Two years later
Nate was pacing up and down his office room. He couldn't remember when he had started to do so, but it didn't matter anyways. He was nervous, massively nervous. What if anything goes wrong? What if she denies to come with me?
He thought his plan over. It seemed to make sense at the time he had made him, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. Carol and Joanna had helped him to put him into motion, but was she really going to go with it? He couldn't tell and that made him massively nervous.
Nate thought back of the last two years. It were by far the best years of his life. Ever since Jenny and he finally became an official couple, nothing could make his life miserable anymore. Not even the fact that Jenny had decided to leave Jasper unpunished. She was too scared that he would drag everything into public and ruin her just built up reputation in fashion.
He understood where she came from, but was also very disappointed at the time. He so wanted to send Jasper to prison. The only place on earth where he truly belonged. At least Chuck and Blair had made sure that his return to the UK wouldn't be so funny for him. They had made sure that he had lost his job. Neither would he get another in the same field. Last info they had was that he ended up as a garbageman. At least he worked now in a field that he belonged too.
It took Jenny quite awhile to leave this whole chapter behind her. Nate did all in his power to make her forget about that douche and keep moving forward. The first six months he surprised her on regular basis – kidnapping her from work to go picnicking, decorating her loft romantically for dinners, taking her out to concerts or movie nights.
He ended up spending most of his time at her place, and somehow also his clothes moved more and more into her closet. He couldn't even tell when exactly he had moved in with her, actually they never really talked about it – it just happened somehow. They only spent a few nights here and there at his old Empire penthouse.
Nate had thought about his plan the past few weeks, not really knowing if it was too soon or not. But on the other hand, they were dating for two years and practically tried everything out that was existing in the sexual field. He never had a girlfriend before that was so willing in trying new things. To his own astonishment he wasn't even surprised by it. He always liked the innocent part of Jenny, but he also knew that there was a naughty and wild girl beneath that good girl act.
He thought back of all of their nights and encounters and couldn't help but grin widely. Yes, he totally was addicted to this stunning young woman. He would never get enough of her. How much had he enjoyed the numerous times that she had marched into his office only to lock the door and seduce him right then and there. And how many times had he taken revenge by walking into her atelier. If they don't belong to each other, who does?
Nate gazed down at the little box in his hand. It is about damn time. She belongs to me, and the whole world will know. He smiled at the thought of it and placed the box securely into his hand luggage.
Carol stepped in and smiled at the short look of the box. "The car is here Nate. Good luck!"
He looked up at her and returned the smile she was giving him. "Thanks Carol. Thank you for everything. Without your and Joanna's help I wouldn't be able to do this now."
"Ah, never mind. Just remember to invite me when it's time for it", she laughed and left his office again.
Nate grabbed his luggage and made his way out of his office and down to the town car that would drive him to Jenny's atelier.
Not even fifteen minutes later the car pulled up in front of the building where Jenny's new atelier was located. He got out and went straight into it, riding the elevator up to the tenth floor.
He walked by the receptionist and straight into the huge sort of gallery room. Wherever you looked were tables and dummies set up. Tons of people were either sketching or draping fabrics around the dummies. Trying all kind of different styles. Nate had always been amazed how they were able to create outstanding clothes out of literally nothing.
Nate made his way into her office room, not caring about the stares of her employees. It shouldn't be new to them. Jenny was sitting on her table, looking over the latest designs with Joanna. Fashion week was close and they only had six weeks left to finish the new collection.
"Hey beautiful, how is work today?", he greeted casually. Trying hard not to sound too excited.
She gazed up and smiled at him brightly. "Way better now that you're here."
He couldn't hold back his grin, he also didn't want to. This woman had such a strong hold over him, it was impossible for him not to be happy when she was near.
"Exactly the answer I wanted to hear", he retorted.
His eyes flashed shortly to Joanna, who nodded slightly and gave him green light to put his plan into motion. "How about taking two hours off and join me for an early lunch?"
"Honey I'd love too, but two of our interns messed the designs up and I need to fix it", she replied sadly while getting up from her stool and walking over to him. She placed her hands on his chest and kissed him shortly. "I'm so sorry, but I'll make it up to you tonight. Promise!"
"Actually Jenny, I can take over the designs. You really need a break. If you keep going with this power load you'll be burnt out the day fashion week starts. Let Nate take you out, have a good time and relax a little. I'll handle our interns", Joanna spoke up to help Nate on his mission.
He silently thanked her with his gaze and pulled Jenny closer to him. "Come on, just a short escape from daily life. I could need my girl for some distraction", he begged her and kissed her passionately.
Jenny melted into his arms and his kiss. He knew damn to well how to break her resistance. The second he would look at her with his wonderful, crystal blue eyes, the second he would touch her or in worst case kiss her – she couldn't deny him any longer.
"Fine", she gave in, "but only two hours. We still have so much to do here."
"Perfect, my love. You'll be back in no time", he promised her and held his hand out towards the door.
Jenny grabbed her purse and went out of her office, saying goodbye to Joanna and her interns. Nate followed her close behind. Jenny could feel the looks of some of her female employees on Nate and she immediately glared at them. She was never the sort of a trouble boss, but she couldn't stand it when other women were checking out her man. Especially not when they were working for her.
Nate held the car door open for her and Jenny slipped in. As soon as Nate had joined her the car started moving towards its destination. Jenny snuggled in to his side and Nate placed his arm around her, bringing her even closer. He loved to feel her next to him.
"So, where are we going?", she asked curiously.
Nate only smiled down at her. "That will be a surprise. But I'm pretty sure you'll love it."
Jenny got up a little and gazed at him in suspicion. His face was unreadable and she decided to just trust him. During their entire time he always found ways to surprise her with tiny gifts or romantic dates, this clearly was another attempt to do so. She wouldn't ruin it for him.
"Ok, than I guess I have to wait and see", she only stated and leaned back into him, cuddling into his side.
