Maybe Baby (27 page)

“Yeah,” he said with a smirk. “She called me to tell me the money went through, and I told her I wasn’t going.”

Dana blinked, trying to put it all together in her head.

“But… but… but… if you weren’t going, what’s with the van?”

Nick pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed the palm. “I was on my way up to your place. I was basically going to give you the same speech. Only, I had this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a battered, but familiar, ring box.

“Oh, my God. Nick…” Dana reached for the box and opened it, pulling out her diamond engagement ring. “You still have it?”

“What can I say?” he said, taking it from her. “I’ve got hidden depths.”

“You were really going to ask me to marry you?”

“Yeah.”

“Again?”

“Yep.”

“You just don’t learn, do you?”

“Apparently not.” He held the ring up and raised his eyebrows at her in question. “May I?”

She squealed and held out her hand.

“We’ll take our time,” he said as he slid it on her finger. “It can be a long engagement. Ten, fifteen years, if that’s what you need.”

She sniffled. “I was thinking next flight to Vegas.”

He laughed. “That’s fine, too.”

“But what about Melanie? The winery?”

He shrugged. “It’s paid off, right?”

“Right.”

“No strings, right? Legally yours?”

“Yeah, but…”

“I reviewed the paperwork myself, Dana. There’s not a word in there about me. Melanie gave you a gift, and frankly, I think it was damn nice of her.”

Dana gasped as it hit her what Nick had done. “Wait a minute. You lied.”

“Yep.”

“You never had any intention of working for Melanie.”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“You screwed over Melanie Biggs!” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I did, but you’ve proven me wrong.”

“I tried to tell you on your deck that day, but you wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise,” he said, putting his hand on her hips as she slowly slid down the length of his body. “But this way is good, too.” He motioned in the direction of his apartment with his chin. “You know, I haven’t taken down the bed yet.”

Dana smiled up at him, put her arms around his neck, and placed her lips next to his ear.

“Race you,” she said.

The End

Hi, you!

Thanks for reading my book! If you enjoyed it, I have some others you might like:

Time Off For Good Behavior

Ex And The Single Girl

The Comeback Kiss

A Little Ray Of Sunshine

The Fortune Quilt

You can find them all on Amazon, or stop by my website at LaniDianeRich.com.

Thanks again!

- Lani

A Note About the Kakapo

The Kakapo is a real parrot, in real peril. Native to New Zealand, this unique and fascinating bird had a population of eighty-six when I wrote this book seven years ago; as of this 2012 release of
Maybe Baby
, there are still only a hundred and fifty. While I tease the Kakapo mercilessly in this book, I’ve grown quite fond of it, and would encourage anyone interested in learning more about it, or donating to assist in its recovery, to visit the Kakapo Recovery Programme’s website at
http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz
.

Thank you.