Who: Addie and Nick When: evening, Sunday, July 15th Where: Bangor Warning: turns NSFW Status: complete, part 1
Nick had worn his brain out trying to figure out where and how he ought to propose to Adalyn. Silas had told him anything he did would be a huge hit because Addie was just that type of person, but that didn’t stop Nick from wanting to make everything perfect for her. She deserved all of the romance and effort he could put into a proposal -- it was just that nowhere in Point Pleasant seemed really appropriate. The lighthouse was pretty romantic at sunset, along with the nicer restaurants on the pier ... but all of that seemed so pedestrian to Nick. He wanted to spoil Addie.
She had been busy with a funeral on Saturday afternoon, so Nick had talked her into going to Bangor for a night or two just to get away for a bit, to have some space to themselves. Living with Silas and Mr. Rayner was fairly easy, neither of them invaded his and Addie’s privacy, but it wasn’t the same as being out of town and having a hotel room all their own. The drive down to Bangor had been pretty nice, perfect windows-down weather, and the two of them loudly sang along with the stereo and made each other laugh on the way.
Bangor wasn’t a fancy sort of place, but it was a change of pace and Nick had booked the nicest hotel in town and made dinner reservations. He planned to take Addie to a nice little indie bookstore afterward for some browsing and to pop the question ... and he was already nervous as hell when they walked into their hotel room. He set their bags down and looked around the room with a little smile. “Not bad, hey? We’ve got a couple of hours before dinner still, should we get cleaned up?”
Addie was incredibly excited to get out of Point Pleasant and spend a few days alone with Nick. Silas could take care of the funeral home and their dad was feeling well enough to help. She'd had quite a few funerals over the past week and while she maintained the proper disposition for it, it did take a toll on her, so a break was lovely. As soon as they got to their hotel, Addie stretched and flopped down on the bed. It wasn't a super long drive to Bangor, but she always liked relaxing for a moment before jumping into new things after a long-ish car ride.
"Yeah, I need to shower," she said, resting her hands on her stomach with a happy sigh. "I know hotel beds are supposed to be suspect, but I love hotel rooms. I would stay at Juniper like, once a week if it wasn't so expensive. Is that weird? Maybe it's just the whole getting away from home thing that makes it so appealing." Plus she was there with Nick, which made it all the better. Addie had never actually gone on a trip with a boyfriend before so she was beyond thrilled about the whole thing.
“Nah, it’s not weird, at least not to me,” Nick told her as he approached where Addie had flopped down. “I’ve spent a lot of time in hotel rooms though, I’m kind of used to them.” He loved that the funeral home actually felt like home to him now, even with the rest of Addie’s family living there too. But he could see the appeal in getting away, from her perspective. She’d never really lived anywhere else. Nick toed out of his shoes and reached down to lift Addie’s legs up and apart so he could crawl between them and lay down on top of her. He kept most of his weight on his elbows, always feeling like he was going to squish his petite girlfriend, but it put him at the perfect spot to kiss on her, which was all he really wanted to do. “But we’ve got days, just for us,” he murmured.
Sometimes she forgot the fact that he had been a traveling author. She loved his books but she loved that he had decided to call Point Pleasant home now. Eventually he would probably have to travel again, but Addie knew he would always come back to her. That's what her heart told her, anyway. Smiling when Nick covered her body, Addie wrapped her arms around him, her knees pressing into his sides. "I love it," she said, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I can't remember the last time I had a vacation. It was definitely before Silas came back home... before my dad got sick. Driving to the mall outside of town was me treating myself for an afternoon." Addie kissed him again, lingering a bit this time. "This is perfect, thank you."
This wasn’t much of a vacation, if you asked Nick, just a short trip away ... he immediately wanted to take Addie somewhere exotic and awesome, where she could have a real sunshine-filled vacation, but he knew the timing of all of that was difficult to manage for her. But Silas was there now and her dad was getting stronger every day, so maybe they could find the time for it. “This is just the beginning,” he murmured to her with a warm smile back. “Just wait’ll I’m whisking you off to Hawaii and stuff.” Nick had the financial means for it, and Addie was about to be his fiancee, and he wanted to treat her like a queen. He kissed her a bit more, then slid his arms under her shoulders to squeeze her a bit tighter. “You’re perfect, and I love you,” he murmured. “Any idea what you wanna do after dinner? Movie, shopping ...?” Hopefully she would be too excited to want to do anything but come back to the hotel after he proposed, but Nick had to act natural.
The idea of going anywhere exotic was exciting, but Addie knew she would be just as happy and content in Point Pleasant with Nick there. Maybe they were still in that mushy honeymoon phase of their relationship, but she couldn't imagine a future without him in it. As always, there was a tingle of warmth when Nick said he loved her and she let her fingers play with his hair at the nape of his neck. "We can do whatever we want after dinner," she said with a smile. "No plans. Let's just see what we feel like doing. Movie, shopping, coming back here so I can take full advantage of you and be as loud as I want without worrying about the ghosts listening in back home." Addie brushed her lips against his again. Gods, she would never get tired of kissing his mouth. "How much time before dinner?"
