Brianna:

One week ago, Nick and I were in Tessa's room, pressuring her to tell the truth, finally. We got the truth we were looking for, plus another confession we weren't expecting to hear. Now we sit outside a courtroom, waiting for Nick's attorney to arrive. While waiting, my eyes scanned the room, looking for the one person I wish never to see again once this day in court ends. Even though this is Nick's day in court and not mine, I still found myself feeling extremely nervous. And I worried about what's to come after we enter the courtroom, then to hear the judge's decision.

I leaned to Nick's shoulder and whispered, "I hope this is it."

"I hope so too."

"She's still not here. Do you think she will even show?"

He squeezed my hand and rested his cheek on the top of my head. "She'll show. This may not be what she wanted, but I think deep down, she knows this will be for the best."

As his cheek laid on the top of my head, I could feel him smiling. I leaned my head back, and even though I didn't know what he was smiling about, I smiled. "What are you smiling for?"

"I was thinking. Had I not spilled my beer on you that day, we wouldn't be sitting here. You wouldn't be in my arms, pregnant with my child, and I probably would never have known about Tessa and Jason."

I giggled. "You're lucky you are as sexy as you are. Because when I turned around with my arm held back, and my hand clenched into a fist, I was going to deck you hard."

"How sexy am I?" He asked with a cocky smile.

"Extremely sexy. That nearly every time I look at you, my panties moisten."

He leaned into my ear and whispered just as his attorney walked over to us. "Just wait until after court. When that judge finally says I'm officially divorced. Those panties won't even get a chance to moisten because my teeth will have them ripped off by then."

I looked at the attorney and swallowed hard, hoping he didn't hear Nick. Feeling embarrassed, I cleared my throat and stood. "I'll leave you two to talk."

"If you need anything, we'll be in the conference room inside the courtroom," Nick's attorney said, smiling as if he heard what Nick said to me.

"Okay," I blushed.

My legs were cramping from sitting, and I needed to walk, anyway. As I stopped to look at a picture on the wall, I heard Tessa's voice behind me and turned around. When I saw her talking to her attorney, my heart rate picked up, and I quickly turned around, facing the picture. I stood listening for a moment, then walked away before she saw me, and stopped at a vending machine to get a bottle of water.

I grabbed the bottle of water out of the machine. Then, when I turned around, Tessa was standing a foot behind me with her arms crossed against her chest, causing my heart to fall in my stomach and me to jump in the air.

Shit. What do I do? What do I say? Did she know it was me who was standing at the vending machine? Crap.

"Hi, Tessa," I quietly said.

She nodded and smiled.

All I could do was walk away.

I decided it would be best that I not be in the courtroom and sat in the lobby. After a couple of hours of waiting, I started to worry. Worrying that it wasn't going so well, and then I began to wonder if I should go in to see what was going on. Just as I stood and took two steps, the door opened, and out came Tessa and her attorney. Tessa didn't look mad, she didn't look upset, and when she looked at me and smirked, I felt it went her way, and the divorce never happened.

I sat back on the bench, then raised my hand and started sliding my fingernails along my teeth, waiting for Nick to walk out. The doors opened again, and when I saw it was Nick, I jumped from my seat and walked over to them as Nick was shaking his attorney's hand. His attorney looked at me, winked, then walked away.

Nick's hand rested on the small of my back, and I started walking. "Let's get out of here."

I couldn't tell by Nick's expression if he was happy or upset. There were no emotions whatsoever. Worried, I had to ask, "Did everything go, okay?" He didn't say anything and continued walking. "Nick? Did it not go, okay?"

"Once we get in the car, we'll talk."

The way he sounds, I'm guessing it didn't go well, and I immediately felt bummed. I'm nearly a month away from giving birth, and the last thing I wanted was to have to deal with Tessa's shit. Nick opened the door for me, and as he closed it, I noticed the corners of his lips slightly rise.

