nodded, because if she dared try to speak in that moment, she was pretty sure she'd start crying.
He placed his wine glass down on the counter and lifted her up into his arms and spun her around in a circle. "Mara, this is the best Valentine's Day gift I've ever received."
"I love you, Val," she whispered against his lips. "I can't wait to have a family with you."
"You're already my family," he replied. "I love you, Mara Rossi."
She kissed him again. "Happy Valentine's Day."
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Keep reading for a short excerpt from two other novels!
Excerpt from NUDES
A Hollywood Romance
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