Restoring Hope (36 page)

“Are you asking me to marry you?” Hope whispered looking at the ring.

“My baby isn’t coming into this world without my name, so don’t fight me on this,” Nic warned.

“Are you marrying me because of the baby?”

“For fuck sake, sugar, I’m marrying you because I can’t live without you,” Nic rumbled as he rolled Hope to her back, careful not to lie on her stomach.

“Better,” Hope smiled and then wrapped her arms around Nic’s neck, “But your approach needs work, how about you show me your execution.” Nic growled low, and then buried his head in her neck and whispered in her ear “
Ma douce amour
, you said I pulled you from the darkness, pieced you back together, but the truth is I was falling apart until you walked into my life. I’d lost part of my reason for living, and the only thing holding me together was Nicky. You gave me meaning again, restored my life to one I wanted to live. You, Hope, restored
my
hope, that this life still held something beautiful for me. Marry me my heart, my soul, my reason for living.”

Breathing hard and a little shocked he had it in him, Hope whispered, “That was an eleven out of ten.”

“Are you gonna answer me or leaving me hanging?”

“
Oui, mon douce amour
.” Nic’s face warmed when she said yes in his native tongue and then moved to his back taking her with him.

“You’ve got two months to make it happen, angel.”

“That’s not enough time,” Hope whined.

“Two months, sugar, I mean it. I don’t want you stressed in your last three months. You get two months or I’m hauling you to the justice of the peace.”

Hope knew when to fight him and this wasn’t one of those times. He was in protective mode again and he wouldn’t budge. So, she’d grudgingly agreed to plan their wedding in two months, with the help of Rose and his mother of course.

Hope looked in the mirror one last time; her strapless off-white gown she’d ordered through a boutique in New Orleans was stunning. The hand-beaded bodice had an empire waist, and layers and layers of tulle to accommodate her baby bump. She looked like an angel, and she was more than ready to marry her prince. She’d left her hair down with loads of loose curls and tiny crystal gems here and there to give it a magical touch. Her dress had been hemmed so she wouldn’t trip over it, and she’d gone with ballerina flats instead of heels so she could be comfortable during the night.

Tilly and Rose both gasped when Hope walked out of the bedroom. With her own parents gone, Rose was the closest thing she had to a mother and Tilly and Hope were becoming closer with each passing day. Big Daddy was giving Hope away and Nicky was standing in as best man. They’d wanted a small intimate wedding with only close family and friends and Rose had insisted the wedding be in her backyard. She’d pulled out all the stops, too. Twinkle lights were strung throughout trees and shrubs. A lighted trellis for the vows was in front of the water feature and a white runner down the center for Hope to walk down, with chairs on either side. The food was setup inside the house to keep the night critters at bay and a dance floor and band set near the back of the yard. The whole yard looked like something out of a fairy tale because both Nic and Hope deserved it. And when Rose decided to do something, she did it up big.

Abby, who was Hope’s matron of honor, was dressed in a soft-pink, strapless gown. It too had layers of tulle and complimented Hope's gown. Her hair was up, and her long neck was graced with a strand of pearls that Hope had bought her as a gift. Abby handed Hope her bouquet of white baby roses as big Daddy knocked on the door. He poked his head inside and asked “We doin’ this or what?”

Oh, yes, they were definitely doing this, even if Rose had to marry Nic and Hope herself there would be a wedding this night. Rose was about to tell Big Daddy to cool his heels when she heard Nic in the hall bellow, “Sugar, you’ve got one minute to get downstairs and marry me or I’m coming in and carrying you down these stairs.”

“Nicholas,” Tilly laughed as the room burst into laughter.

“I’m coming, sheesh,” Hope called out and Nic could be heard grumbling as he descended the stairs, “Should have hauled her to the justice of the peace.”

“Well, I’d say my son has waited long enough for the right woman don’t you think?” Tilly announced as she wrapped Hope in a hug and then patted her baby bump. “You look beautiful, sugar. Now, go marry my son before he beats his chest and carries you off.” Nodding, Hope looked around the room and smiled.