The small smile that formed on his face didn't look like it meant much, and I wasn't sure if I should smile back, but I showed him a small smile, anyway.

I pressed my elbow against the window, rested my head in my hand, then bit my bottom lip, watching Nick get inside the car, waiting for the bomb to explode. Nick stuck the key in the ignition but didn't turn and start the vehicle. This meant one thing.

Bad news.

I lowered my elbow, turned towards the window, and closed my eyes.

"Hey. Look at me."

As I turned, he reached for my chin, leaned forward, and pressed his lips gently against mine. The kiss started soft and gentle, and then it turned into a heated, hungry kiss. His moving lips slowed, then he sucked in my bottom lip as he pulled back. "It's over, Brianna," he said quietly and smiling. "I'm as free as a bird. And you and I can finally move on and live our lives the way we've been talking lately.

As happy as I was to hear that, I punched his arm. Not hard, but hard enough to let him know I didn't appreciate him making me think the way I was. "You asshole! I've been bumming ever since we were inside the courthouse. I was thinking the worse and thought you had bad news for me when you weren't saying anything."

He laughed and turned in his seat. He started the car and smiled from ear to ear. "I didn't want to boast about it inside the courthouse. And I wanted to see your reaction since I knew it was killing you to know how it went. I got just the reaction I thought I was going to get. I fucking love it," he chuckled again.

I want to kill him.

But I won't. I love Nick too much. "So. How did it go, then?" I asked as he started driving.

"Well. Those medications they have Tessa on are working beautifully, and they have her thinking much more clearly. Tessa didn't fight, argue, or say or do anything that would have the judge hammering his gavel."

"That's good," I smiled. "What else happened?"

"When the judge looked at our paperwork, he mentioned Tessa was contesting the divorce. I thought, 'Oh great, here we go.' Then out the corner of my eye, I saw Tessa looking at me. When I saw that, I wanted to go over to her and strangle her. But then she got the judge's attention and said she changed her mind."

"Changed her mind?"

"Yep. And she did too."

"What now?"

He looked away from the road and over to me. "What do you mean, what now? When she said she changed her mind, it was a good thing."

"It does?" I stupidly asked. Of course, it does."

"It's official. We are divorced and free to move on with nothing holding us back. Tessa wanted to do everything there. That's why it took so long. She doesn't want anything from me, not the house, not any money, nothing. She signed paperwork saying she wouldn't come back, later on, to sue me for her share of the house after selling it or suing me for any money. Tessa said she's moving in with her parents and that she was good with what she has. She also said she'd had a lot of time to think, and when she looked back at everything, meaning us. She admitted that we weren't meant to be and that we should never have married."

"Wow. Amazing..."

He laughed. "You're telling me. I've only been saying that to Tessa for almost three years now."

******

Nick was finally free, and I couldn't be any happier. And when I walked into the house, the smile painted on my face would not go away, no matter how hard I tried not smiling. Not only was Nick free of Tessa, but I, too, was free of her; knowing we were free to move on with our lives without her trying to cause any trouble with us had me floating on air.

Nick walked up and bear-hugged me from behind, then trailed his lips along my neck, kissed my cheek then grazed his lips to my ear, whispering, "I know I said I was going rip off your panties with my teeth when we got home, but there's something I need you to do before we do anything."

"What's that?" I asked, smiling as I melted in his arms.

"I need you to pack your bags." Even though Nick's arms were around me, kissing my neck and my cheek before whispering in my ear, then hear him tell me to pack my bags, it had my stomach dropping instantly. My instant reaction was, he's kicking me out, but that sick feeling quickly left when he finished what he was saying, "Because we're going on a trip."

"What? A trip?"

He spun me around, and lowered his lips to mine, pressing hard, then he spoke with his lips still pressed to mine. "Yes. A trip I've been planning all week," he leaned his head back and smiled. "A trip we both need."

