Something Unexpected by Vi Keeland
EPILOGUE
Nora
Seven months later
“I HAVE Apresent for you.”
Beck put down the broom and flashed a dirty smile. “Oh yeah? I’ve been looking forward to unwrapping it all day.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I have an actual present.”
He pouted, and I had to laugh. “Wait right here. I’ll bring it to you.”
Beck and I had been working at the new office every night for the last week, getting it ready for the big day tomorrow. But he didn’t know about the other project I’d been working on, for months now. What had started as a small idea had grown much larger than I’d expected, so my gift was resting on a dolly in the closet with a sheet over it, since I could no longer carry it. I tilted the steel carrier back and pushed the two-hundred-pound labor of love into the room next door.
Beck’s brows rose. “What the heck is that?”
“It’s your gift. Don’t get too excited. It’s homemade.”
“I’m intrigued...”
Settling the dolly in front of him, I was suddenly nervous. What if he was upset that I hadn’t asked him before using his things? I suppose it was too late to worry about that now. I pointed to the empty back wall. “I thought it could go there—that is, if you like it.”
Tomorrow was the grand opening of Louise’s List—a nonprofit, Make-A-Wish-type program that would offer funding and planning assistance to terminally ill adults who wanted to fulfill their bucket lists. Beck and I were hosting a fundraiser in the new office space tomorrow night. The following Monday, the website would go live and the office staff would start work.
“If you made it, I’m sure I’ll love it,” Beck said.
The funny thing was, there was a lot of truth to that statement. Beckham Cross loved me in a way I never knew was possible—selfless and with his whole heart. Sometimes it made me nervous, because while my health had been great since my surgery last year, I was already beating the odds.
I inhaled a deep breath before lifting off the sheet to reveal what I’d made. The sign stood up on its side, so it took a few seconds for Beck to read it and process everything. His eyes widened. “Are those the nails…?”
I nodded. “I hope you don’t mind that I used them.”
I’d taken the rusty nails from the Mason jar—the ones Louise had Beck hammer into a tree stump more than two decades ago to teach him a lesson—and used them to make a Louise’s List wooden box sign. The rim of the signage and the large words spelled out in the middle were made of the rusty nail heads. It had a rustic look, but I thought it had turned out pretty incredible, if I did say so myself.
Beck teared up as he stared. “It’s perfect. Her life lessons belong here on display. She would be so proud of you for everything you’ve done to open this place, sweetheart.”
“She’d be proud of us. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Beck cupped my cheeks in his hands. “My grandmother gave me many gifts during her lifetime, but the best one she gave me was you.”
***
The following evening, we opened Louise’s List with a big party. Beck went to the office early with Jake to hang the sign before people started showing up. It took me forever to get an Uber a little later, so I wound up arriving at the same time as some of the guests. Since the grand-opening party was also a fundraiser, Beck had invited some of his clients. That must’ve been who he was talking to, holed up in a corner with two older men I’d never seen before when I arrived. I stole the moment to appreciate my man in a tux before he noticed me. Considering we’d been pretty much living together since my surgery, I would’ve thought checking him out would’ve grown old by now. But somehow it never did. Beckham Cross still took my breath away.
From the outside he was eye candy—sharp, angled jaw; full lips; tall, dark, and undeniably handsome. A true ten at first glance. But it was everything else that elevated him to a twelve—the way he stood so tall and confident, the refined way he spoke during the day at work, the dirty mouth he had only for me at night. And the way those two melded together in the bedroom—I had tingles thinking about it.
As if he felt eyes on him, Beck turned from the conversation he’d been engrossed in. He scanned the room until his gaze locked with mine. I watched his eyes dip down to my royal blue dress and caress their way back up. His lips turned up in a devilish grin, and I knew he was silently telling me I’d worn this dress for him. Of course, I had.
Beck excused himself from the conversation and strode across the room. The way he walked with such purpose, zeroing in on me like no one else existed, was always foreplay for me. Especially when he cupped his big hand around the back of my neck and brought my lips to meet his.
I was dizzy by the time our kiss broke.
“You look gorgeous.” Beck leaned his forehead against mine. “Thank you for wearing that color, today of all days.”
I smiled. “I figured you couldn’t be blue when I was in blue. Especially when I have nothing on underneath.”
Beck groaned. “I knew I should’ve soundproofed the bathroom.”
Luckily, we were interrupted. Jake slung his arm around his brother’s neck, uncaring that we were still pressed together intimately.
“What are you guys up to?” He wedged his grinning face between us.
“Go away. I’m busy,” Beck grunted.
“That doesn’t even work in the office.” He chuckled. “It’s definitely not going to work here.”