"Yeah, guess that's the only option you've got", he replied and kissed her forehead. He couldn't wait for them to arrive at their destination and to see her face when he would ask.
XoXoXo
Not even thirty minutes later the car pulled up at LaGuardia airport. Jenny had rested her eyes a little bit and had dozed off. It couldn't have been any better for Nate. But now he had to wake her up again, it was about time to board the plane.
"Sweetie, I hate to wake you up, but we're there", he whispered into her ear while kissing her cheek.
Jenny's eyes fluttered open and she gazed around. Trying to find out where exactly they were. But she couldn't see a restaurant or any buildings. In fact outside the window was nothing similar to it.
"Nate, where are we? There is nothing outside", she questioned suspicious.
"Honestly, we're at LaGuardia. The Bass jet is waiting for us", he replied with a smile.
Her eyes widened in shock. "We're at the airport? And the Bass jet waits? For what? Nate, what is this?"
"We've both been working so much lately, I thought we could need a little break. Just one week away from all the buzz and stress. Don't worry, everything is planned. Joanna and Marc take over for you. Jenny, we've barely been able to spend time together lately. And in the evenings we were so powered out that we mostly fell to bed and slept right away. We need this one on one time", he explained their trip to the airport.
She gazed him over, not really sure what to think about this. She had so much to do til fashion week. Could she take an entire week off? On the other hand, he had planned it all to surprise her. She couldn't say no now.
"But I don't have any luggage to go away", she tried to avoid the travel somehow.
Nate only chuckled at her comment. "Don't worry, it's all packed and you won't need to go naked. Although... I wouldn't mind."
Jenny thought about it. He had packed for her? She didn't even want to know how her luggage would look like. Probably he only packed her undergarments and just a few shirts and jeans.
"And where are we heading too?"
"You'll see when we get there, love. No get out, we have a plane to catch."
Blair was sitting in their living room, with Henry asleep on her chest. She had managed to lean back on the couch in a comfortable position with Henry sleeping while she was reading one of the latest fashion magazines. The model on front wasn't familiar to her, but the clothes she was wearing were. Good job, J. Once more you beat Waldorf designs. But after fashion week it will be the other way around. She smiled at the thought of their new line and the competition she was in with one of her best friends. Luckily they were both grown enough by now to keep the rivalry on a playing field – mocking, teasing, bickering. Jenny had become the little sister Blair never had. Who would have thought that? She gazed down on the little boy sleeping on her breast, who would have thought that she would be a mom now either?
Chuck entered the room with a grin on his face. "The plane just took off, they are on their way", he informed his wife.
Shifting his gaze from the phone to her, he couldn't hold back from smiling even wider. Seeing her in such an intimate and private position with their son made his heart jump out of joy. Their son, he still was in awe over this fact. Even though Henry was a little over one and a half, it still amazed him to his core that he was a father now. And he would be a way better father than Bart had ever been to him.
Blair returned the smile at him. "Great. Did Nate say where he is kidnapping her to?"
"No, he only said they need urgently a time out. Both had been working like maniacs lately, they barely had time for each other. So he decided it was time to get out and get some one-on-one time. Which is an awesome idea. We shall do that too when they are back. Maybe your mom or Serena or Jenny could take Henry for a bit and…"
"Oh no! We can go on holidays, but not without Henry! I won't leave him in the hands of anyone else. God knows what they'll do to him", she spat out immediately, not fond of the idea to leave her son behind for a short while.
Chuck snickered over her remark, his wife was totally priceless. Of course she would go against that plan. "They won't do anything to him, they love him just as much as we do", he held up his finger to her lips as she was about to protest again, "they do, my love. But you're right, I wouldn't want him to be without us either. That's why we will book a bigger house and bring Dorota and her family along with us. So we can have some alone time in between. Is that at least fine with you?"
He let his hand hang down again to give her the opportunity to answer his question. Blair gazed at him with a thankful smile.
"I know they love him, I just… I just don't feel comfortable with leaving him alone so soon. He is so young and he needs us around. But it's more than fine with me if Dorota watches him once in a while when we want to be alone on that trip. You already decided where to go?"
"Nah, I thought you'd like to. Or we do it together within the next days. I know you still have a lot to do with fashion week. I'm still amazed how you keep up with all of it. Jenny is doing the same as you, and she is all worked up and hasn't a baby boy on her agenda. Nate kept complaining over her working until late night and falling asleep right away for days. Probably one of the reasons he took her on that trip, he wants to get laid again", Chuck said bluntly, smirking over the fact that his best buddy didn't get the attention of his girl anymore as much as he used to.
Blair giggled slightly, trying not to move too much to prevent waking up Henry. "Well, after all I was Queen B and somehow I still am. I have my powers and even though you're my man, you don't need to know all my secrets", she replied secretive and winked at him.
Chuck cocked his head a little, and gazed her face over until it dawned him. "I so don't want to be one of your interns right now. Are they scared and keep running as soon as you walk in?"
"Pretty much, but that's the only way on how they learn what needs to be done", Blair gave back dryly. "It's better I teach them on time before it's too late. And to get back to the prior topic, Nate is not the only one who needs to get laid. Jenny was a mess when I last saw her. I would have excused it if Nate had been the reason to it, but unfortunately he had nothing to do with her state. She keeps working too much and she barely delegates the work. No wonder that she looks that messy lately. Unacceptable for a fashion designer like her."
"Well, I'm pretty sure that Nate finds a couple of ways to distract her from work and take that stress from her body. Which is by the way something I don't really want to think about, as I'd rather like to muse about how I can take some stress from you", Chuck responded and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "So, what can I do for my beautiful wife to make life easier for her?"
Blair looked up at him, eyes filled with love and desire. "You've done already everything to make me happy. We're married and you gave me the best present of this world ever", she remarked while looking down on their son, who was still asleep slightly drooling into his napkin which Blair had placed over her blouse, just in case.
