Will You

chapter fifteen

Tiffany

“ You’re glowing,” Mira says as she appears at my desk.

After my run in with Russell Friday night, I’ve been a ball of nerves. Nico has constantly asked me if everything was okay. I’ve been so anxious about running into Russ today that I even got sick this morning. I tossed all my breakfast in the toilet before I left the house.

“Girl, what are you talking about? I told you what I’m dealing with. Have you seen Russ?”

Mira waves me off. “Fuck him. If I see him, you will know because I’m going to kick his ass for disrespecting you. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the way that man of yours got you glowing.”

Just the mention of Nico has a smile turning my lips up. Even on my worse day, that man just makes me happy.

“It’s just moisturizer,” I say jokingly.

Mira rolls her eyes. “No moisturizer got you like that. That, my dear, is good dick and love. And baby girl, you got both.”

My face heats. I can’t deny anything she just said.

“Have you told him yet?” She asks propping a hip up against my desk.

“Told him what?”

She tightens her lips at me. “That you love him.”

Shaking my head, I push my braids over my shoulder. “It’s too soon. I’ve only known him for ten months. And we’ve only been dating four.”

“And,” Mira asks. “When I first met Quentin, I knew he was special. Two months into our relationship, we knew we would be getting married one day. Love doesn’t require a time frame. It happens when it happens.”

I shake my head trying to dispute her claims. However, I couldn’t deny the fact that I was indeed head over heels in love with Niccolo Basille. So much so, I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. I spent years with Marcus, and it never felt like this.

“I’m scared shitless,” I admit.

Mira places a hand on my shoulder and looks me directly in the eye. “If you weren’t I’d be concerned. But don’t let your fear keep you from your future. Claim your man, girl.”

I let out a breath. Tonight, I was going to tell Nico how I felt. “Okay, but right now, I need to talk to Russ before he does something stupid.”

Mira rolls her eyes before standing up straight. “Let me talk to his ass.”

I laugh because we both know she wouldn’t be doing much talking. Just then a ripple of chatter can be heard around the office. I stand from my seat and Mira and my attention goes to the front of the building where everyone seems to be gathered.

“What the hell?” Mira says. She takes off toward the group of employees. I follow behind her.

“What going on?” Mira asks Heather, the front desk receptionist. However, Tess answers instead.

“It’s Russ,” she wipes as a stray tear falls from her eyes. “Apparently, he was robbed last night. Some thugs broke into his house and attacked him. He’s in the hospital in critical condition. The doctors say they don’t know if he will make it.”

My heart starts pounding in my chest and the room spins. Despite the way he treated me at the restaurant, I didn’t want him to die. I take a staggering step back.

“Hey, are you okay?” Mira asks, looking at me as if I’ve grown two heads.

“I need to sit down.” Those are the last words I remember saying before everything went black.

**

After passing out at work, I was rushed to the hospital despite telling everyone I was fine. However, Mira and Nico were not having it. I’ve been in this room for an hour waiting for doctors to tell me what I already know. Clearly, the news of Russ and the lack of food got to me and caused me to black out. All I needed was to eat and possibly relax.

I look over to my right, Nico is pacing the floor. Ever since I sent Mira home, he took her spot in pacing. They are more stressed than I am.

“Can you please come sit down,” I say.

He runs a hand through his dark hair before sitting in the chair beside my bed.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him while smoothing out the crease lines in his forehead. He grabs my hand and places soft kisses on my palm.

“You scared the hell out of me, Tiffany. Today, I realized if something ever happens to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”

His words put a smile on my face. It’s clear he feels the same way I do. Taking a deep breath, I find the courage to speak my truth.

“I feel the same way about you, Nico. I love you.”

The room is silent as his dark brown eyes stare so intently at me I have to turn away.

“Say it again,” he whispers. When I look back at him, his eyes are closed, and the crease in his forehead is back.