I didn't even know he had been planning a trip. He never gave off any hints a trip was in the works. He never asked any for any opinions on anywhere I would like to go. And he never mentioned he took time off work, that I felt my brows forming together when he didn't say where we're going. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he said proudly.

"How am I supposed to pack when I don't have a clue on where we are going?"

"I'll give you a little hint. It's somewhere in Europe," he winked. "Make sure you grab your passport," he added, then quickly pursed his lips back, looking worried. "Shit. I guess I never asked. You do have a passport, do you not?"

I giggled. "Of course, I do. Who doesn't nowadays?"

"Whew," he breathed, wiping his forehead. "Not a lot of people have a passport. Now hurry and pack. Anna should be here soon."

I hurried to the bedroom, opened the closet, reached for my luggage, and quickly set it on the bed. While packing, I looked at my stomach and widened my eyes at the thought of being on an airplane for nine/ten hours, then started worrying about the baby. Then it hit me, and I wondered if I should even be traveling on a plane for that many hours and if I should call my doctor to make sure it's safe to do so.

Nick entered the bedroom, and he must have noticed the questioning look on my face while I stared at my belly. He walked over, reached into the closet, shuffling my clothes around, then removed a dress, and handed it to me. "Don't worry, I called and talked with the doctor earlier this week asking if this trip would be okay to take you on. And he gave us the okay for us to fly where I'm taking you," he winked. "Don't forget to pack that dress."

"That's a relief. I've always heard it's not good to fly while pregnant."

"He mentioned that if you start cramping up, to get up and walk around... now hurry. Anna's here waiting to take us to the airport."

******

Nick never did admit to where we were going, and when I felt the vibrations of the landing gear getting ready for landing, I did what Nick asked me not to and raised the window shade. When I looked out the window and saw the Eiffel tower brightly lit, I felt like a little kid at Christmas time, excited as can be when they see the gifts under the tree, waiting to be opened.

When Nick said we were going somewhere in Europe, this was where I was hoping we were going. I quickly looked at Nick, reached for his face, and pulled him to my lips. "Paris?" I excitedly asked while kissing him. "You're bringing me to Paris?"

"So I did well choosing the right destination to bring you to see?" He asked with a smile.

I nodded, then quickly turned back to the window, not wanting to miss flying past the tower.

Hearing him chuckle, I turned to him. "Every woman I know wants and dreams of seeing the City of Light, and with everything that has gone on with us, I figured this would be the perfect getaway for us."

I looked back out the window. "This is perfect," I said in awe. "So fucking perfect."

After landing, getting our luggage, and the vehicle Nick rented for our week vacation, we headed to the hotel. While Nick drove to the hotel, my eyes glued to the passenger window. Along with my phone in hand, I took as many pictures as possible along the way. "Wow. This place is absolutely stunning. I cannot wait for us to tour the city."

"Once we get settled into our hotel room, we can go exploring if you'd like."

"I would love that. But first, I need to eat before this little girl of ours has a complete meltdown. She's been letting me know how hungry she is for a while now, and now she's getting angry," I giggled while rubbing my belly.

"Well, we don't need that; to have one angry woman in the house isn't good, but to have two angry women in the same house? Uh-uh. Not happening. Not on my watch... I'll fix that right away and will order a huge spread of food once we get to the hotel."

That sounded wonderful, and I have a feeling once I see food. I'll pig out. Not only is she hungry, but I'm starving myself. While Nick checked into the hotel, I walked around, admiring the beauty of the hotel he chose for us, and it only made me more excited to see what kind of room he asked for. Knowing Nick, he most likely rented the best and most expensive room they had.

And I was right.

When Nick opened the door and had me walk inside first, I gasped at what I saw. It was just as I figured he would do. And that's renting a penthouse suite. It was the mansion of a hotel room and one of the most gorgeous hotel rooms I've ever seen. And I was afraid to ask how much he's paying a night as it had everything, including a fireplace. The best part of the room? Having a view of the Eiffel Tower right outside our balcony. "Wow, Nick..." I said in awe as I eyed the Eiffel Tower. "I'm in heaven right now. Literally in heaven."