Chuck smiled at her again, sitting down next to her and lifting his arm on the backside of the couch so Blair could snuggle in to his side. The second she had placed herself into him, he let his hand fall down own her shoulder, stroking it gently.
"You two are the best achievements of my life. I wouldn't want it any other way", he said in a sweet and gentle tone, kissing her forehead once more. "You two are my life, my everything", he whispered right into her ear, causing Blair to slightly turn around and kiss him on the lips.
The flight had been smooth. Nate was sitting on one of the couches of the plane, Jenny sprawled over it with her head in his lap. She had fallen asleep nearly twenty minutes after they took off in New York, still not knowing where they would go too. Nate was quite pleased that she was still sleeping, at least she wouldn't know just how long they had flown to reach their destination.
The captain announced that they would land soon. Nate only nodded in his direction and kept holding on a littler stronger on Jenny's waist. Assuring she wouldn't fall off the couch. Even when the plane finally touched the ground, she didn't wake up. The captain and of the two stewardess walked into the main cabin.
"Welcome to Norway, Mr. Archibald. The car is waiting outside, your luggage gets currently unloaded and packed up in it. We will pick you up here in a week again. Enjoy your stay and if plans might change, just inform Mr. Bass that you need an earlier or later pick up", the captain said kindly.
Nate only nodded at him. He gazed down at the sleeping beauty in his lap. Jenny was so exhausted due to all the work lately, that she was sleeping for nearly nine hours by now. Nate had only slept about four hours. And now they had another one and a half hour drive ahead towards Kristiansund. Although they wouldn't drive to the city directly, they would drive to Vinje, the tiny city that the fjord was called after where he had booked a wooden block house. Kristiansund was another two hours away from there, they might do a daytrip to there. For now he just wanted to get there. The pictures of the house looked amazing.
He carefully got up, lifting Jenny's head and laying it down on the couch again. He grabbed his jacket and slid it on again. He was considering to wake her up now, but decided against it. The surprise would be bigger if they were finally there. He picked her up bridal style and carefully carried her out of the plane and into the waiting town car. In less than ten minutes they were on their way to the house which held hopefully their happiness. The closer they got, the more nervous Nate turned. It was early afternoon, dusk was close. During winter time the days were short. Hopefully we arrive in time so Jenny can see the beauty of the fjord. She was now leaning against his shoulder, still snoring her way. Nate couldn't help but smile over the sight. She is so damn beautiful. And soon she will belong to me officially, hopefully.
The car pulled up in front of a huge wooden house. To its right was a large mountainside, a mix between stone and trees. The left side was open and gave a wonderful view over the Vinjefjord that was lying ahead and beneath of them. Nate got out of the car, carefully carrying Jenny again into the house. He wondered how she was still able to sleep after all these hours. If he wouldn't know that she was still breathing, you could assume that she was dead. But now was time to wake her up. He had laid her on the couch in the living room, now gazing around the house. It really looked as amazing as on the pictures.
The house had a very open space feeling. Left to the entrance was the open kitchen area. The cabinets were in L-form and a counter separated the kitchen from the living room area which was right behind it. Opposite the entrance was a huge window front, while the left wall was made of stone with wooden beam among. The living room had a big fire place. To its left and right side was each a couch located, in between a tiny wooden couch table.
On the right side of the entrance was a tiny wardrobe and next to it a guest toilet, before the stairs led upstairs. Beneath the stairs the owner had imbedded a seating bench with pillows. All around it were racks filled with books. But the greatest was surely the view out of the huge window front. Behind it was a huge patio with a table and a holiday swing and two chairs to the left. To the right was a hot tub. From the patio you had an outstanding view over the fjord, but the best was that no one from the street side could look onto the patio. It was secured from prying eyes.
Nate leaned down and kissed Jenny softly on the lips. She slightly stirred in her sleep. "Hey sleeping beauty, time to wake up. We're there", he told her and kissed her once more. This time a little more passionate.
Jenny's eyes flattered a few times, she tried to focus and blinked a couple of times to wake up from her long sleep. She stretched out and realized that she was lying on quite a comfortable couch. As she finally was a little more awake, she could see Nate hovering above her. His body leaned on the back of the couch she was lying on. He smiled down at her.
"Good evening, beautiful. Sorry to wake you up, but I really want you to see this", he apologized for waking her up.
Jenny stretched once more and held her hand up against his cheek. "You can wake me anytime", she replied sweetly before gazing around the room. "Where are we?"
"At our destination. Come on, get up. I want to show you something", he replied and held his hand out to her. "Close your eyes, I'll take you there."
She did as he said, curious where they were and what he wanted to show her. After she got up, Nate led her to the patio, taking her outside. It had turned colder and she shivered a little. Nate held her closer, walking with her to the railing. "Open your eyes", he whispered in her ear.
Jenny was taken aback by the view in front of her. A large river, as it seemed, was lying pretty much underneath them, making his way towards the ocean, probably. To both sides were mountain walls, streets on both sides gliding along and here and there she could see tiny lights gleaming against the upcoming dark night sky, probably other houses. The sun was about to set and vanished more and more, leaving a few golden strays within the dark blue close to black sky.
"Wow", she managed to breathe out. Nate still held her close. He had watched her face closely and was pleased to see her astonished and overwhelmed face. He smiled and leaned his chin on her right shoulder, embracing her even tighter. "You like it?"
"Are you kidding? This is the most wonderful view I've ever seen. Where are we?", she asked incredulous.
Nate chuckled slightly. "What do you think?", he questioned back instead of giving her an answer.
Jenny gazed around once more. "Well, from the view – Canada or Alaska, I assume. Maybe Greenland", she mused.
"Try Norway", he breathed into her ear.
Jenny's eyes widened in surprise and she turned to face him. "Norway? Like in Europe? Like in Scandinavia? We can't be in Norway", she called out.
