Landlady: A New Adult Romance (Northbridge Nights Book 1) (30 page)

I glanced at my watch. He said he'd be home by seven. It was already
half-past. What was taking him so long?

I sighed and peeked inside the oven. I hoped the roast wouldn't be
too dry by the time he showed up. I'd used Mom's old recipe, the one
she called a 'sure thing'. But even a 'sure thing' would taste like
shit if it sat around for an hour waiting to be eaten.

My feet were swollen and my breasts were painful and tender. I hadn't
even gone through morning sickness yet, but I had a feeling that it'd
be no walk in the park. I didn't have that 'glow' everyone was always
raving about in the magazines or on TV. In fact, my face sort of
resembled a baboon's ass at the moment, puffy and blotchy and
incredibly itchy. Even makeup irritated my sensitive skin so I
couldn't cover up my imperfections with foundation.

At eight, Asher finally popped through the door. He was lucky he
brought a giant bouquet of roses with him because my patience had
dwindled down to almost nothing at that point.

“Dinner's cold,” I said, irritated. Irrational emotions frayed my
nerves and tugged at my tear ducts. I could feel the waterworks
coming, though I wasn't sure why. Pregnancy hormones?! It was
supposed to be a night we remembered for the rest of our lives.
Instead, I felt like an unappreciated failure.

“I'm sorry, baby. I had an errand to run, and it took forever.
Forgive me?” Asher handed me the roses, and I set them on the
coffee table, unimpressed.

“What was so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow?” I
pouted, sinking deeper into the sofa.

“I had to pick up something. I ordered it months ago, and it
finally came in,” Asher said.

“Couldn't you have gotten someone else to do it? I
—we
had plans,” I said, nodding at the candlelit dining table.

“Sorry, Sierra, I had to pick it up personally. It was something
very important.”

“What?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “What could
be so important that you made me wait an hour?” I was pregnant with
his child, and he still prioritized “important” errands over me.
I knew I was acting childish, and it wasn't fair that his demanding
job sucked up a lot of his time, but tonight was not just any night.

“This,” Asher said, reaching into his breast pocket. “I didn't
want to wait until tomorrow to give you this.”

When his hand reappeared, it held a velvet box.

“I had it specially designed and shipped from London,” he
explained. Asher descended on one bended knee and cleared his throat.
“Sierra Maywood, I've wanted to ask you this question for months
now. I just couldn't because it took so damn long for me to get the
ring. But now that I have it...Will you marry me, baby?”

Asher popped open the box, and I was in love. With the ring. But with
him too, obviously. It was a brilliant channel-set ring with a
marquise diamond at the center. And of course, it fit my left ring
finger perfectly when he slipped it on.

“You are
so
lucky you have a good excuse for
being late. I was about to lose it on you.” I smiled as I admired
the ring. The acid in my throat subsided, and I reached for a tissue
to blow my nose. A billion confetti cannons exploded inside me all at
once and I could hear my heart ricocheting in my ears.

He finally proposed!!

“You forgive me now?” Asher asked, grinning.

“Only if you forgive me for snapping at you,” I said.

Asher leaned in and gave me a kiss. “I could never get mad at your
beautiful face. So is that a yes then?”

I nodded. “A million times, yes.”

“You make me the happiest man alive,” Asher said. “Soon to be
happiest husband alive. Now shall we eat?”

“Hold on. I have a present for you too,” I
said, walking towards the mantle. I picked up the frame and ran my
thumb across it once more.

Please be happy, please be happy.

“Here,” I said, handing him my gift with trembling hands.

When Asher's eyes dawned on the photo, they grew wide as saucers.

He just stood there, clutching the frame, speechless.

“So is your silence a good thing or bad thing?” I asked, poking
his side.

“Are you sure?” Asher asked.

I nodded. “Pretty damn sure. Read the card.”

After Asher had read my message, he looked at me with wet eyes and a
shaky smile. “I'm going to be a father. I'm going to be a fucking
dad!”

“Mmhm.”

Asher sank to his knees and kissed my belly over and over. “Hello,
baby,” Asher said, running his hand along my flat stomach. “Hi.
I'm your daddy, and I love you. So much.”

“You know the baby's like the size of a pea right?” I asked. “You
look a little ridiculous.”

“Shh, you're hurting his feelings,” Asher said. “He may be a
pea now, but in a few months he'll be ready to see the world.”

“Are you happy?” I asked.

“Are you kidding, babe? This news couldn't have come at a better
time. We've got to have a party and tell the whole world. I
can't—This just—I've got to phone my dad and do your parents know
yet? Is it a boy or a girl?”

I pressed a finger to Asher's lips. “Shh, just slow down, baby. One
step at a time. How about we get through dinner first?”

Asher beamed. “Fine. But after dinner, I'm calling everyone.”

“I love you, Asher Morgan,” I said. “You're going to be a
wonderful father.”

Asher kissed my forehead. “And I love you,
Sierra-soon-to-be-Morgan. You're going to be the best wife and mom in
the world.”

~
THE END~

Author's Note:
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A million thank yous to Dominique Scott, my editor and proofreader,
for catching all those pesky typos and missed commas. Thank you to
all my beta readers, Facebook fans, author and blogger friends for
all your moral support and encouragement. And as always, thanks to my
family for putting up with my non-stop yapping about my novels.

Love you all, Jackie

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OTHER BOOKS BY JACKIE WANG

CUTTHROAT CARMINE

LOVE AFFAIR IN VENICE

3 other books planned (so far) for the Northbridge Nights series!
Stay tuned!

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