The Heart of Tomorrow (Book Two) (The Tomorrow Series 2) (15 page)

“Thank you,” I said, kissing him softly. “I love you, Drew.”

“And I adore you,” he replied, reaching over and kissing me before we snuggled back under the covers. He ran his fingertips over my arm until he fell asleep. It didn’t take him long, but I wasn’t so lucky. I kept wondering if I’d actually go through with it…with applying to graduate school. As I lay in his arms, my mind drifted to a conversation I’d had with Drew when he and I were just getting to know each other…when I was trying to understand my feelings for Ethan and for him. He’d told me I needed to live my life for me so I had the life I wanted. I hadn’t realized then how important those words would become.

Twenty-One

I was leaving for New York the next morning and Drew had gone into the office for a little while. I’d spent the morning packing and then researched a few colleges. He called me as he was heading back to the hotel and asked if I’d go with him on a drive up the coast since we’d missed out on our chance earlier in my visit.

I was glad we were keeping it causal. I didn’t need to do anything fancy. I just wanted to spend the afternoon with Drew because neither of us knew when we’d be together again. 

He returned to the hotel around noon and I was ready to go in a black maxi skirt and blue tank top, my sides pinned back with my wavy hair hanging past my shoulders.

“I’ll be ready in just a second,” he assured me when he walked in, kissing me on the cheek and quickly changing into a pair of khaki shorts and a t-shirt.

A few minutes later we were in the car, making our way towards the coast. He held my hand as we drove and somehow the traffic gods had shined on us and it didn’t take us long to leave the city behind us.

“Have you started looking at schools yet?” he asked after a while.

“I did a little this morning.”

“Can I ask where?” I knew this was his way of seeing if I was entertaining his thoughts of me coming out to California.

“Mostly New York,” I told him, deciding for some reason not to tell him I’d even checked out a few schools in Iowa strictly out of curiosity.

“None on the West Coast then?”

“No. I thought the game plan was that you’d return to New York as soon as possible.”

“Oh, it most definitely is, but if you wanted to look out here, I wouldn’t be opposed and I could make adjustments in my home base until you’re done.”

I thought about pressing him and asking where he preferred, but I decided against it. I’d only just decided to even consider going back to school. I didn’t need to answer all these questions at once.

“You’ll let me know if you need any help, right?”

“Of course I will,” I said, squeezing his hand.

“You’re still thinking of going into journalism?”

“Yeah. The more I think about it, the more I could see myself doing that.”

He glanced away from the road for a second and I saw the smile on his face before he concentrated back on the road.

“I can definitely see you pursuing it.”

“You really think I’d be good at it?”

“Oh yeah,” he grinned at me again, raising his eyebrow for a second. “You’d be the hottest anchor on TV.”

I started laughing.

“Anchor? That’s quite a lofty goal.”

“If you’re going to dream, you might as well dream big, right?” he asked.

I felt a smile spreading on my face as I thought about his words.

“Yeah, I guess you should.”

He squeezed my hand and I turned my body so I was leaning against the door, allowing me to watch him as he drove. His free hand was gripping the wheel while he stared ahead, a content smile still on his face. I loved seeing him so at peace and that peace was spreading to me. I’d been nervous to talk to him about graduate school, but his encouragement was helping me think I might actually succeed.

“What is it?” he asked, glancing over to me with a grin before looking back at the road.

“Just thinking how lucky I am.”

“You’ve got it so wrong, Natalie,” he said, his tone changing from the lighthearted one of earlier to one with deep seriousness. “I’m the lucky one.”

He kissed the back of my hand just as I noticed we were entering Santa Barbara. He pulled off the highway into a parking lot overlooking the ocean. There was no denying it was beautiful. The water was crystal blue and tall rocky cliffs touched the shore.

“I thought this would be a nice place to get out and grab something to eat,” he said, turning off the car.

“Sounds good. I’m hungry,” I said, stepping out into the cool air.

It wasn’t as warm here as it’d been in L.A. and I reached in, grabbing the cardigan I’d brought with me just in case. I thought Drew would be waiting for me at the front of the car, but he went to the trunk instead and I was surprised to see him pull a fancy looking basket out.

“What’s that?” I asked him as a smile spread on his face.