Nate laughed a bit more, he was quite amused by her reaction. "Yes, we are dear. You slept the entire flight and drive up here. We are in Vinje, Norway. We flew to Trondheim and drove the last part. Welcome to the land of the Vikings and the fjords. My dad really didn't lie when he said they have an amazing landscape here", he informed her and gazed himself once more over to the view ahead of him.
Jenny couldn't believe that she obviously had slept for over eight hours. This couldn't be true. "But wait, how did we get into the country? We need passports to do so", she reasoned that they couldn't be in Norway.
Nate grinned down on her, kissing her shortly. "Sure we do. Joanna knows where you put yours and she grabbed him for me. I showed him to the airport staff, they were so kind and let you sleep", he explained to her.
"Wait what? Joanna knew you would take me here?", she nearly yelled out, frustrated that everyone knew except from her.
"Yes, and it was a surprise, so don't be mad. She helped me to book everything together with Carol. They made sure that you wouldn't notice. Hun, we need some time for us. All we've been doing lately is work. We hadn't had any time for us. It was about time and you'll be back to prepare fashion week. Don't worry", he said sweetly and pulled her in his arms and against his chest, caressing her back. "I can't help it, but I needed you for myself for a while."
"It really was that bad, wasn't it?", she asked, still stunned that he had taken her all the way to Norway. He looked down at her, leaning his forehead against hers.
"It wasn't all that bad. We still saw each other, but only seeing you asleep or rushing out of the door wasn't exactly how I pictured living with you. I preferred our first months together, where we barely made it out of bed", Nate replied with a husky, deep voice causing Jenny to shiver.
She smiled up at him and brushed her lips over his. "Is that what you have planned for this trip? To glue me onto the bed?"
He burst out laughing and pulled her close against his chest again. "As tempting as it sounds, but no, not exactly like that. I mean, yes, I don't mind if we spend a lot of time up there. But this landscape is too beautiful to let it pass by only enjoying our favorite sport activity. Unless you want to…", he let his last words hang in the air between them.
She kissed him once more on the lips, this time with more fierce and passion. Nate responded in an instant and deepened their connection until her stomach started to growl massively. He broke apart, chuckling.
"I think we should feed you. I need you full of energy if we want to exercise what we just were about to start."
Jenny only nodded, her cheeks had slightly blushed out of embarrassment over her growling stomach.
Nate led her back into the house and closed the glass door behind them. "Have a look around while I take care of the dinner", he informed her and marched over to the kitchen.
Jenny followed his figure stunned. "You will cook?", she asked flabbergasted. She couldn't remember one time that they really had cooked together during the last two years of living together. She didn't count the breakfast, as pancakes and waffles wasn't cooking to her.
He turned around and faced her with a hurt expression on his face. "You doubt my cooking skills?", he questioned in a teasing tone.
"I just never saw you cooking, so I guess, yeah I do", she retorted truthfully.
"Ouch, that hurts. But fine, I admit that there might be already something waiting for us. I just need to heat it up. But just for the record, I chose the menu and if we weren't always so damn busy, I would even cook with you", he said and continued his way over to the open kitchen to find their food in the fridge.
Jenny walked over too and sat down on of the stools at the counter. Watching Nate's movements in the kitchen and gazing around the house, which was truly outstanding. She was sure that they would spend a good time within these walls. "I will hold you to that", she suddenly said, bringing Nate out of his doings.
He gazed up at her puzzled. "Huh? To what?"
"To cooking with me. As soon as we get back… one night per week we will cook together and have dinner, just the two of us. Deal?", she asked and held out her hand to him to shake it.
He stepped forward to the counter, to take her hand in his and kissed the palm. "Deal, with one addition", he bargained with her.
She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. "Which would be?"
Nate started to smirk widely. "Desert is served in bed", he added seductively.
Jenny smiled too, shaking her head slightly in disbelief over her boyfriend's addition. "I'm pretty sure we can arrange that. But what if I can't get the whip or ice cream of my body? It would mess our entire sheets", she played along.
"You know that our shower is working just perfectly fine to clean you up, and I can help with that task as well", Nate replied in an even lower voice.
Jenny giggled. "Funny, 'cos I always felt way dirtier when I got out of her than before I stepped in."
"Well, I would love to say that I can help with that either, but honestly, I don't want it any other way", he wiggled his eyebrow and smirked at her alluringly. Jenny slapped him on the shoulder and Nate went laughing back to the stove where the lasagna was heating up.
XoXoXo
Two hours later they were done with dinner. Nate had put the last dishes back into the cabinet, while Jenny placed the wine glasses onto the living room table to change their sitting arrangement. Nate gazed nervously over to her. Now was the time. He wanted to bring it past him, and now was the best time or he might chicken out. He went to the fridge and opened the freezer to grab the dessert. Gladly Jenny wasn't paying much attention to him right now. She was still a bit exhausted from the trip, and the food did the rest to keep her distracted from his movements. In no time he picked up the red roses, which had been delivered earlier that day to the house. Hidden from Jenny's eyes. He walked over to where she was seated on the couch, gazing into the fire that he had lighted up earlier that evening. She looks like an angel. My angel.
He walked up from behind her and laid the flowers onto her legs. Jenny gazed up in surprise, but before she could say something Nate placed the chocolate dessert in front of her on the table.
"Ok, are you trying to seduce me? Flowers and chocolate… you know that this is not necessary to get me undressed", she teased, but flattered that he would still surprise her in this way.
Nate smiled over her reaction and comment. Perfect, she doesn't suspect anything. So, time to get it done! He took a couple of deep breaths.
"I know that undressing you is easier than this", he started still smiling. "Jenny, those are twenty-four red roses. Each rose stands for one month that we've been together. It would be an understatement to say that the last two years weren't the best of my life", Nate started his confession and attempt to get to his proposal.
Jenny was caught off guard by his words. A romantic weekend or even week wasn't new to her. They had done that a lot in their early days, just lately life had been too busy for them to take the time. Those words reminded her so much of his words about her charm bracelet, which she was wearing on daily basis since they got together.