“Thank you all for everything you’ve done. When I came to New Orleans I never imagined this happening. I finally have a family again, one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

“
Cher
, don’t make me cry before da’ ceremony,” Rose wailed and then pulled Hope into a hug. “You like my daughter you is, and I’m gonna tell you what I told her on her weddin’ day. Love your man wit’ all your heart and the rest of it will fall into place. Dere’ notin’ you can’t ovah’come when you put love first.”

“Okay, Rose,” Hope whispered and then squeezed her back, expressing her love and gratitude for her surrogate mother.

“Now, let’s get you married ‘cause dat’ man is more dan’ ready.”

Big Daddy took Hope’s hand and led her out the door; Abby descended the stairs first and then Hope and Big Daddy followed. Once Tilly and Rose had made their way to their seats, a Cello began playing Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 by Bach as Abby made her way to the altar. When it was Hope’s turn to exit the house and everyone stood, a Zydeco rang out playing the Cajun wedding march. Hope had wanted something Cajun in her wedding and thought Nic would get a kick out of the festive tune. But, when Hope made her way to the end of the runner, and she looked up at Nic, her breath caught. He wasn’t smiling when he saw her; his face was the portrait of a man barely holding on to his composure. His eyes were bright with emotion looking down the aisle at Hope and as she made her way to him, his breathing became labored as he tried to keep himself in check. He lost the battle as she grew closer, and he took a few steps to close the distance between them. Then he pulled her from Big Daddy’s arm, placed his hands or each side of her face and kissed her in front of God and guests.

“You’re supposed to do that after we say I do,” Hope whispered against his lips, but Nic bit out “Sugar, when it comes to you, I’ll kiss you when and where I damn well feel the need.”

Lost in his black eyes, Hope smiled as he pulled her the few feet to the altar and then looked at the priest to begin. He kept his arm around her waist during the vows, his hand low on her hip keeping her as close to him as he could. When Father Dominic had Nic place the wedding band on her hand, Nic had all but growled the words, his vow to protect her tore from his lips. Hope stuttered her way through her own, stumbling on “Till death do us part” as Nic wiped tears from her face. When they were pronounced husband and wife Nic kissed her again, but this time he did it up right. He put one arm around her waist, his other arm around her shoulders, and he held on tight as he kissed his new wife senseless. Hoots could be heard around the yard and when he finally broke the kiss, Hope muttered “Wow,” as Nic wrapped his arm around her neck and asked “How long do we have to stay at this party.”

“Nic,” Hope warned, but he just chuckled, kissed her again and then hustled her back down the aisle to backslaps and congratulations as he ushered her around the corner and into the house. Nic wasn’t waiting hours to consummate their marriage; he wanted no loopholes for Hope to change her mind.

Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes lay between both her parents as they all lay on their bed sleeping together. Olivia Rose entered the world in high fashion three months after her parents were married. Hope’s water broke while driving back from a visit to Nic’s parents, and Nic, ever the calm and rational man drove swiftly to the nearest hospital, and held his wife’s hand as she pushed for several hours. When Hope thought she couldn’t push another moment, Olivia Rose entered the world on a wail as both parents cried. Hope for the immense joy that all new mothers felt gazing upon their new babies the first time, yet, sad, wondering if her son would have had the same blonde hair. For Nic, because Olivia looked so much like Chelsea it took his breath away and that familiar pain knotted in his chest. When he’d held his new daughter for the first time she’d wrapped her hand around his finger holding on tight, and Nic vowed right then he’d never take for granted the blessings God had given him again.

When Olivia Rose opened her blues eyes and looked at him, he swore he heard a whispered voice say, “
Je t’ aime
, Papa, be happy.” Closing his eyes he’d placed a kiss on Olivia’s tiny head and then watched as she closed her eyes, her hand still holding his, secure in the knowledge that her papa would keep her safe, her momma would spoil her rotten and her big brother would keep a very close eye on everyone’s second chance.