“It’s our lunch…well, I’m not sure it can be classified as lunch. It is after two o’clock,” he said, walking up to me.

“A picnic?”

“I thought it’d be nice.”

“When did you have time to pack a picnic?”

“You forget my mantra, Natalie. Why do something yourself when you can pay someone to do it?” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Mya told me about this shop that does this kind of stuff. I thought it’d be nice.”

“It is. It’s very sweet.”

“Shall we then?” he asked and I nodded, linking arms with him as we made our way down to the beach.

My feet sunk in as we walked and I looked around. It wasn’t crowded, but we definitely weren’t alone. I thought we’d find a spot close by, but Drew kept walking, almost like he knew exactly where he was going. The farther we walked, the less populated the beach appeared to be and soon Drew stopped and looked around.

“How does this spot look?”

“It’s beautiful,” I said as I took in the tall cliffs and crystal water.

“I thought you’d like it.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“I haven’t done much since getting to California, but one Sunday when I was feeling particularly lonely and missing you,” he said, looking over to me with a smile. “I decided to take a drive and I came across this place and I knew I had to bring you here. I’m sure there’s more exciting places to go, but we’ll have to wait until your next visit.”

He smiled at me as he set the picnic basket in the sand and sat down. I sat across from him, watching as he laid out the spread.

“Please be honest with me, Drew,” I said and his head jerked up and stopped what he was doing.

“What about?”

“L.A. and if when you’ll be coming back for good.”

I saw the way the lines formed on his forehead. That was the look he gave when he was troubled. I didn’t like that look.

“I really don’t know,” he said gently and I nodded, appreciative of his honesty.

“It’s hard being in the city without you. It’s lonely.”

“It’s lonely here too,” he said and I sometimes forgot he was missing me just as badly as I was missing him. “I’m glad you agreed to come out.”

“Me too.”

“And what’d you think of L.A.?”

“It’s okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Yes. Just okay,” I answered and I could see my response had worried him. “Could you live here forever?”

“No. I’m definitely an East Coast guy, but I think it could be fun for a little while,” he said and it was quiet as he finished unloading the contents of the picnic basket.

“This is quite a spread,” I said, perusing the selection of finger sandwiches and side dishes.

“Let’s just hope it tastes good,” he said as we started eating.

Drew’s hope came true because it was good and I ate more than I expected. When we were done, we cleaned up the leftovers and tucked everything back into the basket. We left it on the sand and Drew stood up, holding his hand out to me. I took it and he held it tightly as we started walking along the shore, the waves rolling in to within inches of overtaking our feet.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately,” he said as we continued to walk.

“Anything I can help with?”

“Actually, yes,” he said, stopping so suddenly I hadn’t realized it and I continued walking until I felt my arm jerk back and I turned to see Drew standing firmly in the sand.

“Are you okay?”

“I thought about making some big production of this…of trying to impress everyone, but then I realized this isn’t about anyone else. This is about you and me and that’s all. I wanted a special moment between us. One place that was ours alone that no one else knows about. A memory just for us.”

“What are you talking about, Drew?” I was confused by what he was saying, but he just kept talking.

“There are very few basic principles in life, ideas where there is no argument or question…that something simply is, but when it comes to you, Natalie, it’s quite simple. I love you.”

He reached over, taking my hand in his as he glided down onto one knee, staring up adoringly at me, his face never having looked so peaceful as my heart thundered in my chest. I could feel myself start to tremble and a lump burned in my throat as I realized what he was doing.

“I’m the luckiest man alive to have you in my life. How I got so lucky to have you walk into my office that day, I’ll never know. I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you, but I didn’t expect you to change my life, Natalie…to show me what it feels like to finally be loved. I’ve never been so happy and the only thing that could make me happier is if you’d do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

My hand was full on shaking as he held onto it, reaching into his pocket with his other one and pulling out a pale blue box I recognized instantly from Tiffany & Co. He pried open the lid and I gasped when I saw it. It was exquisite and the most beautiful piece of jewelry I’d ever laid eyes on.

“Natalie, will you marry me?”