"This time with you… Jenny, you made me happier than any person ever was able too. You always hear about people saying that they would sacrifice everything to the one they love, that they would die for them… and most of my life I kept thinking they don't know what they are talking about. That they are nuts… but that changed when you walked into my life. You invaded it in a way I never thought it would be possible. And that's why I was so confused and didn't know what it meant at first. It took me way too long to realize that you were the one that I want to be with. That you are the one that I want to share my life with. That you mean simply everything to me. I can't imagine my life without you anymore, and I don't want to. What I'm trying to say is, that you are this person to me, Jenny. The person that I would sacrifice everything too, the person I would die for if I had too, the person I can't be without with anymore. It's you Jenny, and it always had been since we kissed at that masquerade ball."
Jenny had listened to him in awe. She was totally amazed and tears had started to stream silently down her face. She knew how much he loved her. They had assured each other more than once about it, surprising the other with little gifts or romantic get aways. But this, Nate brought it definitely to a whole new level. She had totally forgotten about the flowers and the chocolate dessert. The only thing she still saw were two bright blue eyes filled with so much love that it overwhelmed her into the tiniest cell of her body.
Nate smiled at her and took the dessert from the table, holding it in front of her. "You might want to open this. The chocolatier said it's the best they have and we shouldn't let it go to waste by letting it melt", he tried to get Jenny focused on the dessert.
She blinked a couple of times, tears still streaming and refocused her gaze onto the chocolate dessert. It was a heart shaped box as it seemed. The upper shell was covered with tiny little roses, the box itself with leaves.
"Nate, it does look beautiful, but I don't think I'm hungry anymore", she replied regretfully.
He nodded in understanding. "Just open it. Pretty sure your hunger will return then", he only smiled.
Jenny sighed slightly. He was so ecstatic about it, gazing inside to see what it was filled with wouldn't hurt. She carefully lifted the chocolate top to open the hand tall box. The inside totally caught her by surprise and her mouth fell agape. She had to blink a couple of times to process what she saw.
Nate had kneeled down next to the couch and in front of Jenny. He took her hand and gazed up to her, smiling all over the face over her reaction. He never felt better in his life like right now, or maybe in a few seconds when he hopefully would hear the right answer to his question.
Jenny still looked in awe at the chocolate box, which was filled with strawberry mousse. In the middle was a carrier holding a golden ring with a bright blue diamond in the middle, and to each side of it three white diamonds. She managed to take her gaze from the ring and over to Nate, realizing for the first time that he was kneeling in front of her. Her eyes widened even more.
When realizing that she finally looked at him, Nate took all his courage and started to finish his challenge. "Jenny, you are the only woman I can imagine at my side when thinking about my future. You are the only one I need to make my life worth living. I need nothing else to be happy unless you're with me. I have never loved anyone so much as I love you. You are my heart, body and soul. And that's why I need to ask you… Jennifer Tallulah Humphrey, will you marry me?"
Nate gazed hopeful up at her. His heart had stopped beating, that he was sure off. He waited for her reaction, but currently it seemed as if she was frozen to the spot. Jenny had heard each word he had said. And mainly she heard the last question. She had dreamt of this moment for so long, but now as it had arrived she couldn't believe it. Her face was wet from all the tears that had fallen and were still streaming down her cheeks. Her heart had stopped beating only to race straight after, an effect which only Nate could evoke in her.
She was looking at him, straight into his marvelous blue eyes. How in hell did we got here? This ring is stunning and has the same color as his eyes. And he asked whether I want to marry him. Why am I even thinking about it?
"Yes,… hell yes!", she nearly screamed out.
Nate let out a relieved breath, he didn't even notice he was holding. He carefully took the ring from the carrier and slipped it on to Jenny's ring finger.
"I love you, Mrs. future Nate Archibald to be", he whispered and kissed her passionately, feeling the salt from her tears on her lips.
"I can't believe…", she whispered against his lips.
Nate chuckled slightly. "What? That we're engaged? That you'll be my wife soon? That I tricked you here?", he counted a few questions up while leaning against her forehead and gazing into her shimmering eyes.
"All of it", she breathed out. "It's just so amazing. This ring is so beautiful… it is special."
Nate could sense that something wasn't quite right. She was troubled. He knew her all too well by now, something bothered her. "What's wrong, Jen? Talk to me", he questioned immediately.
She shook her head and smiled weakly at him. "Nothing, I'm fine", she replied in an instant, trying to prevent the talk.
"No, you're not. I know you. If this is too soon, just say so. We can wait. I will wait for you forever", he assured her.
"No, it's not this. It's fine, really. I want to marry you…"
"But…", he kept pressing, now knowing that there was something wrong.
"It's so stupid", she insisted on not telling him.
Nate sat next to her, pulling her into his arms. "Jenny, we will marry. That means you can talk to me about everything, even if it's stupid or silly. I want to know what's going on in that beautiful mind of yours. I need to know", he stated kindly and kissed her forehead.
Jenny couldn't believe how sensitive he was and genuine. What did I do to deserve him? "I… you know, I was always hoping… this is really so silly", she couldn't find the bravery to tell him.
"Jenny, tell me right now or I'll tickle you 'til you will tell me", he threatened her teasingly.
She couldn't help but giggle. "I was always hoping you would give me your mother's ring, the one you ought to give Blair", she admitted silently, barely above a whisper.
Nate grinned widely at her, tightening the embrace some more. "Funny that you say that, my parents thought exactly the same. They insisted that if I ever propose to you that I'll take mom's ring", he informed her. "It is waiting for you in New York. But I wanted to have a ring which was especially made for you. A ring that is only made for our love. I know this sounds stupid, but I wanted a ring as unique as our love."
Before Nate could say anything more, Jenny placed the chocolate box on the table and sat on his lap, straddling him. She sealed his lips in a searing kiss, only to pull back shortly to whisper into his ear. "Time to catch up for the missing previous weeks, future husband to be."
