One Winter Weekend

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

M onday morning, Scott was reluctant to drag himself out of bed. He was still beaming with the news of Rachel’s pregnancy, and now he noticed that she had an extra glow to her as well.

He rubbed her stomach affectionately as she lay in bed. “Good morning to you too,” he whispered, and she laughed as his breath tickled her skin. “Are you a he or a she? Either way, I hope you get your mom’s brains because your dad doesn’t have a lot going for you in that category.”

They dressed and ate breakfast in their hotel room, with Scott springing down to a café for a large bag that included everything from pastries to muesli.

“You’re eating for two now,” he reminded Rachel, and finally she laughingly told him to stop hovering over her while she ate.

“Finish packing. I can feed myself just fine,” she said, planting a kiss on his cheek. He quickly turned his head to plant a deeper one on her lips. “Are you sure you’re fine? You don’t need anything else? Is the baby moving yet?”

“Goodness no, I’m only eight weeks along.” Rachel tucked herself up into a comfortable cross-legged position on the sofa. “Eat, and pack. We want plenty of time to get to the airport. I imagine it will be busy today.”

Soon enough they were packed and checked out of the hotel.

Scott bundled Rachel gently into a water taxi, fussing about the weather until they were safely on dry land and bundled into a cab. She leaned into him in the back seat with a contented sigh. “Venice was lovely. But I think home sounds even lovelier.”

“Actually, I agree with you.” He wouldn’t have thought it twenty-four hours ago, but now Scott couldn’t think of anywhere in the world more appealing than their cosy apartment back in New York. He was already thinking ahead to everything they would have to do to get ready for the baby. He supposed this meant cleaning out the spare bedroom so Rachel could turn it into a nursery.

Maybe that can wait until after Christmas.

There wasn’t too much traffic on the roads, and soon enough they were unloading their suitcases at the airport. Scott checked everything in and they moved through the security lines to board their flight.

Scott kept one hand tucked firmly in Rachel’s, and the other he jammed absentmindedly into his coat pocket.

His fingers touched the ring box and he froze. In all the excitement of Rachel’s announcement, he’d completely forgotten about the original reason for their trip. Now they were mere minutes away from going through the metal detectors, and the box was still sitting unopened in his pocket.

A bored-looking official was checking passports at the top of the line.

He took Scott’s passport and studied it with a glazed expression. “Anything liquids/metals or anything to declare?”

Scott stood stock-still for a moment, the man staring blankly at him. “Yes,” he said, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. “Yes, I do have something to declare.”

He turned around to face Rachel. Other passengers in the line were staring, some curious, some irritated at the holdup, but he ignored them all.

Rachel was staring at him, puzzled, as he took her hands. “Rachel, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You’re beautiful, intelligent, funny, and have a gentle soul. You’re everything I could want in a partner, and now I’m blessed enough to learn that you’ll be all that and more as the mother of my child.

I brought you to Venice because I thought there was no more romantic place in the world to ask you to marry me. Obviously, that didn’t work out the way I’d planned, but I’m not about to leave before at least giving it my best shot. So with that in mind…” Scott heard audible gasps as he dropped to one knee and pulled the ring box from his coat pocket. “Rachel, will you marry me?”

A woman in line let out an excited squeal, and Rachel burst into tears.

He quickly stood up and caught her as she grabbed him in a hug, nodding and trying to wipe her tears away with her coat sleeve. He pulled a wad of tissues from her coat pocket and handed them to her, to the happy clapping and cheers of the passengers in line behind him.