His voice was strong and he was steady as I was about to turn into a blubbering mess. I couldn’t speak, but I didn’t have to think, so I nodded forcefully and he stabled my hand enough to slide the ring on. It was a perfect fit and I tried staring down at it through my tears, but it was too blurry and when I blinked, the tears streamed down my face. He stood up and I threw my arms around him, holding on tightly because I knew this had to be a dream. Any minute I’d wake up in my bed back in Iowa and realize the last seven months had been nothing but a concoction of my mind. I’d realize Drew Saben didn’t exist and I was still the same simple girl from Cedar Rapids, but when I felt his arms around me, holding me tight, and the feeling didn’t disappear, I accepted that I wasn’t dreaming. He was real and this whole painful, wonderful experience had been real.

~~~

I think I floated the whole way home. Once I’d calmed down, I couldn’t stop staring at my engagement ring. It was perfect. The diamond encrusted platinum band held a large cushion cut diamond that was surrounded by smaller diamonds. I cringed to think how much it had cost him, but he’d wanted me to have it and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stop looking at it.

When we got back to the hotel, it was nearly dark and I had an early flight to catch, but neither of us wanted the night to end. He made love to me, long and slow, and it felt different this time. We’d made a commitment to spend the rest of our lives together and it was as if he was trying to show that promise as his body moved over mine, possessive almost…as if staking his claim on me.

“I want to feel you forever,” he whispered into my ear as we moved together.

“And you will,” I moaned back, neither of us wanting to think about that fact I’d soon be on the other side of the country.

We couldn’t think about that. We had right now and that was all that mattered. For the next few hours, we would give ourselves wholly to each other and hope that feeling was enough to get us through until the next time we were together. When we were done, we lay in each other’s arms and I don’t think either of us slept because neither of us wanted to miss out on a moment together. He pulled open the curtain and we watched the sunrise together, something we’d never done. I glanced down at my ring once more before looking up and meeting his eyes. He smiled at me and I couldn’t believe that soon I would call this man my husband. 

Twenty-Two

When I returned to New York and walked into the apartment it felt different and then I looked down at the ring on my finger and I knew that was the reason why. This was our home…my home with Drew and he wanted me to be his wife.

I tried to settle back in without being too distracted by my status as an engaged woman. I didn’t go around broadcasting it, but with the size of the ring, it didn’t take long for people to notice. At work, Ava and Kara grabbed my hand, gaping at it and Court’s reaction was truly priceless.

“Holy shit,” he’d said in an over exaggerated slow voice, grabbing my hand when we met up for lunch the weekend after I got back. “I’d heard a rumor that Mr. Andrew Saben was officially off the market, but I didn’t believe it, but sure as shit, you snagged him. Excellent work, Natalie.”

He proceeded to press me for every detail about the proposal, which I gave him and he immediately started on the wedding planning.

My parents had been shocked, but Drew and I told them together via a group video chat. I wondered how they felt considering they’d never even met my fiancé and it was then Drew came up with the idea of having an engagement party to celebrate. My mom loved the idea and it finally gave them an excuse to come to New York. 

We decided to have a party at the apartment. Unfortunately, with Drew being gone, much of the preparations fell on me. Drew helped as much as he could by setting up the catering and he even hired a designer to come in to decorate. I had to address and send the invitations myself though and I decided we would hire that job out when it came to the wedding.

The best part of the party though was that Drew would be home and this time it was for a week. He’d be here for the party and then go to the main Taylor and Saben office for the rest of his time in New York.

I tried keeping my mind on work instead of constantly thinking about picking up Drew at the airport at eight o’clock. My stomach was a jumble of excited nerves when it was finally time to go home and I quickly gathered my things and headed out.

Ava was outside her office and she grinned when she saw me.

“Can we expect you to be sick tomorrow?” she said, forming air quotes around the word sick.

“No. I’ll be here. I may be tired, but I’ll be here.” A smile spread on my face thinking about being with Drew in just a few hours.

“I’m sure you will be. Have fun,” she said and I quickened my pace to get home.

I wanted to shower and get myself ready to see Drew. It’d been nearly a month since we’d seen each other and I wanted to look nice for him. I had the outfit planned out and how I’d do my hair, but that was all contingent if I could get home in time to eat dinner and get ready.