Nick followed me onto the balcony, and when I stopped to take a picture of the beautiful masterpiece staring me in the face, Nick leaned over my shoulder. "I hope you don't think this is the only way you'll be seeing that."

I smiled and leaned my head back against his chest. "I didn't think so, but I can't help myself right now. Plus, I'm taking these photos to send to my friends. They'll be so jealous!"

Nick's hands rested on my stomach and began rubbing. "The hotel clerk mentioned they'll be having breakfast on the roof in a couple of hours. Do you think you can wait that long?"

I looked down at my stomach and sighed. "I don't think she'll last." More like I won't last. I frowned, then I remembered packing some snacks before we left. "Never mind. I think we'll be good. I have some granola and protein bars that'll get us by until then."

"We can also pass the time by doing the mommy daddy dance," he snickered, then wiggled his eyebrows up and down fast when I looked at him.

"As much as I would love to do that with you right now. I can't. I don't have the energy. We didn't eat before we left, and the food they served us on the plane was inedible."

Nick looked hurt. But I really needed food. And there's no way I could focus on being satisfied when my stomach is growling, with also having a pissed off hungry baby that starts punching and kicking while hurting my ribs while she's having a tantrum from me not feeding her. "Later, we can," I said, cupping his cheek.

"That's fine. Just know, I haven't forgotten about what I would do to you," Nick grinned.

Waiting to eat felt like I was waiting for my acceptance letter from the college I applied to. The snack bars weren't cutting it, and when it was time to head up to the roof, we were out the door in a flash. Sitting on the roof with fancy dining, eating, and being able to see the beautiful city all around us was amazing.

We spent the day exploring the city, did a little shopping, and when we got back to our hotel room to change for dinner, I noticed a package sitting on the bed. "Nick? What's this?"

He walked over to the bed and pulled me down on his lap as he sat. He reached for the box and placed it on my lap. "Open it."

Nick really is the sweetest. And is always surprising me with something. I kissed his cheek, then opened the box. Inside was a beautiful ivory-colored dress, accented with lace and diamonds. "Go try it on. I had this specially made for you and used the measurements from another dress of yours. Hopefully, it fits."

I excitedly jumped from his lap and stripped right there in front of Nick as I tried it on. Of course, he couldn't help himself and had to make some sexual comments, but that's okay. After putting on the dress, I stood in front of Nick, posing. Nick's eyes and mouth told me everything I needed to see and hear. And that's, he liked it.

"Stunning. You're absolutely stunning," Nick said in awe as he stood, then pulled me to him and passionately kissed me. "I'll hurry and change. We have reservations somewhere that I don't want us to be late for."

******

My heart melted as soon as Nick pulled up to the beautifully lit Eiffel Tower and parked. The way he was acting along the way here had me feeling nervous yet excited. I had a feeling about what was to come next, but he still hadn't given me any noticeable clues about what that was. While we were eating, the curiosity was getting the best of me, and I had to ask.

"So, Nick," I asked while chewing. "I'd like to know what you're up to. First the dress, then a dinner at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and as we sit here eating this fancy and overly priced meal, you've been awfully quiet. Why did you really pick Paris for us to get away for the week?"

He set his fork down, swallowed his food, then reached for my hands with a smile. "I chose Paris because it reminds me of you. Paris is a breathtaking city, which is what you are breathtaking. And since we've met, every day you have left me breathless." With my hands still in his, he stood and walked around the table. He looked around, nodded to someone across the room, then had me walk with him to the railing.

I am now a walking nightmare. My legs turned to noodles as we walked, my heart started racing, and now, I feel as if I'm about to drop to the ground as Nick quietly stood before me and looked at me with lust-filled eyes.

Nick just confirmed what I felt he had up his sleeve since we left the hotel.

He's proposing...

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!🤞🤞