The bit about the ghosts made Nick snicker softly, and he nuzzled another kiss to Addie’s lips. He knew she was still insecure sometimes about ‘scaring’ him away by being ‘too much,’ but he was really hooked on how affectionate she was. It was constantly drawing that same desire out of him too, and it had made Nick realize he’d been missing out on it for most of his life. “About an hour and a half before we should leave,” he answered softly, enjoying the way she played with his hair. Nick peppered some slow kisses against Addie’s cheeks and chin. “Unless you want to cancel and just stay here and make noise.” He grinned faintly, his tone teasing. Nick planned to propose to her at the restaurant, so he kind of hoped she actually wanted to go out, but more and more he was thinking Silas was right and Addie would love it at any random time.
It was really hard not to just sink into the mindless oblivion of warmth and love that Nick invoked inside of her, especially with his beautiful lips on her skin, but Addie did want to get out and eat and maybe wander Bangor for a bit before coming back for the night. She had even bought a new, pretty summer dress for dinner, mainly with the hopes of Nick taking it off of her once they were back in their hotel room. A happy, little hum formed in her throat before she slid her hands through his thick hair. "Let's shower and go eat," she suggested. "Then we'll get nice and drunk and come back here and scare our neighbors!"
“Scare them?” Nick echoed with a laugh. “Damn, I was just aiming for making them jealous, but you’re feeling wild.” He dipped his face in to nuzzle and nibble at Addie’s neck with a playful little growl. After they’d laughed for a minute, he stole a couple more kisses, then rolled off of Addie so they could actually start that process. “I think I want a steak,” he mused as he started to strip his clothes off, shooting Addie a little grin. It had been a long drive and he was hungry too. Nick just hoped his nerves didn’t kill his appetite the closer they got to the big moment. He didn’t plan to do it until after dinner, and he’d reserved a more private area of the restaurant so there wouldn’t be the pressure of other patrons listening in on them. Nick just wanted it to be perfect.
Addie needed to clean up too but she pushed herself up on her elbows to watch Nick undress, perfectly happy with the view for the moment. "Steak sounds good," she said, openly ogling his bare body with every piece of clothing that came off. "Steak and potatoes. With a lot of butter. Garlic butter." Her stomach rumbled in agreement. It reminded her that she hadn't eaten in a while, too excited to be getting out of Point Pleasant with Nick. She groaned and pushed herself up from the bed to start undressing herself. "I wonder what kind of dessert they have. That's always the hardest decision for me. Chocolate, or pie, or what if they have creme brulee? Have you ever had brown sugar pie? God, it's so good. I wish I could bake so I could make it. God, I'm so hungry." Addie tossed her shirt on the bed. "See, you said steak and now I'm salivating."
Nick didn’t mind being ogled in the slightest -- he ogled Addie right back. Watching her strip was one of his favorite pastimes. “If you can’t decide on a dessert, we’ll just get everything you want boxed up so we can bring it back here,” he suggested with an air of wisdom. He had the feeling Addie would want to come right back to the hotel after he proposed, eager to consummate it. If she said yes. Nick had a hard time imagining her saying no, but he knew nothing was completely impossible. “Don’t think I’ve had that, but it sounds awesome,” Nick added, patting Addie’s ass as they made their way toward the hotel bathroom. The shower was roomy, which was nice, but he knew that would make it beyond tempting to feel on each other too much before they went to dinner. Hopefully their mutual hunger for food would make them behave. Nick wanted their lovemaking after Addie agreed to marry him to be explosive.
Addie was simultaneously thinking about Nick's gorgeous body and brown sugar pie. Both made her hungry for very different reasons. But she was more than happy to wait on jumping Nick until after dinner, since he had gone to the trouble to set all of this up. Even so, it was fun to shower with him, to get him all soapy and tease and make out a little bit with the water raining down on them. It would definitely make them both more eager to get back to the room after they've had their fun this evening. After the shower, Addie wrapped herself in a towel and hurried back into the bedroom to dig through her suitcase for the dress she bought. Hopefully it wasn't super wrinkled. "I wonder if I should text Silas," Addie mused as she flung some clothes onto the bed, still searching. "But we haven't been gone that long and I don't want him to think I think he can't handle being on his own."
Nick dried off and tossed the towel up on a hook before he ventured out to find some of his own clothes to put on. He smirked a bit to himself -- Silas knew his plan, and Nick could only imagine his impatient frustration at getting just a normal nothing-special text from Addie pre-proposal. Nick trusted him not to spill any beans, but he knew Silas was going to enjoy Addie’s reaction almost as much as Nick would. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you just checking in,” he said casually as he unzipped his suitcase. Nick shot her a glance as he dug out some pants and a button down shirt to put on. “Let him know we got here safe and all that.” Maybe he was egging it on a little, but now the thought of Silas eagerly waiting by the phone amused him. Nick tugged a pair of boxer briefs on before stepping into his pants. “What if he’s hosting some huge wild party while we’re gone?”
Nick was probably right. Silas may be worrying, what with her and Nick both out of town. She pulled on her underwear before thumbing in a quick text to Silas, just to let him know they arrived safe and check in. "I hope he's throwing a party," Addie said with a laugh as she finally found her dress. Pulling it out to shake it a bit before starting to slip it on, Addie shook her head. "My poor brother, he needs a social life. I keep thinking about trying to set him up, but I think he'd kill me. Even so, he's like... incredible, right? I want him to be as happy as I am. Plus, if he finds his soulmate here, then I know he's not going to move back to... well, here." Addie glanced around, meaning Bangor. "I know there's not a lot of options in Point Pleasant but I know so many cute guys. Gay ones," she added quickly, with a grin at Nick. "Silas deserves to be happy."