XoXoXo
It was late evening. Jenny was leaning against Nate's chest within the bathtub. He was massaging her neck and shoulders, letting soft moans escape from Jenny's lips. They had only lightened up a few candles, providing them with dim light. The bathtub was surrounded by a glass front which led the moon light flow into the room and gave a breathtaking view of the mountain front ahead of them.
"Oooh, this is too good. I want to stay like this forever", Jenny exhaled when Nate put a little pressure on her left shoulder.
He chuckled and kissed the spot that he had just massaged. "I wouldn't mind at all, but staying in the water this long will make us look like prunes. We will shrivel. And as much as I really love to see you bare and nude, I was hoping we could return to New York and find us a place to stay and live in", he whispered into her ear, before kissing and nibbling her ear lop.
Jenny raised up a little and turned to face him. Confusion was shown on her beautiful face. "What do you mean? We have a place to live at", she responded dumbfounded, gazing straight into his eyes.
Nate cupped her face and kissed her barely. "I know, but as much as I love the loft… Jenny, I want to start a life with you. Which includes – I want to start a family with you. I'd like to have kids one day. And yes, the loft is great, but I'd rather like to give them a house as home. We can keep the loft. I know how much it means to you. But I'd like to have a real home, which we both look for and decide to move into", he explained his train of thought to her.
Jenny still kept looking at him. This day had been full of surprises – the assault in her office which led her to Norway, his proposal, all of his beautiful words and now this… he wants to have kids and build up a home for them.
"Are you serious?", she asked, her voice trembling a little.
He smiled widely at her. "Of course I am. I love you, Jenny Humphrey. And I want to share my life with you. Of course that involves to get a baby sooner or later. I can't think of a better way to share myself with you", Nate assured her his wishes for their future.
His right hand was still laying on her cheek, his thumb stroking it softly. "Jenny, I don't want it all now. But someday… we get back home, enjoy our engagement while staying at the loft. We will search with all the time in the world for our new home and move in then. We can marry prior or when we already live there. And when we feel the time is right, we'll try to get pregnant. No need to worry, we have all the time we need. I won't leave your side ever."
Jenny had listened to him in silence, overwhelmed that he had their future already pictured out. She had thought about it herself a lot lately, without telling him. Not sure if he saw it the same way as she did. Of course they had two amazing years together, but there were so many couples who ended up splitting when one partner wanted to take it more serious than the other. Seeing that Nate was on the same page with her, nearly made her burst out in tears again.
"So? What do you say? Can you arrange your crazy fashion designer life with it?", Nate snapped her out of her thoughts again. He had watched her closely, seeing how her face was covered by all kind of different emotions. He wasn't sure what she was thinking about his idea, but hoped deeply she would agree to his plan.
Jenny smiled at him. "Actually, I think it's too late for that", she admitted.
Nate looked at her, confusion written all over his face. He furrowed his brows. "I don't understand. What do you mean by that?"
Jenny still smiled at him. She sat up on her knees, placing her hand on his cheek. "Well, you surprised me in many ways today that I didn't get the chance to tell you my news", she started her explanation.
Nate wasn't sure what she meant exactly, but he remembered hearing her talk with Marc in the previous week about the massive success her line had in London and Paris. "Please tell me you're not moving to Europe because of your line", he insisted immediately, afraid that maybe all his plans would turn into dust.
She giggled over his little outburst, kissing him sweetly. "Nope, no need to worry. I'll stay in New York for good. I was referring to something else… you remember that I was quite sleepy and exhausted lately?"
Nate nodded in response. He had tried for days to keep her home. This was one of the two reasons for this trip. "To say the least. That's why we're here, to finally relax and chill", he responded.
Jenny nodded in agreement and shifted on her legs. "Well, Joanna was worried too, so was Marc. They both forced me to see a doctor, just in case. So many of our staff had the flu or whatever is going round now… anyways, I couldn't get sick, so they send me over and the doc took a couple of tests. I received the results this morning…", she replied, eying him carefully.
Nate gazed at her, still confused and now even massively worried. She went to see a doctor without saying anything? And now she got results back, saying it's too late for making plans for our future… oh god, no, NO! This can't be happening! Dare you to take her from me!
"Jenny, what are you trying to tell me? Are you… are you sick?", he barely managed to ask her.
She kissed him once more. "Not in the way you think. Sorry if it sounded dramatic… I'm good, we're good", she dragged the last words out.
Nate was still confused, not sure what she wanted to tell him. "I can't follow. So, you got your results back and you're not sick. You're doing good… where is the problem then?", he questioned.
Jenny smiled even more widely now. He was never the fastest. "I said, we're good", she repeated the last part of her previous statement. Gazing straight at him. She could see how his wheels were turning and finally realization dawned him.
"Wait, what? Are you saying…? Are we…?", he stammered, trying to process the latest information.
She kept smiling and nodded her head. "Yes, we are. I'm pregnant, Nate!"
In an instant he closed the gap between them and hugged her tightly. Pressing her against his body and screaming out of joy.
"WE'RE PREGNANT! Baby, this is the best day of my entire life!"
He pulled back only to kiss her with all his passion. If one thing was for certain on this day, than that Nate Archibald would never ever let go of Jenny Humphrey again. And he would start by loving her all night.
One week later
Serena was placing the plates on the table, while Jenny was stirring the sauce which had started to boil on the stove. The elder blonde gazed over to the younger one in the kitchen.
"So, your trip was amazing? Dan and I met Nate shortly yesterday and he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Guess you used your one on one time properly", she said with a teasing tone.
Jenny couldn't help it and blushed over her statement. They definitely had used that one week properly. After the second day she had barely been able to walk, and they didn't even go on a hiking trip then. Apparently they hadn't left the house at all. One thing was for certain, she would never question Nate's stamina again.
