Side Story 2-12

Side Story 2-12
We get unpacked, and then we go out and explore the city. For the next couple of days, we visit museums, restaurants, street vendors, and street plays. Everything is so lively and beautiful.
On the evening of our anniversary, I had a dress, shoes, and accessories delivered to our hotel room. I arranged it so that Linda would get the delivery.

She walks back into the room carrying the garment bag and the bag with the shoes and accessories. I jump up from the bed and clap my hands, "Okay! Time to get dressed! We have a reservation!"
I steer her to the bathroom, patting her ass so she can get a move on.

I go to the other bathroom and wash up quickly. I get out of the shower, dry off, and walk over to the closet. I take the garment bag that's hanging in there out and lay it on the bed.
I grab some underwear and slide into them before I open the garment bag and pull out the custom-tailored suit. I get dressed, adding my watch and slipping my wallet into my pocket.

I spray myself with cologne just as Linda comes walking into the room. My jaw drops as I stare at the vision she makes standing in front of me. The dress is an emerald green strapless number with a thigh-high slit. The gold shoes and accessories perfectly complement the dress when paired with her strawberry blonde hair.

I hold out my hand and bow slightly at the waist, "My lady, are you ready to depart?"

"I am," she says haughtily, and we bust out laughing.

"You look beautiful tonight," I say as I lead her toward the door. "I mean, you look beautiful every night, but especially so tonight."

She smiles and says, "You look pretty dashing yourself."
I smile and lead us out of the hotel.

We get to the Eiffel Tower and head up to the second floor. Our reservation is at Le Jules Verne, it's a posh French restaurant with a dress code.
We go inside and follow the hostess when they confirm my reservation.

We sit at the table she leads us to, only waiting for a few minutes before a server comes to take our order. Linda tells me I can order for her, so I tell the server
"Je voudrais le poulet fermier, et pour la jeune femme, le cabillaud. Et une bouteille de vin rouge doux, s'il vous plaît. Merci."

The server nods, saying "Aucun problème"

The server walks away, and Linda sits there staring at me with her mouth open, "How did I not know you could speak French??" she asks incredulously.

I smile, "There was never really a reason to bring it up, so it slipped my mind to tell you."

She smiles provocatively at me, "You sound so sexy speaking French."

I wiggle my eyebrows at her and wink, blowing her a kiss. Our food is brought out, stopping any further conversation. I look over Linda's shoulder and almost choke on my food as I meet Liam's smiling eyes.
Jeez! That scared the shit out of me! He nods at me, and I know it's go time. I drop my napkin on the floor and get out of my seat. Kneeling, I retrieve the napkin and pull the ring box from my pocket.

I face Linda and say, "Linda Johnson, first I want to thank you for being the special you you are. Next, I want to ask you to allow me to show you how much I appreciate that you changed me for the better."
"Will you let me love you for the rest of our lives, and hopefully even beyond that? Linda Johnson, will you marry me?"
I ask this question in a voice filled with hope.

Linda looks down at me and gasps, "Oh my goodness! Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

I let out a whoop and jump to my feet, pulling her from her seat, lifting her into the air, and spinning her around. My lips find hers in a deep kiss, a kiss that conveys all of the emotions I feel.
I set her on her feet, and she grabs her bag, looking at me shyly. "I also have a present for you, but I'm not sure how much you'll like it."

She pulls a small box from her bag and passes it to me. I look into her eyes to see if I can get an idea of what this is.
She gives nothing away as she stares at me with a serene smile. So I open the box. I don't know what I'm looking at until I see the word baby written next to a blob on this black and white picture.
I gasp and jerk my eyes up to look at Linda, my eyes wide. "Is this real? You're having my baby?!"

Linda lets out a laugh and nods. I whoop again loudly before picking her up and spinning her around again.
"I'm gonna be a Daddy!" I yell excitedly. Everyone around us starts clapping, then Liam and Chase, Roxanne and Paul, and Tim all come over, passing out hugs and congratulations.
I step back, looking at my family, looking at the people who became my family. I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face even if I wanted to.

"Thank you all for being here, sharing this moment with us. I truly love each and every single one of you," I say, swallowing back the tears that are threatening.
They all smile back at me, telling me how much they love me back.

This is my story, my family, my life, my loves. 

And this is where I finish my story. I'm off to live my life, to enjoy my happy ending, and to make the most out of every day. You should, too. There's no better feeling.

Hi guys! That's the very end of this book. Thank you all so much for reading this far. Glad you liked the story! Hopefully, we'll see each other soon in my next book. Again, I want to thank all of you who made it to the very end. Thank you for walking this journey with me. It's been fun! See you guys soon!