“No shit, he’s amazing,” Nick wholeheartedly agreed, shooting her another grin. “I can’t see him throwing some crazy rager, but like ... something sophisticated, you know? Jazz and wine or whatever.” He tittered as he pulled on an undershirt and then the button down over top of it. Nick’s stomach was starting to fill with butterflies -- they were almost ready to go out to dinner, where he was going to propose. “Do you know any really classy gays in town?” he asked lightly. “Who would you hook him up with if you could? I feel like he’s got to be really picky and have a type, right?” He adored Silas to death, but he was obviously a man of particular tastes. Nick liked all of Addie’s friends who he’d met so far, but he didn’t know the ins and outs of who was single or what.
Addie grabbed her hair brush and makeup bag - not that it had much inside of it - and headed for the bathroom, humming thoughtfully at Nick's question. "I don't know. I mean, everyone has a type, right? But Silas... he needs someone who's so not like him. He needs someone who pulls him out of his comfort zone. I'm not saying someone who's the opposite of classy, because that would be bad." She set her bag on the basin counter and began to brush out her damp hair. "But I think opposites attract and that would really work for Silas. It's just finding the right person." Her eyes widened as she glanced out the bathroom door at Nick. "Ooh, I could be like Emma and play matchmaker. I'll find someone in town and set it all up. How much fun would that be?"
Nick hovered around the entrance to the bathroom while he tucked his shirts in and got himself buttoned up and situated. He’d run his fingers through his hair a few times after he’d gotten out of the shower, and that was enough grooming for him. He liked that Addie wasn’t huge on doing a lot of makeup or elaborate hairstyles -- she was completely gorgeous with her natural face and hair, in his humble opinion. Nick snickered at her matchmaker suggestion and leaned in the bathroom doorway while he slipped his belt on. “I’m amazed you haven’t done it already, if I’m being honest,” he commented, amused. “I see what you mean about his taste though, and I’ll start keeping an eye out for some like ... gentleman adventurer type? A high class party boy?” Nick grinned. “I’ll help you set up interviews with all the gay single guys.”
Excitement sparked in Addie's eyes as she went back to the mirror, quickly pinning the sides of her hair up away from her face. She ought to dry her hair completely, but she was feeling lazy and it looked fine to her at the moment. "High class party boy. I can see Silas seeing him as being stuck up though, which is hilarious to me." It was amusing that she was already judging these non-existent men for her brother. "But yeah, I mean, if you do meet or know any single gay guys, send them to me! I don't want Silas to end up a spinster with five cats. He needs to be in love and have only one cat. Maybe two. I can already see him rolling his eyes at us right now." She put on some lip gloss and called it a day in her head. She had tried once to do the whole makeup routine, but god, it was tedious and she had never really had the kind of life where she felt like she needed to dress up and do all of that. Usually she only wore makeup on funeral days. "Ready?" she asked, smiling as she stepped out of the bathroom to push up on her toes and give Nick a kiss. God, he looked so good and Addie had to ignore the urge to rip off his button down.
It was obvious that they were going to have to put together a pros and cons list for potential men for Silas, and develop some interview questions and really get it down to a science, maybe even get an application drawn up ... he was sure Silas would be mortified and disown both of them if they really did all that, but it was amusing to consider at least. He could picture himself and Addie sitting at a desk with a camera on the interviewee, peppering him with questions like they were cops doing an interrogation. Nick smiled against the kiss, his hands on Addie’s waist, and he had to fight off the same urge to just toss her on the bed and get this evening started early. He told himself Addie deserved a romantic proposal from him, not just an impulsive thing in bed. He’d made special reservations, this dinner had to happen. “Ready to be done and back here with you,” he murmured in answer, and gave her a hug before making room so she could come out. Once they had all their stuff together, he escorted his soon-to-be fiancee out of the hotel room and down to the lobby to hop in the car and head toward where he would permanently change the course of their lives. Hopefully.
Addie fully intended on telling Silas what she planned to do, though he would probably assume, and hope, she was joking. Maybe she wouldn't be too obvious about it, but she would definitely keep an eye out for a potential Silas-boyfriend. But right now, she was re-focusing on Nick and their night together. She loved food, so she was excited to eat at a new restaurant and Addie was fidgety the whole car ride to dinner. It was very clear to her that she needed to take more vacations, preferably with Nick. She'd just never had much of a reason to before, with work and her brother living out of town, her dad sick and her mom gone. And Elijah, well... she didn't want to think about that right now. Sometimes when she was with Nick, she forgot about all of the family secrets. She certainly didn't want to think about them tonight. "So where are we going?" she asked, clasping her hands in her lap to try and keep still. "What kind of restaurant is it?"
“It’s seafood,” Nick answered, glancing over at her from behind the wheel. “But you know, kinda upscale. It’s a pretty new place I think, but the reviews were good, so I hope it doesn’t suck.” He’d looked at practically every restaurant in Bangor ... which wasn’t some metropolitan wonderland of eateries to choose from. There had been a couple of hipster-y gastropub type places he’d considered, but that hadn’t felt right for a proposal. Nick had been looking for romance, and the nicest lobster place in town had been accommodating to what he’d asked for when he’d called. He knew Addie liked wine and good food, and she was going to get plenty of both tonight. Nick wanted her as happy as she could possibly be. He reached over to take one of Addie’s hands. “You look beautiful tonight,” he said with another look to his right, smiling faintly. She looked beautiful all the time to him, but he especially enjoyed how she looked in dresses.