"Uhm, yeah, the trip was awesome. Nate was right, we really needed that time out. It was good to get away from all the work and hustle here. We had time to relax and only focus on us… it was outstanding, to say the least", she remembered their encounters in the hot tub, the bath, the kitchen counter, the holiday swing, the floor in front of the fire place,… pretty much every space in and around the house all too well. She reddened even more when remembering how he had looked like, how his skin felt. Get your thoughts out of the gutter, Humphrey!
Serena giggled and looked amused at her. "Ooh, I can see that. For some weird reason I doubt you guys were wearing your clothes all too much", she replied bluntly, causing Jenny to feel even more unease. It felt odd to talk to Serena about this, considering the fact that she used to date Nate too.
"You'd better don't tell Dan. I mean, he is fine with the two of you dating. But however he still freaks sometimes when it comes to you guys having sex. Guess it's still this big brother complex or so", Serena laughed lightly.
Jenny chuckled along, wondering why Dan still behaved like this. "I somehow understand him", she admitted. "It's weird for me too, to talk to you about it. I mean, you used to date Nate too… so I don't know…" Jenny turned her gaze down to the floor. As much as she liked Serena, and even though she was seeing Dan for the past two years, she still saw her as a threat sometimes. She couldn't really say why.
Serena's eyes widened in astonishment. She was quite puzzled over Jenny's confession. Not knowing what to think about it exactly. "Jenny, that's so long ago. I mean, yes, we dated… but as Dan once said… practically we all dated everyone at some point. Except for Chuck and me, or Blair and you, or Blair and me, or the guys each other", she giggled over the thought of it.
Jenny had the same pictures in her mind, and shuddered. "Ooh, that thought is nasty", she interjected.
Serena nodded. "Yeah, it is. But with the mix of us girls and the boys… it's sadly true. Not that I regret my time with Nate. You know how awesome he is, but it was never meant to be. I tried to be the girl that he was looking for, but I never ended up being her. But you are, and even though I said it before. I'm sorry that I got in the way back then. Anyways… it shouldn't be weird or odd for us to talk about these things. It's all past and what counts is the present and future – mine with Dan and yours with Nate."
Jenny thought about her words and couldn't find any failure in them. It was past and they had all grown up and moved ahead. Why bother over what happened a few years back?
"You're right, I don't know… it's just sometimes so crazy", Jenny reasoned. "And yes, I didn't wear half of the stuff Joanna had packed for me. But at least the lingerie was used well and often", she said laughing, being joined by Serena straight after. "You guys should take that kind of trip too. I can recommend it dearly."
"You can recommend what?", Dan asked when he entered Jenny's loft with Nate in tow. Both carrying some paper bags with wine bottles inside.
Jenny walked over to them and grabbed on bag from Nate, kissing him shortly. "A trip to Norway. It did wonder to Nate and me. Definitely one of the best weeks of my life", Jenny informed her brother happily before strolling back to the kitchen to place the bag on the counter.
Nate followed her close by, placing his bags on top of the counter too. "I can't disagree. It was an amazing week. Quite life changing", he added and placed an arm around Jenny's waist, pulling her close to his chest while kissing her neck.
Dan crinkled his nose and rolled his eyes. "You are aware that you invited us for dinner, or? May we leave the two of you alone instead?"
Serena and Jenny burst out laughing, remembering their previous conversation and Dan's part in it. Both men only gazed aghast and confused at their girlfriends, not knowing what was so funny about Dan's questions.
"Do I even want to know what that is about?", Dan asked carefully.
Serena barely was able to regain her composure. "I doubt it a lot", she said through laughter, "unless you want to know what they mainly did in that week."
Jenny blushed in an instant again, and Nate who caught up on the meaning nuzzled his face into her hair, chuckling over the fact that Dan still felt unease with them after two years of dating. "Really Dan? It's still an issue? Maybe we should only play Monopoly then", Nate mocked his best friend.
Dan glared back at him, narrowing his eyes. "Very funny. I'd like to see you react if Blair was your sister and Chuck screwing her all the time", he shot back.
"Uhh, Dan!", Jenny replied.
Nate only chuckled again and gazed amused at his friend. This was too funny. "Honestly, I don't think I would mind. As long as she has fun…", he gave back dryly and started to kiss Jenny's neck again, causing her to squeal in surprise.
Serena giggled over the banter. "Actually it would be weird for Nate", she mused, making Dan point at her to proof his position, "you know they had sex too."
They all burst out laughing, except for Dan who couldn't believe that it was all just fun for them. Jenny got out of Nate's embrace and walked over to her brother. She patted him slightly on the shoulder and smiled up at him.
"Dan, seriously, I know you always be my protective brother and I truly love you. But you have to get over the fact that I'm also a woman with needs. And they can only be served by Nate, whether you like it or not. If it makes you feel any better, he is bad ass in doing so", she told him with wiggling eyebrows.
Nate grinned all over the face, quite proud over the fact that his girlfriend just addressed him as an awesome lover. Serena was contemplating to add her view, but thought better not too. It would probably only piss Dan off and ruin the entire evening. They all got saved by the doorbell.
"That must be Blair, Chuck and Henry", Jenny said and went over to welcome her friends.
"Ohh, Henry is coming along?", Serena asked in excitement, always loving to see her little nephew. She walked quickly over to the door too, waiting to greet her family.
Jenny turned around to her, smiling. "Yeah, Dorota has a few days off and Blair wouldn't leave him with the new babysitter", Jenny chuckled, "she is now sitting the house."
They all laughed when the three Basses entered the loft. Blair holding Henry close in her arms. The second he saw Nate, he immediately started to squirm and held his arms out to him.
"Looks like someone urgently wants to say hello to uncle Natie", Serena singsong.
Nate stepped over and took his godson on his arm, hugging him shortly. "Hey little man, good to see you again", he said sweetly, exchanging a short look with Jenny who smiled genuinely at him. They had agreed to only tell their friends about the engagement first. The pregnancy could follow later when Jenny would start showing and the risks of the first three months were over.
