“You want to try one?” he asked. “I know you love my cannolis.” He pushed the platter toward her, and her stomach turned.
“I’m too nervous to eat,” she confessed. “Maybe later.”
“We’ll have some more for the buffet,” he told her. “The food is going to be magnificent.”
“I knew it would be.” Her stomach was still churning. She tried to smile to hide the nausea. “I’ll come and see you after the ceremony, okay?”
“Sure thing.” He winked and carried on to where the bride and her party were waiting for him.
It was so good to see Delmonico’s up and running again. Or Delmonico’s on the Pier as it was called now, because they’d kept the restaurant location Autumn’s dad had found them further up the coast, as well as returning to this one. Carla had been promoted to manager there, and Autumn had heard through the grapevine she was flourishing – and that she was in a relationship with one of the chefs, who was equally as smitten.
Talking of smitten, Autumn turned her gaze to the boat rising gently up and down in the water at the end of the pier. As though he could sense her getting closer, Griff was standing at the entrance plank, a smile playing at his lips as he watched her approach.
“Hey, baby.” He walked toward her, curling his arms around her waist. “I’ve missed you.”
“It’s only been a couple of hours since we left home,” she said, smiling at his neediness. It reflected her own.
“Yeah, well I’m counting the hours until we’re back there. Maybe we should sell the pier and boat and become hermits.”
“You’d go mad after two days.”
“Nah, I can think of things we could do.” He brushed his lips against her ear.
“Then you’d drive me mad,” she said, a shiver snaking down her spine.
“That’s the plan,” he whispered.
“How are Aiden and the groomsmen doing?” she asked him, trying to ignore the way her body responded to him. He only had to look at her in a certain way for her legs to turn to jelly. Good thing he was strong enough to carry her.
“They’re fine,” he said. “We’re having a beer and the guys are roasting him. Usual pre-wedding fun.”
“Just one beer?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“As you insisted.” He winked. “How long do we have until you need them outside?”
“It’s an hour until the ceremony starts, so they need to be ready in half an hour.”
Griff ran his finger down her back, making her skin tingle. “That’s plenty of time,” he said, his eyebrow rising as he smouldered down at her.
“For what?”
“I think you know.”
She laughed. “Where are we going to go? My office is being used, and so’s your boat.” And they’d already christened them both in their delight at having everything repaired.
“That’s a good point.” He glanced at his watch. “Do we have time to make it home?”
“Not anymore.” She’d moved out of the beach house months ago, and was immediately replaced by a new tenant. She and Griff had stayed in his apartment for a while, until their new house a mile up the beach was ready for them to move into. It was beautiful, with wide glass doors that opened onto a terrace overlooking the ocean.
And it had a closet dedicated only to shoes. They might have christened that room, too.
“Griff, your beer’s getting warm,” somebody shouted from inside the boat.
“I guess I should go back in.” He brushed his lips against hers. “I’ll see you at the ceremony. And all night. I plan on dancing with you a lot.”
“I’ll see you then,” she said, smiling softly. And when the moment was right, she’d tell him the secret she’d been keeping all day. She was pretty sure it would make him happy.
They’d reached the part of a wedding reception where too many drinks had been swallowed down, and too much dancing had been done, yet nobody wanted to go home and have the magic end. Griff had spent most of the evening with Autumn, spinning her around the dance floor, laughing as they watched Brooke’s great Aunt Shula flirt with all the eligible bachelors, then kissing her until they were both breathless.
Griff leaned on the bar and ordered two glasses of champagne. He wanted to drink to their future, to their businesses, but most of all, he wanted to drink to the realization that he couldn’t live life without her. He didn’t want to.
But he did want to ask her to be his wife.
He patted his pocket to check that the little box was still there. He’d chosen the ring the last time they’d visited New York. Autumn had been out for coffee with an old friend, and he’d taken Lydia to the jewelers for her opinion, and they’d chosen the beautiful square cut diamond that had been in his pocket or his sock drawer for the past month.
It was time to put it where it belonged. If she’d have him.
“You done it yet?” Lucas asked as Griff passed his table of friends. Lucas was the only one he’d confided in, apart from Lydia, who asked him the same question every week without fail.
It would be a relief to tell her yes, he had.
“Just on my way,” Griff murmured to Lucas.
“Good luck. She’s a lucky woman.”
“I’m the lucky one.” Of that he was sure.
He found her leaning on the painted blue railing, staring out at the dark blue ocean, her face illuminated by the string of lights swaying in the breeze above her.
“Hey, I’ve been looking for you,” he said, passing her a glass of champagne. Autumn stared down at it as though she couldn’t work out what it was. “It’s for a toast,” he told her.
“What toast?”
“That’s what I’m getting to,” he said. His stomach did a little flip. Were those nerves? He never got nerves.
Though he’d never asked the woman he loved to marry him before, either.
“Before you do, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said quickly. She was biting her lip the way she always did when she was worried.
He smoothed a lock of hair from her face. “What is it, baby?”
“I can’t drink this.” She passed him back the glass.
He sniffed it in case it was off. Then he looked back up at her, a question on his face.
“Do you remember how I promised to never keep secrets from you?” she asked. She looked as nervous as he felt.
“Yeah.” He nodded, perplexed.
“I’ve kind of been keeping one all day. Since this morning. Though I’ve suspected a little longer.” She ran her hand down her front, lingering on her stomach. “I’m pregnant. Or we’re pregnant. How the hell does this even work?”
Griff opened his mouth but nothing came out.
“Oh god, you’re angry, aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “Not angry. Just confused. How did we…”
“I think it was when we moved out of your apartment. Remember we wanted to say goodbye to the bedroom?”
Yeah, he remembered. He still had dreams about it. “We didn’t use something then?”
“I’m guessing not.” She looked at the champagne glasses he was holding. “I’m guessing we’re going to be toasting a different future now. Or you are. I can just watch.”