Oh she loved seafood. When she went to the Boathouse she would often get the crab cakes, because yum. So she was happy about Nick's choice, as was her stomach. As soon as Nick took her hand, Addie slipped her fingers through his and gave him a smile. "Thanks," she said, her cheeks warming with the compliment. "You look really good too. We should get dressed up more often." She loved him wearing everything, and nothing, but damn he looked really good when he wore a nice shirt and pants. "I'll take any reason to wear a dress that's not because I have a funeral to help plan."
“We really should,” Nick agreed with a chuckle, rubbing his thumb against her knuckles. “We could be the best looking couple in town.” They probably already were, in Nick’s completely biased opinion. It really baffled him sometimes how Addie hadn’t been snatched up by some guy already by this point in her life -- but he was grateful she’d been single when he’d met her. Nick wasn’t a big believer in fate, but all of this felt like it was meant to be on some level. She was perfect for him, and he was truly looking forward to marrying her and spending the rest of their lives together. The drive wasn’t too long, thankfully, and Nick went around to the passenger side of the car to open the door for his lady. He stole a kiss as she got out, then flashed her a smile.
After he gave his name at the hostess station, they were led through the restaurant and up some stairs toward the special party room he’d booked. It only had one table in it now, placed in front of a set of open french doors that led to a little balcony that had a nice view of the city and a pleasant breeze coming in. The room had dozens of extra candles in it with the lights dimmed, a bouquet of flowers off to one side, and a bottle of wine already waiting for them in a silver ice bucket. Nick moved to pull Addie’s chair out for her, smiling as he watched her take it all in.
Addie was certainly surprised when they entered the private room. It was romantic and it was clear Nick had set up more than just a simple restaurant reservation. It didn't occur to her that anything monumental would occur tonight, just that Nick was spoiling her in the best way. "This is crazy," Addie said as she sat, looking out the double doors at the city. "Crazy in a good way, obviously. This is really beautiful." She beamed and watched Nick take his seat. "You didn't have to do all of this, but I'm not going to complain that you did." Because no boyfriend had ever gone to this kind of trouble for her before. Sure, she had gotten gifts and flowers, but this was definitely next level stuff. Her cheeks were going to be so sore at the end of the night from smiling so much. "I love it."
Nick settled in on his side of the table and beamed back at her. He could feel the ring box in his pants pocket -- snuck in there while Addie was in the bathroom getting ready -- and Nick was so tempted to get down on one knee immediately, now that they were here. But he told himself to wait, to be patient, to let Addie get some food and wine in her first. His perfect moment would come. “Good,” Nick answered as he reached for the wine bottle. There were empty glasses already on the table, and he poured into Addie’s before his own. “That’s what I was going for.” It didn’t seem so crazy to him, but Nick was finding that he enjoyed making big romantic gestures when he was actually in love with someone. And this was going to be a big one. “Just trying to create an atmosphere as beautiful as you,” he added, giving Addie a wink and a grin.
Yes, her cheeks were definitely going to be sore, but that was okay. Addie was a generally happy person but she had never been this happy before, and it was a feeling she hoped would never end. "You succeeded," she said with a playful flip of her hair over her shoulder. She picked up her wine glass and sighed. It smelled heavenly. Addie clinked her glass to Nick's before taking a sip. It tasted heavenly too. She couldn't wait to text Zach and tell him all about this. It was so nice to be able to gush to a friend about a man instead of moping. Even upstairs Addie could smell the food from the restaurant and her stomach rumbled again. She set her glass down to pick up the menu. "I'm so hungry, oh my god. Do they have crab cakes? I think I really want crab cakes. My mom used to make them for dinner when I was younger. It's funny to me now, because she would get crab, which is pretty expensive, right? And then she would make crab cakes with mac and cheese from the box. But it was so good. That might just be memories, but you know what I mean, right?"
“Hey, there is nothing wrong with yellow cheese powder from the box,” Nick said, and though his tone was cheeky, he meant it. He had money now, but he hadn’t always, and he’d grown up on cheap food. “Get you as many crab cakes as you want, darlin’.” He’d picked up his own menu, but the nervous butterflies in his stomach made it difficult to decide what he actually wanted to eat. He was normally a man with a big appetite, so he hoped Addie wouldn’t notice if he wasn’t digging into his food immediately. He was glad that she was hungry, it affirmed his decision to wait until after they’d eaten to get down on his knee. Nick was planning on doing it between the main course and dessert, and it already seemed like an eternity away. By the time their waitress came to check on them and get their orders, Nick had settled on a sirloin steak he probably wouldn’t be able to finish. Once she was gone again, he turned another smile on Addie. “I’m gonna take you to New York or something soon, so we can go real high class with the crab cakes.”