I laughed and took a step back. “Hi, Jake. You look dapper this evening.”
He showed off his signature crooked, dimpled grin. “Better than Beck, right?”
“You know I’m not going there. Though, I will say, Maddie’s Brownie leader stopped me when I picked her up after the troop meeting yesterday to ask if the gorgeous uncle who picked her up last week was single.”
After twenty-six badges on her own, Maddie had finally decided to join Brownies a few months ago. As much as she’d enjoyed earning badges with her dad, she was really loving doing it with girls her own age.
Beck rolled his eyes, and Jake’s chest puffed out a little more. “The redhead?”
“Yep. Miss Rebecca.”
“Guess I’ll be picking up my favorite niece from Scouts next week.”
“Your only niece,” Beck grumbled.
Jake slapped his brother’s shoulder. “Sounds like someone is jealous that the pretty Scout leader doesn’t check him out. Don’t be bitter. It’ll cause more wrinkles, old man.”
A few more guests arrived, and before long, the party was in full swing. I was glad I’d assigned Jake to coordinate the entertainment, because a DJ and some young dancers were exactly what was needed to keep the vibe upbeat on what could’ve otherwise been a down day. By ten o’clock, the alcohol was flowing almost as freely as the pens on the checkbooks people had brought. I couldn’t believe how much money had already been donated. Earlier in the week, Beck had asked me if I wanted to make a speech this evening. He was much better at that type of stuff than me, so I’d declined and suggested he do it. So when the music cut off and Beck stepped to the middle of the room, I thought that’s what was about to happen.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Beck asked.
Guests formed a circle around him, and the rumble of voices quieted down.
“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. As most of you already know, Louise’s List was inspired by my late grandmother, Louise Aster. When she found out her cancer was back and treatment would no longer be able to cure her illness, she decided to spend the remaining time she had living life to the fullest. That was my gram. There was no stopping her.” Beck looked over at his brother and smiled. “Lord knows I tried, right, Jake?”
“That you did,” Jake said. “And for a while there, I enjoyed being Gram’s favorite because of how annoying you were.”
Laughter echoed around the room.
Beck nodded and thumbed toward his brother. “He’s not kidding. Anyway, when Gram passed, she left my brother and me a note saying she didn’t want a wake or any sad funeral services. Instead, she wanted a party in her honor—a celebration of her life on the one-year anniversary of her death.” He paused and smiled. “I believe her exact words were, ‘When you’re able to get your head out of your ass and remember me without a pity party.’ Well, today is one year, and I don’t think there’s any better way to celebrate Louise Aster than with the opening of this foundation you have all so graciously contributed to tonight. But I’m not the one responsible for bringing this to fruition. A very special lady is.” He turned to me. “Nora, would you please come over here?”
I hated to be put in the limelight, but everyone was watching, so I stepped into the center of the room with Beck. He took my hand. “Thank you for creating this beautiful legacy for my grandmother. I know she’s looking down right now and smiling. Actually, come to think of it, she’s probably not. She’s probably wondering why the hell I didn’t do this sooner…”
Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion. The crowd of people around us faded into the background as Beck bent down on one knee. I covered my mouth with a trembling hand, realizing what was about to go down.
“Eleanor Rose Sutton, you came into my life during a time when I was intent on being miserable. I wanted nothing more than to wallow in self-pity and sulk, but it was impossible when I was near you. Even a text would cheer up my day and put a smile on my face. And that… Well, that just pissed me off even more.”
I laughed. “It really did.”
“You are the kindest, most loving and passionate person I’ve ever met. You’re as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. You’ve made me understand what life is, and now that I understand what’s important, I don’t know how I got through my first thirty-four years without you.” He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a black velvet box. “I spent a few weeks looking for the perfect ring for you. I wanted the biggest and best diamond I could find. But nothing felt right. And then I realized it was because nothing was right. You were meant to have this ring.”
Beck opened the box, and I immediately recognized what was inside. Louise’s engagement ring. Tears welled in my eyes.
“You are my best friend, my lover, and my universe, Nora. I am absolutely positive I don’t deserve for you to be my wife, but I promise that if you marry me, I will spend every single day trying to be a man worthy of you. You’ve taught me how precious life is, and I don’t want to waste another minute without you by my side. Will you marry me, Nora?”
I leaned down and pressed my forehead to his. “I don’t know how long we’ll have.”
“If we both live to be a hundred, it won’t be enough,” he said. “An eternity with you wouldn’t be enough. But I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll marry me?” The smile that lit up his face might have been the sweetest part of his proposal—my always-confident man needed reassurance.
“Yes, I’ll marry you. How can I not? This is the second heart that’s fallen in love with you.”
