“That’s great news. It’s good to know my prayers were answered. Thank you, Lord,” Nelly praised, looking at the sky.
Nikki gave a small chuckle at the woman’s flamboyant gesture. “Thank you for what you’re doing, Nelly, and please don’t stop doing it,” she encouraged.
“I will keep praying, then,” Nelly said.
Nikki reached over and grasped the older woman’s hand.
“I know you don’t mind keeping a poor old soul like me company, but I think someone needs it more than I do,” Nelly said, looking behind Nikki.
Nikki turned in the direction the old woman’s chin jutted toward, and her heart slammed against her chest when she saw Paul standing there staring back at her. He walked toward her, and Nikki felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” he greeted when he stopped at the table.
“Good afternoon, young man. Have you come to steal my companion away?” Nelly asked, narrowing her eyes in a way to make her look menacing.
Paul released a small chuckle. “Only to borrow her, Miss Nelly.” He looked over at Nikki, a smile teasing his lips.
“Of course. You have my blessing,” Nelly released.
“Wait, I’m right here, and I didn’t agree to this,” Nikki sputtered in mock annoyance.
“Oh hush, child, and just go,” Nelly waved her toward Paul.
“Thanks, Miss Nelly. I owe you one,” Paul said gratefully, indicating for Nikki to follow him toward the patio area. Nikki turned to give Nelly awhy’d you do thatlook. The woman stared blankly back at her before the sign of a smirk lifted her lips just as Nikki turned.
Paul led her across the patio and along the path toward the sandy beach coast in the distance. The two kept pace with each other, but neither exchanged a word, both caught up in their own thoughts. When they made it to the beachfront, Nikki allowed the sand to run over her sandals and through her toes as they walked along the grainy path. They came to a stop at some distance down the beach and turned to look out at the blue waters reflecting the cloudless sky.
“You know, the last time we were on the beach like this, we were a couple, and I had a very important question I wanted to ask you,” Paul spoke, breaking the silence.
Nikki turned to stare questioningly up at him.
“I had a speech, the ring, and reservations for a restaurant back in Seattle for us.”
Nikki’s eyes widened in surprise, and her hands went to her lips, covering them.
“I was prepared to propose to you, Nikki,” he said seriously.
His confession caught her off guard, and her heart continued to hammer against her chest as all thoughts flew out of her head.
“But then you said we needed to break up, and like a fool, I agreed instead of fighting for you and for what we had.” He chuckled, the sound void of mirth.
“I loved you, but it wasn’t enough.”
“That’s not true, Paul. It was enough,” she refuted, finding her voice. “Maybe if you had asked me before my parents manipulated me the way they did, we would be different people walking on this beach right now.”
She turned and looked up at Paul, her eyes filled with regret. “Those words that I spoke that day, they weren’t mine. They were from my parents,” she revealed. “They drilled it into me, convincing me it was for the best. I cried for a whole week after our breakup. That’s how much I loved you, but then I had to do what my parents expected of me, so I locked away my feelings and pushed on, trying to forget you and all that we’d shared.” Nikki sighed dejectedly. “I have so many regrets,” she breathed out before looking up at Paul, her eyes full of sorrow.
“It’s okay. I’ve come to accept that it wasn’t our time,” Paul assured her. “Things played out exactly as they should have, and from it, I learned to love again, and I got a beautiful daughter in the process.” He smiled.
Nikki returned the smile.
“But now, the cards are squaring up right to this moment, and I am not letting the opportunity slip through my fingers again.” Paul turned to fully face Nikki, his eyes bright and determined.
“I love you, Nikki. I have always loved you, even in the times that we were apart, and although I am grateful for the life I lived with Natalie, to deny the fact that you’ve always been there in my heart would be to deny my happiness, and I am tired of doing that.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and the butterflies that had taken up permanent residence in her stomach skittered as they cascaded over each other. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
“Say something, please,” Paul begged her.