Addie had gone with the crab cakes, but instead of Kraft mac and cheese, she ordered a side of truffle mac and cheese. When they were alone again, Addie took a sip of her wine, savoring the taste of it. Most of her wine at home she bought for less than five dollars, so this was all a really nice treat. The mention of New York prompted her to smile as she set her wine glass down. "Ooh, high class and high class crab cakes. That sounds like fun. I've always wanted to see New York City during Christmas. The tree and skating and all that. We should go. The winters there can't be any worse than they are in Point Pleasant." Addie had always imagined her life remaining solely in Point Pleasant, but Nick had traveled a lot and now she could see herself traveling with him, either for work or for fun. She didn't want to get ahead of herself, but Addie already had a feeling that life with Nick would be everything she wanted it to be.
Nick was very much in favor of spending Christmas in New York, or at least some portion of the holiday season there. He felt it was a good sign that Addie was assuming they would still be together then -- hell, maybe they would be married by then. Could you plan a wedding in five months? Nick wasn’t even sure. He supposed it depended on how elaborate Addie wanted to make things. He expressed his approval of that idea, and they fell into chatting while they waited on their food. Nick’s nerves grew and grew, but he tried not to let it show -- which he was fairly good at, considering how much stage fright he’d overcome in the course of his career. Even though he wasn’t terribly hungry, Nick was grateful when there was food in front of them, as it gave him something to do with his hands. He poured them another round of wine, and let Addie talk to her heart’s content for a while, putting in his two cents where it seemed warranted. He was listening, but it was hard to listen while he watched how much food she had left on her plate and tried to judge when he should make the move.
It wasn’t until the waitress came to take their plates that Nick felt ready to start. She asked about dessert, and he requested a few more minutes to think about it. Nick thought he saw a knowing smile cross her face, but his eyes were mostly on Addie. Once they were alone again, he reached across the table for Addie’s hand. “Hey babe,” he murmured warmly, a smile on his own face. “You know I love you, right?”
The food was amazing so Addie ate it happily, trying not to completely devour her plate, but it was difficult. Thankfully she had plenty to talk about, so she did, rambling aimlessly in between bites and sips of her wine. Nick never seemed annoyed with her when she talked this much, and she knew that he actually listened, which was appreciated. She had exes and friends whose eyes would glaze over when she got started in on a topic she was passionate about. When dinner was more or less finished, Addie thanked the waitress when she took their plates and she finished her wine, setting her glass down just as Nick reached across to take her hand. She lifted a brow, but smiled. "Of course I do. And I love you back." She hoped this wasn't a precursor to bad news. You know I love you, but... Was definitely a thing, but this night had been too magical for it to be leading to something terrible.
Nick loved Addie’s passion, and the way she seemed unselfconscious about saying whatever was on her mind ... and that was the kind of thing he wanted to make sure she knew he appreciated. He’d been rolling the words he wanted to use around in his mind, over and over until they were smooth and slippery like rocks. Nick felt a little like he should’ve written something down to read to her, some deep and beautiful essay on his feelings, but at the same time he felt like this should be more organic and off the cuff. Just so Addie knew these were his raw emotions. His smile widened at her answer, and he rubbed at her fingers and knuckles with his thumb, a weird shyness stealing over him.
“Well ... that makes me really happy, that you do,” he started, and cleared his throat a bit. Under the table, Nick dipped his free hand into his pocket to pull out the velvet ring box, keeping his fingers curled tight around it. “You’ve changed my life in so many incredible ways. You’ve become the best friend I’ve ever had, I trust you to the ends of the earth, you make every day I get to see you so bright and awesome ...” Nick felt like he could go on and on about how amazing Addie was and how much he loved her, but his heart was about to pound out of his chest, and he could tell his hands were getting sweaty. Without letting go of her fingers, Nick pushed his chair back and slid out from behind the table, lowering himself down to one knee beside it. He wet his lips and flipped open the ring box. “I wanna see you every possible moment of every day. I love you, Adalyn. Will you marry me?”
Addie would have probably caught onto what was happening if she hadn't had two glasses of wine with dinner, but as it was, she just smiled at Nick, warmth filling her belly at his lovely words. Everything he felt for her she felt for him too and she was about to say so until he was suddenly on his knee and holding a ring box in front of her. Addie blinked at the ring, then to Nick's face, then back to the ring. It suddenly dawned on her that he was proposing. Proposing. Was she hallucinating? As badly as she wanted it to happen, she hadn't thought it really would, at least not for a while. Nick hadn't seemed ready yet. But he was ready now because he was proposing. Realizing she hadn't spoken yet, Addie felt the growing lump in her throat pause just long enough for her to make an affirmative noise, joy bursting deep in her gut as she threw her arms around him, nearly coming out of her chair. "Yes," she managed, hoping he understood as much as she clung to him. "Oh my god, yes."
Nick felt more than ready now. He’d tied up the only loose end he’d had in his life, the biggest secret he had to keep, and now he was a completely free man. He was ready to move forward, and he wanted to do that with Addie. That brief moment of silence between his last word and the sound Addie made felt like it took an eternity, the nerves rioting in Nick’s stomach. It was ridiculous -- he knew she loved him and wanted to get married, it wasn’t like he thought she would say no, but the anxiety was still high. The tension popped like a bubble though, and all those nerves immediately turned into unbridled joy. Nick laughed a bit as their bodies connected, his arms locking around her in a tight hug. It was a resounding yes! He squeezed Addie and let out a ‘thank god’ that was muffled in Addie’s shoulder. Nick just held on for another few heartbeats, then pulled back enough to kiss her.