I waited impatiently as the elevator seemed to move at a snail’s pace. The doors eventually opened though and I quickly punched in the code. I heard the door click and I pushed it open, eager to get inside. I stopped in my tracks though when I was greeted with a sea of voices and not the empty apartment I’d anticipated. My mouth must’ve been hanging to the floor when I spotted my father and brother sitting on the couch while Drew and my mother were cooking something in the kitchen.

“What the…” I said, stopping myself before I could get the word hell out.

All of their heads whipped around and stared at me. My eyes went directly to Drew who shot me a playful smirk before my mother’s voice broke the silence.

“Surprise!” she sang out, leaving her post at the kitchen, crossing the great room and wrapping her arms around me. I hadn’t seen my family since I moved to New York City and I wasn’t expecting to see them until tomorrow night.

“Mom…what…what are you doing here already?” I asked when she’d let me go and I dropped my bag by the door.

“What are you talking about, Natalie? You knew we were arriving today.”

“No. You’re supposed to be here tomorrow. You’re supposed to be here on Friday.”

“No, dear. Thursday.”

There was no way I’d gotten the dates mixed up. I didn’t do things like that, but when I pulled out my phone to retrieve their reservation, sure enough I had.

“I could’ve sworn it was tomorrow.”

“We can leave if you want us too,” she laughed.

“No. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve just had a lot of my mind I guess. I’m sorry. It’s good to see you,” I said, giving her another hug.

My dad and my brother, Wes, stood up then, greeting me with a hug and I had to admit it felt strange having them here in the little world I’d created for myself. My eyes moved to Drew then who was still smiling at me from the kitchen.

“And what are you doing here?” I asked, leaving my family and walking over to him, wanting nothing more than to throw myself at him. That was obviously not a possibility at the moment though. “I know for certain your flight wasn’t supposed to get in until eight.”

“It’s called an earlier flight, my love,” he said, gently resting his hand on my arm and planting a chaste kiss on my cheek, which only made me want him more. “Like your mother said though, I can leave if you want me to.”

“No,” I said as my pleading eyes met his and then I added quietly so only we could hear. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Our gazes held for a moment and I knew we were both thinking the same thing: my family needed to hurry up and get to their hotel.

“I hope you don’t mind that we’re having dinner here tonight, Natalie,” my mom said, interrupting our reunion. “I thought you could use a home-cooked meal. Drew was kind enough to take me to the market so I could make fried chicken.”

“He’s wonderful like that,” I said, grinning playfully over at him.

“It should be ready in about a half an hour. Why don’t you go freshen up or whatever you need to do,” my mom said and I looked up at Drew, pleading with him to follow me.

“I’ll just be a minute,” I said, heading towards the hallway.

“I’ll get your bag for you, Natalie,” Drew said and I grinned to myself, knowing I wouldn’t have to wait any longer to kiss him the way I wanted to.

A moment later I was walking into the bedroom and I heard the door close behind us. I turned to see Drew set my bag down and stride quickly across the room, taking my face in his hands as he pressed his lips to mine at full speed, not waiting to show me how much he missed me.

“That felt so good,” he said, pulling away, his eyes still closed, licking his lips and breathing in deeply before opening his eyes and looking at me. He took my hand and stared down at the ring. “Just checking to make sure you still had it on and hadn’t changed your mind.”

“Never,” I said, kissing him again and then he sat on the bed, watching me as I changed out of my work clothes. “How the hell did I forget they were coming today?”

“Because you were too preoccupied with my impending arrival.”

“You’re probably right,” I said as I slid a t-shirt over my head. “How’d it go? Meeting them for the first time?”

“It was fine. I was my usual charming self and they loved me,” he grinned, but I knew he was probably right.

“How’d you guys even meet up?”

“Your mom called me when she couldn’t get a hold of you. I told them to come over to the apartment so I went and picked them up. I didn’t want them attempting the subway or a cab ride alone yet,” he said with a laugh.

“Thank you for looking after them. I can’t believe I spaced like that.”

“I was glad to do it,” he said, pulling me next to him on the bed, draping his arm around me.

“Can we just lock ourselves in here for a little while longer?”

“Don’t you want to spend some time with your family?” he asked and I turned to look at him.

“Yes and no,” I hesitated. “My mom can be trying at times.”

“She seems perfectly pleasant.”

“Until she starts nitpicking everything I do.”

“She won’t do that,” he said, trying to reassure me.

“We’ll see about that,” I groaned reluctantly and then he stood up, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet.

“It’s so good to see your face again, Natalie,” he said softly, grazing my cheek with his fingertips. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

“Yes, I do, because I’ve missed you more.”

He smiled at me, kissing me again before taking my hand and leading me out to my family.