Thank you for reading Restoring Hope. I hope you enjoyed Nic and Hope as much as I enjoyed writing them. I hope to continue to add books to my creative works, and enjoy hearing from fellow readers. Feel free to drop me a note on Facebook or email me at [email protected]

Look for other titles by CP Smith

“A Reason To Breathe”

Coming fall of 2014

“A Reason To Kill”

Prologue

Love, crystal and pure, cannot be thwarted,

only stalled, until its wings take flight and soar.

“So, you’re finally gettin' married, Jack.”

“Jenn’s the best fuckin’ thing that happened to me, Max. If you’d stop fuckin’ around, you could have this too.”

“Right, I’ve got lumber yards waitin’ on fuckin’ trees and a town that depends on my filling those orders. I don’t have time for love.

“There aren’t many women out there that can put up with men like us. You find one, whether you got time or not, don’t let her get away, Max. Trust me, I know.”

“Spoken like a true Gunnison. You saw, you claimed, and you conquered.”

“Fuck, no. I saw, I told her, and then I married her. The conquering was just the fun part.”

“Right, take no prisoners and keep them smiling all the way to the altar,” Max chuckled.

“Now you’re gettin’ it,” Jack laughed.

“All right, Jack, give my love to Jenn. And remember, if you don’t treat her right, I’ll come down from Alaska and steal her from you.”

“You find the right woman, Max, you’ll know that’s impossible to do.”

“What? Treat her wrong?”

“No, Max, cause her a moment of pain.”

One

I’m going where?

A bright blue, velvety sky, dotted with billowing clouds of white stretched across the horizon as the tiny plane made its way farther north. Not that Mia Roberts cared she was too busy holding on tightly to the seat rests of the incredibly small plane to look. The sardine can was taking Mia and her team to the northern most reaches of Alaskan civilization to study Ursus arctos, or in layman’s terms, the grizzly bear. Trails End, Alaska, was their final destination, and to say she wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of spending the next two weeks in the wilds of Alaska was an understatement. As a Zoologist, she, of course, studied grizzlies, but not up close and personal. That was Donald’s job. He was head of her department, and a man she’d unwisely had a brief relationship with a few months back. Unfortunately, for her, he had an important meeting he couldn’t miss, so she’d been sent in his place. They only had a few weeks before the bears started to migrate further north for the winter, and the Seattle Institute of Zoology, or SIOZ, whom she worked for, and who monitored the bears in that region, needed their data. And since Mia was the most senior Zoologist after Donald Zimmer, she had to come. The problem with her being sent in his place, she was a pencil pusher; she’d never headed a research team before. She generally took their data once they collected it and studied it, graphed it, wrote grant proposals and scientific papers outlining their findings. What she hadn't done was sleep in a tent, gather bear scat to determine diet or pee in the woods. She was an analyzer, a keynote speaker for the institute, not an expert in field study. She’d never camped in her life, let alone searched the wilds of Alaska for bears. And there was a reason she didn’t. Some would call her clumsy; she preferred to think of herself as vertically challenged, not to mention, she really hated anything creepy-crawly.

It was only for a week, two tops, that’s what she kept telling herself. Surely, she could figure out how to survive for two weeks without getting herself killed. Then she could get back to her safe loft that overlooked Puget Sound with its great view and kickass fireplace; the sole reason she’d bought the loft in the first place. That fireplace, covered in river rock, with a huge timber mantel reminded her of a log cabin her family had rented one summer. She was sold the minute she’d walked in and remembered those two blissful months on Baker Lake with her family, and the ultimate golden boy in the cabin next to hers. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Josh—something or other. She’d never seen him again, unfortunately for her, and she often wondered if he’d ruined her for all other men. First lust had a way of clouding one’s memories, and making skinny man-boys into never-to-be-forgotten perfect males. It might also explain why, at the age of thirty-five, she still hadn’t married.