The world felt so surreal to Addie at that moment. Had she ever felt this happy before? It was like joy was bursting from every inch of her, and she smiled against Nick's mouth. There was the thought, and the hope, that this would happen eventually but Addie didn't think it would be for a while, maybe even years. As badly as she wanted to get married, she was willing to wait for Nick to be ready too. And god, she hoped he was and this wasn't just to make her happy. "I love you," she murmured, cupping his face and kissing him again. The urge to look more clearly at the ring suddenly surfaced and she pulled back a little to look at it, still in the ring box in his hand. "I feel like I'm dreaming," she said, her cheek muscles sore now, from all the smiling. Her heart was racing too, but in the very best way.
“I love you,” Nick answered with soft feeling. His own face felt ready to split in two, he was smiling so hard. With a little laugh, he looked down at the box in his hand too when Addie did. “Guess this part comes next,” he murmured as he plucked the ring out of its velvet. The ring wasn’t the most elaborate or expensive, but he thought it was beautiful -- a white-gold band with an oval sapphire set into a little ring of diamonds, the center stone almost a dead ringer for the color of Addie’s eyes. Still beaming, Nick took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. It looked slightly big, but the lady had said they could get it resized, so Nick wasn’t too concerned. He just hoped she liked what he’d picked out. Silas had given his approval, and that meant a lot, but it wasn’t a complete guarantee.
It was a gorgeous ring, one she had a feeling she would be staring at a lot. It was just a smidge too big, but not so much that there was the possibility it would fall off. They would get it sized down a bit, though Addie knew she would have difficulty wanting to take it off for any reason. "I love it so much," she said, wanting Nick to know that she absolutely approved of his choice. Kissing him again, she wished they could just teleport back to the hotel. Right now she wanted to cling to him and never let go. When she looked at the ring again, she laughed softly. "Silas is going to freak out. Unless... he already knows?" Addie arched a brow curiously. It wouldn't have surprised her if Nick had spoken to Nick and her dad before all of this was planned.
Relief flooded Nick’s insides to mix with all of the giddy joy. He’d never thought he would get married in the first place, much less be so thrilled just at successfully proposing. He knew Addie hadn’t seen it coming, not after their last brief discussion about tying the knot. He hadn’t been ready then, with the Foundation still hanging over his head, but now he was a free and clear man, and he wanted this, wanted Addie and to join her life and bring her fully into his. He still couldn’t quite be honest about what he’d had to wrap up, but hopefully it was all behind them now. Nick gave a sheepish laugh and nodded a bit. “Yeah, I wanted to get his opinion on the ring,” he admitted. Silas was probably going to act surprised at first for Addie’s benefit, but he might as well be honest. “And get his blessing, you know? I know how close y’all are.”
A small part of Addie wondered what had changed Nick's mind in the past month to want to get married, but she didn't really want to ask and honestly, as long as he was sure, she didn't care either. She knew him well enough now to know he wouldn't have proposed if he hadn't wanted to. Her smile widened at the thought of Nick asking Silas for his blessing, and opinion on the ring. Her brother had probably been as shocked as she was. "That's really sweet of you," she said. "I wish he wasn't so good at keeping secrets. We've worked together practically every day and I had no idea. Though I love the surprise." She pressed her forehead to his. "You still want dessert?"
Nick felt a rush of gratitude for his prim and proper future-brother-in-law. Maybe it was easy for Silas to keep secrets, Nick didn’t have any other context to judge, but he’d kept mum to preserve this surprise for Addie, and Nick loved him even more for it. She’d completely deserved the shocked joy he’d just gotten to see. Nick chuckled and nuzzled his head to hers, a grin on his lips. “Only if it’s your naked body, covered in chocolate syrup and whipped cream,” he murmured with a hopeful note in his voice. Then Nick huffed some amusement again and squeezed Addie’s hand. “I’m good with staying through dessert though, if you want to.” He got the feeling she wouldn’t care about it, but he didn’t want to rush her off either.
Addie laughed, torn between finding the image erotic and also quite sticky. "Maybe we could take dessert to go?" she asked, wanting the treat but also wanting to be alone with Nick. More alone, anyway. Afterward, they could eat something sweet in bed together. The light glinted off of her ring and she felt her heart skip a beat again. She couldn't wait to text Silas and Zach pictures of it. Silas had already seen it, but he hadn't seen it on her finger, which was totally different! "Maybe we can get two desserts to go. Might as well go all in."
That sounded like a perfect compromise, and Nick grunted his agreement. He leaned in to steal another kiss from Addie’s lips, then got to his feet again. He never minded being on his knees for her, but they were getting older and more unhappy with bearing his weight these days. That faint doubt that he was too old for Addie fluttered in his mind again, but it was fleeting and quiet tonight. She’d said yes! She wanted to marry him, and she knew exactly how old he was. He just hoped she wouldn’t have regrets ten or fifteen years down the line when he was really slowing down and she was still vibrant and young. Health was never a guarantee with any couple, though ... Nick just wanted to make her happy for as long as he could. “I’ll find the waitress,” he said, flashing her another smile. He also wanted to thank her and the manager for setting it all up, and give some extra tips out.
