"You know, Sar, the look on your face was priceless." Nick grinned at Sara
as they walked toward the pond hand in hand.
Even now, Sara turned a little red. "I suppose I should be glad all of
your nieces and nephews like me so much, but it embarrassed the hell out of
me." She glanced over at him and laughed. "Oh, and I thought Natalie and
Jake were going to crawl under the table when Aiden asked you if we were
doing 'it'."
Nick laughed and shook his head. "Well, I for one am glad that we finally did do it, sleeping next to you has been sheer torture."
Sara had a smirk on her face. "Torture, huh? I could have stayed in Vegas."
Nick grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck. "I am so glad you didn't."
Sara giggled. "Me too."
Nick released her and took her hand once again as they continued walking. "So, I still can't believe Ashley."
Sara grinned. "Yeah, that kind of took me by surprise."
"She hasn't always been so protective of me, Sar." Nick tried to explain. "Even though they don't know exactly what happened to me when I was nine, I think they know something happened. After that they just seemed to hover over me a bit more. I think that's part of the reason why I moved to Vegas."
Sara squeezed his hand. "I love you."
Nick grinned. "I love you too."
Sara giggled. "You know, if Warrick could see us right now, I think he'd laugh."
"You're probably right, but only because he's jealous." Nick responded smiling. "He needs a woman."
"That's what everyone said about you." Sara observed.
Nick squeezed her hand. "I didn't need just any woman. I needed you."
Sara grinned. "I wish I knew I needed you sooner."
Nick stopped, pulling Sara against him. "We can sure make up for lost time." He leaned down and kissed her.
She giggled against his lips.
He pulled away and raised a curious eyebrow.
She looked amused. "Oh, I was just thinking that we seem to get interrupted everywhere we go."
He chuckled.
As if on cue, Celia, Ashton, Jenny, and Aiden came walking across the pasture toward them to let them know that it was time for dessert.
After Dessert:
Nick took Dan aside. "So, you've got it set then?"
His brother grinned and nodded. "We sure do. Natalie is going to make sure the ladies are gone all day. Dad and the rest of the guys are going to stay here and watch all the kids. I told them that you and I wanted to have some bonding time, so no one should have a clue what we've got going on."
Nick flashed his brother a conspiratorial grin. "Thanks man. Hey, when are you and Christy going to go public with what you told me earlier?"
Dan grinned. "I think now is as good a time as any."
11:00pm:
"Nick, I'm going to turn in, Natalie said we're leaving at 5:00am. I didn't even know malls opened that early." She leaned up and kissed Nick softly.
"I'll be up in a few minutes. I love you." Nick whispered.
Sara grinned as she went upstairs. She changed into a tank top and pajama pants and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
Nick came up a short time later and grinned as he took in her sleeping form. He quickly stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed next to her, grinning as she snuggled up next to him in her sleep. He fell into a deep peaceful sleep holding Sara in his arms.
The Day After Thanksgiving:
The Stokes women were up early. They were skilled shoppers and the day after Thanksgiving being the biggest shopping day of the year was something that had turned into a family tradition. They would shop early in the morning and in the afternoon they would stop at one of the premier day spas in Dallas for a massage.
Sara looked slightly panicked at the thought of spending all that time in the mall, but she wanted to get to know Nick's sisters better, so she went with them. Nick kissed her long and deep before she went outside to get into Lauren's minivan. Nick and Natalie exchanged a knowing glance as the women left.
The Stokes men had a different mission. They were going to stay home and watch all of the kids and whatever football games were on TV. Dan and Nick, however, had other plans. On the pretense of having some brother bonding time, they headed out. Only Natalie knew what they were up to.
Tiffany & Company, Dallas:
"So, it's about cut, color, and clarity?" Nick queried the salesman.
He nodded. "The most important thing is whether you think she'll love it, but we only sell the finest quality diamonds here at Tiffany's."
Nick let out a deep breath. "It's a good thing the ladies are going to be out all day; it might take me that long to pick something out."
Dan chuckled at him. "Nicky, Sara's going to love whatever you pick out for her. Any idiot can tell she's crazy about you."
Nick grinned and turned his attention back to the array of diamond engagement rings. He really wanted to have a ring so when he was ready to propose, he'd be prepared. He studied the rings for a long time and finally his eyes rested on one that he thought seemed to suit her personality. "Can I see that one?" He glanced up at the salesman.
The salesman smiled as he pulled the ring out for Nick's inspection. "Excellent choice, sir. This is a ¾ carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting."
As Nick studied the ring, nerves hit his stomach and he let out a deep breath as he felt tears stinging his eyes at the emotion that this ring stirred within him. He glanced up at the salesman again. "How much?"
The man wore a modest smile. "This one is $4,500."
Nick glanced over at Dan for a moment.
"Don't look at me, bro, she's going to love whatever you get her." Dan grinned at him.
Nick turned back to the salesman and grinned. "I'll take it."
"Very good. I'll just wrap this up for you." The salesman turned and placed the ring in a dark blue velvet box before putting it into a signature Tiffany's sky blue box and tying a white ribbon around it. He placed it in a Tiffany's bag and then took Nick's credit card to make the transaction.