~~~

Dinner was actually nice and I had to admit, it was good to eat my mom’s cooking. She and I may have locked horns sometimes, but she was my mother and I loved her and no one made fried chicken like she did.

Drew was on his best behavior. I knew he was trying to impress my parents and I had to laugh to myself. He never worried about impressing people. He’d probably already made more money in his short time in the business world than my parents ever had and yet he still wanted to prove to my parents that he was going to take care of me.

He tried helping with the dishes when we were done eating, but my dad and Wes were interested in talking to Drew about his work and so they sat on the couch while my mom and I cleaned up.

“I’m glad you guys could come out for the party,” I said as I rinsed dishes.

“Me too, honey. We’ve been meaning to come out and when you and Ethan broke up,” she started, but then hesitated for a moment. “Well, to be honest, we expected you’d come back to Iowa.”

“I like New York,” I said and she only nodded as she put leftovers in a Tupperware. “What do you think of Drew?” I asked when the quiet settled in.

“He’s very nice,” she said and then grinned over to me. “And very handsome.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact my mom had been checking out my fiancé.

“Yes, he is.”

“I didn’t realize he was so successful. This apartment is quite nice.”

“I told you he was a partner in an architecture firm.”

“You did, but I didn’t expect you to be living some place like this. You’re going to be quite comfortable,” she said and after putting the food in the fridge, she stood by my side as I worked, leaning against the counter.

I could see Drew, Wes and my dad engaged in a conversation. Drew was sitting between them, looking through magazines that featured his work.  

“I probably am,” I said and I could feel myself starting to get annoyed with her as I tried to decipher her implications.

“Are you ready for that?”

“For what, Mom?”

“To live in the city for the rest of your life,” she began and then reached over, taking my left hand that was still wet from loading the dishwasher, and looked at my engagement ring. “To have such material things.”

“What are you implying?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“I’m not implying anything.”

“I think you are. I think you’re implying I’m after Drew’s money.”

“I am not, Natalie,” she said defensively. “I only want to make sure this is what you want. You’ve only known Drew for a few months.”

“Try seven months, not a few.”

“You know what I mean. You moved all this way with Ethan and now you’re engaged to another man.”

“You don’t know anything about Ethan and me. We changed. We grew apart and I fell in love with Drew. I’m happy. Why can’t you just let me be happy without having to nitpick everything?”

“I’m sorry if you think I’m nitpicking. Someday when you’re a mother, you’ll understand,” she said and the tension was heavy between us. “I like Drew. He appears to adore you, but just remember who you are, okay?”

“Thank you for the advice,” I said sarcastically as I put the last dish in the dishwasher and turned it on.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she continued. “But we’re having lunch with Ethan tomorrow while you’re at work.”

“What?” I exclaimed louder than I thought and I saw Drew’s eyes glance over to us in curiosity. “You’re having lunch with Ethan?” I asked, making sure to keep my voice much quieter this time.

“We just want to see him and say hi. That isn’t a problem, is it?”

“No, Mom. It’s not a problem at all.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. Instead, I walked into the great room and sat down in a chair, trying to keep the annoyance off my face.

“I think we’re going to head back to the hotel,” my dad said a few minutes later. “Traveling always tires me out.”

“Let me get my keys,” Drew said, standing up.

“That’s not necessary, Drew, but thank you,” my dad said. “I’m actually looking forward to making my way around New York City.”

“Are you sure, Dad?” I asked skeptically.

“Positive. And if we get lost, we can always call you to come to our rescue.”

I laughed and then stood up, hugging him good-bye, along with my brother. My mom approached me too and we exchanged an awkward embrace before they were gone, finally leaving Drew and I alone.

“You look troubled,” Drew said, sliding his hands around my waist and pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “I hate seeing you distraught.”

“A night wouldn’t be complete without my mother having to offer her two cents.”

“She seemed fine.”