Addie wasn't thinking at all about their age difference. It had never bothered her before, except when she wondered if he would want kids, and it didn't bother her now. She loved him now and she would love him twenty years from now. Longer, even. While Nick was finding the waitress, Addie quickly sent pictures of her ring to her brother and then Zach. She would tell her dad when they got home, of course, but she didn't think he would be upset about it. Addie could tell Edgar liked Nick and had already more or less welcomed him into the family. Elijah crossed her mind briefly, but Addie didn't want to think about anything that would spoil the evening. So she pushed that aside, deciding to wait until another time to tell Nick all about her other brother. When Nick returned, they got their dessert and paid the bill before walking hand in hand from the restaurant. It was such a lovely night and Addie breathed in the fresh air. "Is it bad that I don't want this to end?" she asked, squeezing Nick's hand. "I mean, obviously it has to... and we'll have to go home... but it's been so long since I've had a night this perfect."
“Is it bad to want to keep feeling fantastic? Hmmmm,” Nick mused like he was really trying to figure out the answer, even though he was grinning. He even tapped his finger against his chin, then laughed and squeezed Addie’s hand in return. “No, it’s not bad. I wish I could make it last forever too.” They’d reached the car, and he paused to bend down and give her a kiss before he pulled the door open for her. “The night is still young though, plenty of time for more perfection.” And he planned to make it as perfect for her as he could. Addie had already made him insanely happy by saying yes, now he wanted to blow her mind in a different way. Once she was in, Nick jogged around to the driver’s side to climb in and take them back to the hotel. “You’re going to be the most beautiful bride in the universe, you know that, right?” he murmured as he started up the engine and glanced over at Addie. “Smartest, too. And most fun. Like some ... anti-bridezilla.”
Of course, as a child, Addie had thought about what kind of wedding she would want and have when she got older. It was always poofy dresses and tons of flowers and extravagant things. Her tastes had simplified since then thankfully, and now she just wanted to make it as easy as possible... but still have fun with it. She was glad Nick seemed to know she wouldn't Hulk out about wedding planning, because she wanted his input on the whole thing too. They were both busy people and Addie couldn't imagine trying to plan a wedding on her own. "I'll try to be all of those things," she said with a grin. "And I'll get to see you in a suit, or a tux, and that alone gets me all hot and bothered. I'll have to try and get through the day without jumping you in front of everyone."
Nick had no doubt that his bride would stay sweet and smart and fun and beautiful -- that was just who she was, she couldn’t help her nature. Even if she got stressed and testy during wedding planning, Nick wouldn’t care. That was a normal thing that happened to pretty much everyone planning a wedding, as far as he knew. They would get through it and make the event everything they wanted it to be, he felt sure. Nick laughed a bit as he pulled out of the parking spot and headed toward the road again. “I’m sure you won’t be alone in that, my dear,” he said. “... not that other people are going to want to jump me, just that the desire to jump will be mutual, so. Maybe we’ll just have to take a break during the reception or something.” He had no idea yet what their wedding would be like, but having a private room somewhere to take a breather and enjoy one another sounded like a Must now.
"We can take as many breaks as you want," Addie said, definitely on board with sneaking away during the whole thing. Everything felt so surreal at the moment. The fact that she had met Nick in the first place and then they had fallen in love and now they were getting married and it was like a dream she never wanted to wake up from. There were so many things to talk about, but she didn't want to dive into any of them just yet. Addie looked down at her ring, still beaming. "When did you decide to propose?" she wondered aloud. It wasn't that long ago that he hadn't been ready and while Addie had thought she didn't really care, she was still kind of curious.
Their wedding was going to be whatever they wanted it to be, Nick felt sure. That was one benefit to not having a bunch of overly-invested family around, they could make all those decisions however they wanted. Silas might have some aesthetic opinions, but Nick was sure he wouldn’t be forceful about it. And hell, maybe they would welcome the help once they got into planning. Nick had never planned a wedding before -- neither had Addie, he was pretty sure, but she definitely had more experience with Events than he did, just on the other side of life. He was idly wondering if she could get them a discount with any florists when she asked the question. Nick’s stomach took a bit of a nervous dip, but he wanted to be as honest as he could. “At the end of my trip to Atlanta,” he answered easily enough. “I tied up my loose ends, and went to buy you a ring that afternoon.” Nick glanced over at her. “I wanted to say yes when you asked.”
Addie wondered what loose ends he had to tie up. She knew he had gone to Atlanta to meet with his editor... or publisher? Someone book-related. Were those loose ends? Maybe, if he was telling them he was relocating permanently. But Addie had no reason to be suspicious of Nick and so she wasn't. She was just thrilled that he wanted to stay in Point Pleasant and marry her. Knowing he wanted to say yes when she had asked him prompted Addie's smile to turn a bit sly. "Yeah, I know. I mean, I was drunk, but I could tell I had you tied around my finger." Okay, so that was a bit of a stretch, but she would rather tease than remember how embarrassing that whole conversation had been after the fact. "I figured if you hadn't wanted to say yes you would have probably disappeared from town that night and never looked back."
“Aw, come on, I would have the decency to have a conversation first,” Nick protested, though his tone stayed light. Whenever she said stuff like that, he had to think that men had just ditched out and run away from her in the past, and it made him angry on her behalf. What kind of immature assholes just abandoned another person without a word? Maybe that was part of why she didn’t mind having a relationship with an older man. Nick reached over to take her hand in his again. “You’re not wrong though, I am definitely tied around these beautiful fingers.” He pulled her hand over to kiss her knuckles, huffing out a soft laugh. “I’m going to be the most whipped husband there ever was.” He was going to try to leave the reason for the delay vague and hope that Addie didn’t ask too many probing questions -- she seemed too happy to do that tonight, and Nick hoped it stayed that way. He just wanted to be clear of it all now, and start a more normal life and family.