As Nick took the bag, he let out a deep breath and glanced over at his brother, grinning like a fool. "I just bought an engagement ring."
Nick laughed and shook his head. "Well, I for one am glad that we finally did do it, sleeping next to you has been sheer torture."
Sara had a smirk on her face. "Torture, huh? I could have stayed in Vegas."
Nick grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck. "I am so glad you didn't."
Sara giggled. "Me too."
Nick released her and took her hand once again as they continued walking. "So, I still can't believe Ashley."
Sara grinned. "Yeah, that kind of took me by surprise."
"She hasn't always been so protective of me, Sar." Nick tried to explain. "Even though they don't know exactly what happened to me when I was nine, I think they know something happened. After that they just seemed to hover over me a bit more. I think that's part of the reason why I moved to Vegas."
Sara squeezed his hand. "I love you."
Nick grinned. "I love you too."
Sara giggled. "You know, if Warrick could see us right now, I think he'd laugh."
"You're probably right, but only because he's jealous." Nick responded smiling. "He needs a woman."
"That's what everyone said about you." Sara observed.
Nick squeezed her hand. "I didn't need just any woman. I needed you."
Sara grinned. "I wish I knew I needed you sooner."
Nick stopped, pulling Sara against him. "We can sure make up for lost time." He leaned down and kissed her.
She giggled against his lips.
He pulled away and raised a curious eyebrow.
She looked amused. "Oh, I was just thinking that we seem to get interrupted everywhere we go."
He chuckled.
As if on cue, Celia, Ashton, Jenny, and Aiden came walking across the pasture toward them to let them know that it was time for dessert.
After Dessert:
Nick took Dan aside. "So, you've got it set then?"
His brother grinned and nodded. "We sure do. Natalie is going to make sure the ladies are gone all day. Dad and the rest of the guys are going to stay here and watch all the kids. I told them that you and I wanted to have some bonding time, so no one should have a clue what we've got going on."
Nick flashed his brother a conspiratorial grin. "Thanks man. Hey, when are you and Christy going to go public with what you told me earlier?"
Dan grinned. "I think now is as good a time as any."
11:00pm:
"Nick, I'm going to turn in, Natalie said we're leaving at 5:00am. I didn't even know malls opened that early." She leaned up and kissed Nick softly.
"I'll be up in a few minutes. I love you." Nick whispered.
Sara grinned as she went upstairs. She changed into a tank top and pajama pants and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
Nick came up a short time later and grinned as he took in her sleeping form. He quickly stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed next to her, grinning as she snuggled up next to him in her sleep. He fell into a deep peaceful sleep holding Sara in his arms.
The Day After Thanksgiving:
The Stokes women were up early. They were skilled shoppers and the day after Thanksgiving being the biggest shopping day of the year was something that had turned into a family tradition. They would shop early in the morning and in the afternoon they would stop at one of the premier day spas in Dallas for a massage.
Sara looked slightly panicked at the thought of spending all that time in the mall, but she wanted to get to know Nick's sisters better, so she went with them. Nick kissed her long and deep before she went outside to get into Lauren's minivan. Nick and Natalie exchanged a knowing glance as the women left.
The Stokes men had a different mission. They were going to stay home and watch all of the kids and whatever football games were on TV. Dan and Nick, however, had other plans. On the pretense of having some brother bonding time, they headed out. Only Natalie knew what they were up to.
Tiffany & Company, Dallas:
"So, it's about cut, color, and clarity?" Nick queried the salesman.
He nodded. "The most important thing is whether you think she'll love it, but we only sell the finest quality diamonds here at Tiffany's."
Nick let out a deep breath. "It's a good thing the ladies are going to be out all day; it might take me that long to pick something out."
Dan chuckled at him. "Nicky, Sara's going to love whatever you pick out for her. Any idiot can tell she's crazy about you."
Nick grinned and turned his attention back to the array of diamond engagement rings. He really wanted to have a ring so when he was ready to propose, he'd be prepared. He studied the rings for a long time and finally his eyes rested on one that he thought seemed to suit her personality. "Can I see that one?" He glanced up at the salesman.
The salesman smiled as he pulled the ring out for Nick's inspection. "Excellent choice, sir. This is a ¾ carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting."
As Nick studied the ring, nerves hit his stomach and he let out a deep breath as he felt tears stinging his eyes at the emotion that this ring stirred within him. He glanced up at the salesman again. "How much?"
The man wore a modest smile. "This one is $4,500."
Nick glanced over at Dan for a moment.
"Don't look at me, bro, she's going to love whatever you get her." Dan grinned at him.
Nick turned back to the salesman and grinned. "I'll take it."
"Very good. I'll just wrap this up for you." The salesman turned and placed the ring in a dark blue velvet box before putting it into a signature Tiffany's sky blue box and tying a white ribbon around it. He placed it in a Tiffany's bag and then took Nick's credit card to make the transaction.
As Nick took the bag, he let out a deep breath and glanced over at his brother, grinning like a fool. "I just bought an engagement ring."