“I said, I love you. I know it may be too soon, but I can’t help the way I feel. These last few months have been the best days of my life. And if you don’t feel the same way, it’s…” My words are cut off when his lips press to mine.

Every time Nico kisses me it’s like it might be his last. His lips are so soft and plush and he knows exactly how to use them. He pulls away and places his forehead to mine.

“I love you more than you will ever know. And though I know I’m not good enough for you, I can never let you go.”

His words catch me by surprise. I lean back from him, looking in his face. He looks as if he’s in pain.

Cupping his cheeks, I look him in the eyes. “You are the kindest, most loving, and gentle man I have ever met. Don’t you ever think you’re not deserving of me.”

Placing a quick kiss to his lips, I lean back to look at him when I notice something in his hand. Apparently, while I was kissing him, he must have pulled the black velvet box out of his pocket.

Lying on a white pillow is the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen. An emerald cut solitaire diamond with a halo of sparkly diamonds surrounding it and along the band.

“Nico,” I gasp clutching at my chest.

“I bought this ring months ago. It was the morning after we first made love. I’ve been holding onto it until the right time.” He uses his free hand to wipe the tear that was slowly tracking down my face. “The night we danced to Luther; I told you that when I know what I want I go after it. You are what I want, Tiffany. I don’t need years or an NBA championship to know you are my forever.”

I laugh at his diss to Marcus. “Tiffany Liane Best, will you marry me?”

Before I could reply, the door to my room flies open and the doctor comes in with a tablet in his hands.

“Well Ms. Best we’ve figured out the problem.” He finally looks up and realizes he interrupted something. “Oh, do you want me to come back.”

“No, it’s alright. What’s wrong with her?” Nico asks getting to his feet.

“Well, you’re pregnant.”

“What?” Nico and I say at the same time.

The doctor nods. “You said you lost your breakfast this morning and felt a little lightheaded before you passed out. It’s a possibility your blood pressure dropped. You’re also slightly dehydrated which is why we have you attached to that IV. I recommend getting on some prenatal vitamins and taking it easy. You should also connect with your primary doctor to start your OBGYN care.”

As fast as he came, he was gone leaving me and a very stunned Nico alone in silence.

My mind is racing with a million thoughts. I had no plans of being a mother right now, even though I’ve always wanted kids. Hell, I’m on birth control. I know that birth control isn’t 100% pregnancy proof. But I’ve been on them since I was sixteen and I’ve never even had a pregnancy scare.

Crap, I imagine what this looks like to him. He’s a billionaire, that met a woman ten months ago that claimed to be on birth control and now all of a sudden, she’s pregnant. He and I have never even talked about kids. What if he doesn’t want any?

“I wasn’t trying to trap you or anything. I swear. I don’t know how this happened. We can…”

“Stop talking,” he says cutting me off. “Before you say something I won’t like.”

Obediently, I shut my mouth.

He runs his hands through his hair letting me know he’s thinking hard. He sighs dropping his hands down at his side.

“Are you mad?”

He turns to me with a raised brow. “I just asked you to marry me, you think I’ve changed my mind because of a baby we created?” A slow smile spreads across his face.

“You still want to marry me?” I ask, feeling just as elated as he seems to be.

“Hell yeah. I’m just waiting for your answer.”

I can’t believe how my life is turning out. I went from a loveless relationship that was slowly turning to ash, to being proposed to by the man of my dreams. I was trapped at a job that I was growing to hate, to getting one of the biggest job opportunities of my life. It seems like finally; I’ll get my happily ever after.

Placing a hand on my flat belly, I smile and say, “Yes, Nico. Yes, I will marry you.”

He places the ring on my finger before cupping my face and kissing me deeply. He pulls away to look down at me.

“Three months. That’s all the time I’m giving you to plan a small wedding. We will have a bigger one once the little one is born, but I refuse to wait longer than three months to make you my wife, Tiffany. Can you do that?”

I smile as I place a kiss on his lips. “I can do it in two.”

He chuckles. “Even better, Angel. Even fucking better.”