Jenny watched him intently with Henry. He was so great with the young boy, he will be an amazing father.
"Nice to see you're back in town. We weren't so sure you would return after your last call", Blair stated towards her two friends and smiled at both of them.
Jenny returned the smile and pulled her in a short hug. "Well, we would have loved to stay, but business kept calling and so we had to return home. But thanks for lending us your jet, much appreciated", she replied.
Blair just waved it off. "Oh please, what would he be for, if not flying?"
Chuck stepped to her side, placing one hand on her waist and kissing her forehead. "True to that. Although I would appreciate to hear that you didn't join the mile-high club", he said bluntly.
Jenny blushed in an instant again, gazing over to Nate who had a slight smirk on his face. They hadn't been tired during the flight home, so they had to kill some hours in a tiny compartment.
"You've got to be kidding me!? Seriously? Didn't you get enough from each other over the entire week?", Dan asked incredulous.
Chuck sniggered slightly and patted Nate on the shoulder in approval. "At least I know now that we have to get new fabrics for the plane", he replied nonchalant as ever. "Oh and Dan, you can never get enough of that. You should know that."
"Ok, could we please stop discussing Nate's and my personal life and just sit down and have a nice dinner. Cause that's what we invited you for, remember?", Jenny asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable that everyone was talking about her sex life with Nate.
"Sure sis, I agree that we should eat. It smells delicious by the way", Dan was more than happy to change the subject and stop hearing things about his sister's get away with his best friend.
They all sat down at the table. Blair had laid Henry on a blanket on the floor where he could play with his toys and she could have an eye on him while eating with the others. The dinner was a full success. They enjoyed eating together and catching up on each others lives.
"You know, I think we shall do this more often", Serena suddenly said. "I mean, yes, we see each other a lot, but we never really take time to just sit and talk. This is really nice and it should become a tradition. And next time I'll make sure that Eric joins us again. Can't believe he ditched us for a date."
"Oh, I can. Have you seen his new boyfriend? He is sooo hot", Blair quipped in. Chair raised an eyebrow and looked suspicious at his wife. "Of course not hotter than you, babe. But for a gay guy, damn", she let out a whistle. Serena and Jenny laughed.
Nate only shook his head and gazed over to Jenny. She nodded in approval, knowing what he was asking. They had discussed how to break the news best to their friends, and a nice come together seemed to be the best way.
Nate got up and went to the kitchen to get the champagne and glasses ready, leaving them on the counter so no one could see. He walked back to the table and stayed standing next to Jenny. Addressing his friends on the table in front of him who were still busy chatting about Eric's latest conquer.
Jenny had slit on her engagement rings in the mean time. During the entire evening she had taken them off, not showing it off so soon. Now the time had come.
"Hey guys", Nate got the attention of everyone on the table to look at him. "I would like to take the time to thank you for coming down tonight. You guys are our family, some by blood and some by heart, and therefore we want you to know how much you mean to us. We couldn't ask for better family in our lives."
He stopped and smiled at them. They all looked expectantly at him, Serena and Blair returning his warm smile. "Anyways, as you are the closest to us, and as we have been to so many good and bad times together, we wanted you guys to be the first to know..."
"OH MY GOD!", Serena squealed out. "I knew it! I knew you had something planned and it wasn't just a get away", she called out in excitement.
Jenny started giggling at her outburst and couldn't hold back her joy any longer. She just lifted both of her hands and wiggled with her ring fingers.
Blair and Serena screamed out in joy and pleasure, literally jumping off their seats and rushing over to Jenny's side to see her engagement rings. Nate was shoved aside as was in the way of their survey.
"This ring is outstanding, Nate", Blair turned to him and acknowledged the blue diamond. "You have quite the taste. Although I don't understand why?"
Nate gazed at her confused. "Why I have taste? Well, I guess that came from my time being with you. You always wanted the best of the best presents", he mocked her.
Blair just rolled her eyes. "Haha, that's not what I meant. And for the record, I always deserved the best. See it as a good training for you, Archibald. You're welcome, Jenny", she replied and gazed over to Jenny, who was captured in a hug by Serena. "I meant, that I don't get why you got her two rings. She is also wearing the Archibald ring."
"Oh, well that's simple. She is a woman that deserves beautiful jewelry, and I thought one ring wouldn't do. Jealous because she got more than you?", Nate kept teasing his childhood sweetheart.
"You wish", she only gave back. Chuck had stood up and made his way over to his best friend, but kissed his wife before on the forehead.
"Congrats man! Was about time. So, when will you join the club?"
"Not so soon. We first want to find a place to stay and settle in. And then we'll plan the wedding", he replied.
"Why find a place? You have one here", Serena asked confused.
"S, you know I love you, but this is clearly not a place where they can live and build a family", Blair replied and gazed around. The loft has its charm, but she never understood how Nate was able to live here.
"Well, we gonna keep the loft anyways. But Nate and I decided that we would like to find a place that we both like and want to live in. After all this was my home and he moved in, at some point. Now it's time to find our home", Jenny explained their decision.
Dan had made his way over to the group too. He pulled his sister in a tight embrace. "Congrats sister! I'm so happy for you", he whispered in her ear and kissed her hair. "And you", he pointed at Nate, "you'd better get used to Humphrey play nights, cause Dad will definitely come round more often the second you belong to our family."
Nate laughed out and just nodded. "I guess I will survive that. Even if he makes me sing Wham at karaoke night, I know it's worth it", he remarked with a smile in Jenny's direction.
Sorry for the delay, but work, the world cup and summer kept me busy ;) But as promised this chapter is longer again and there goes the time jump. Let's see what the future holds for our love birds.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave me your thoughts while reviewing and keep enjoying the summer (which currently paused the last two days here, but I have good hopes it will return soon again). At least the summer storm gives me time to write, as no one wants to be out there now