Addie would like to think Nick would have told her if it was too much and he wanted to take a step back but men weren't always that forthcoming. Sometimes they just ran and she got used to it. But Nick had stuck around, despite her macabre interests and motor mouth and she loved him all the more for it. "Whipped just means you'll be a good husband," she pointed out, squeezing his hand. "And I already knew that much." No, Addie wasn't super concerned about Atlanta. He had given her an answer, and that was good enough for her now. "We don't have to decide anything right away," she added. "I want to enjoy being engaged for a while. But I also have so many ideas."
Nick smiled and returned the squeeze, pleased that she thought he would be a good husband. Addie probably wouldn’t have said yes to marrying him if that wasn’t the case, but still. He’d never been married before, so having a vote of confidence from his future wife felt good. Future wife, what a head trip. “Yeah?” he asked, grinning again. “Given it a lot of thought already, huh? Or are you just suddenly brimming with inspiration?” He’d always heard that women dreamed about their weddings for most of their lives until it happened, but he’d always kind of thought that had to be another sexist stereotype -- surely not all women did that. Addie was a hopeless romantic though, so it wouldn’t have surprised him if she was one of them.
Addie shrugged, still smiling. "I mean, when I was little I had tons of ridiculous ideas. It's easy to do when you have no concept of money. Getting older, I would see things I liked, or whatever. In the era of Pinterest and Instagram, it's hard not to be inspired." She didn't want anything super extravagant, but she definitely wanted it to be romantic. "Like, I know the summer is wedding season. People want to get married outside, or on the beach and with great weather. I've always kind of wanted a winter wedding. I just think it's prettier." She grimaced a bit and laughed. "See, here I go. Not even engaged a day and my brain is racing. If I start to overwhelm you with stuff, just tell me. Or kiss me and shut me up."
So far in his life Nick hadn’t put much of any thought into how he would want his wedding to be -- he hadn’t expected to get married in the first place. So he didn’t really have any preconceived desires ... but he also didn’t want to be one of those fiances who just shrugged at every decision and let his future wife do all the planning work. Nick already knew she had incredible taste, so it was all going to look gorgeous no matter what, he was sure. “I do love to kiss you, but it’s never to shut you up,” Nick assured her, his tone still lightly amused. One of these days she would stop saying such self-deprecating stuff, but it was probably going to take a while. “Planning for a winter wedding would mean we could get married this year,” he went on to point out, squeezing her fingers again. “Instead of waiting ‘til next summer.”
Addie very nearly pointed out that it could also be next winter, but she didn't really want to wait that long, despite saying she wanted to enjoy being engaged. If they got married this year, winter was still a while away but not so far away, like next year. "Do you want to get married this year?" Addie asked. "Because I do." Of course, she didn't want Nick to say yes just to make her happy but she had a feeling he would be honest with her if he preferred to wait. Honestly, a part of her just wanted to hop on a plane and go to Vegas and do it surrounded by lights and camp and Elvis impersonators. But she also wanted a pretty dress and her dad and brother to be there, so... she was willing to wait a bit to get it right.
Nick was still riding the high of proposing and he couldn’t fathom any reason to hold off on the wedding for longer than it took to plan it. If his Addie wanted to get married in the winter, he wanted to marry her this winter. “I definitely want to get married this year,” Nick told her, glancing over with a warm smile on his face. “If that’s enough time to plan out the kind of wedding you want.” He felt like he would be content with something small and intimate, just family and friends, maybe even a potluck, but mostly he wanted to make Addie happy and give her everything she wanted. Nick could definitely afford it if she wanted something lavish, he just wasn’t sure they could be patient enough to put that kind of event together. “All I care about is making you happy, sweetheart.”
Addie had no idea what kind of wedding she wanted. It was all a jumbled mess of wants in her head but she knew once she settled and started really thinking about it, it would come together. One thing she did know, she could absolutely plan it in a few months. For a moment, she felt a pang of sadness in her chest, knowing her mom wasn't there to help. Silas would step in that role without a word, she knew that, but it was hard not to think about how happy her mom would be for her had she still been alive. "That's definitely enough time," Addie said before she leaned over the console to kiss Nick's cheek and then nuzzle his neck. "And you do make me happy. All the time. I want to make you happy too, especially tonight."
Her lips and nose gave Nick happy tingles all the way down his body, and he smiled at the road in front of them, one hand leaving the wheel to gently pet the side of her face. “I have zero doubt that we’ll both be blissful tonight,” he murmured. His cock certainly seemed confident of that, stirring in the front of his pants as more of his nervous system woke up. It was beyond tempting to just pull off somewhere to make out with Addie in the car, but they had a very comfy and pricey hotel room waiting on them, he could be patient. Nick dipped his hand lower to caress one of her breasts though, always happy for the opportunity to cop a feel. It wasn’t long before he was pulling them into the hotel parking lot again, and he was glad for it, his patience wearing thin. Nick was eager to be upstairs and inside with his fiancee.