Love at First Note (29 page)

“Surprise!” Mom and Gram moved forward simultaneously, pulling me into the room and wrapping their arms around me from both sides.

“We promise there are no more family members lurking in closets,” Gram said.

I laughed. “That’s a relief. I’m not sure my heart can take any
more.”

Mom lowered herself into her wheelchair, positioned by the bed, and reached for my hand. “There is
one
more surprise, but I’m pretty sure this one is going to be your favorite.” She handed me a small piece of cardstock bearing the name of the hotel’s glitzy restaurant, the day’s date, and a time:
9:00 p.m
.

I closed my eyes and pressed the card against my chest. There was only one person left; it had to be Elliott.

“You better hurry and change,” Gram said. “You’ve only got ten minutes.”

“Change? This isn’t even my hotel room.”

“It’s all taken care of,” Mom said. “Everything you need is in the bathroom.”

A dress hung on the back of the bathroom door, and my makeup bag, apparently retrieved from my own hotel room, sat on the counter. My hands trembled as I pulled on the dress. It was simple and black
(Ha!
Black!)
, knee length, with a deep v-neck and shimmery sleeves to the elbow. I spent a few minutes messing with my hair, then touched up my makeup and emerged from the bathroom to face Mom and Gram.

“Oh, you’re lovely, Bug. The dress is perfect,” Gram said.

“It
is
perfect,” I said. “Who picked it out?”

They glanced at each other and shrugged. “We’re just the messengers,” Gram said. “We don’t know anything more than what we’ve been told.”

Mom smiled, her eyes all misty. “I’m so happy for you, Emma.”

I moved to the door. “Are you guys supposed to come with me?”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Mom answered. “But you go on ahead.”

“And don’t forget the music,” Gram added. She stood, retrieved the sheet music
from where I’d left it on the dresser, and handed it over. “And here.” She added a final sheet to my stack. “This is the last one.”

Page one. Elliott’s name was listed clearly at the top as the composer, but there was no title, only a blank line drawn across the top of the page, where someone might write one in.

“Go on, then,” Gram said. “You’ve got everything you need.” She shooed me out the door with a grin.

I walked on trembling legs back to the elevator, taking it down to the main floor of the hotel. I looked for signs of my family as I passed through the lobby but didn’t see anyone. My
family
. All of them. Even Lilly and Trav. They were
all
in Paris. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it.

When I finally reached the restaurant, it was empty. At first I worried I’d gone to the wrong place, but then I heard the piano.

I followed the notes through the dark dining room until I found him seated behind a sleek baby grand under a large window in the corner, the city lights beyond sparkling like stars across the sky. A single lamp sat on top of the piano, casting a circle of soft white light onto Elliott’s hands. It was the only light in the room.

He looked up as I approached, his notes trailing off midmelody
as he rose and closed the distance between us. He swept me up into a hug, then kissed me gently, his hands lingering on my cheeks. “Man, I’ve missed you,” he whispered. He held on to my hand but took a step back as if to get a better view. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I love the dress.”

“I hoped you would. Lilly tried to veto the black, but I told her my vote counted twice.”

I pressed my face against my hands, feeling like I was in a dream.

“You okay?” Elliott asked.

I nodded. “Just feeling a little overwhelmed.”

He grinned. “In a good way, I hope?”

I almost laughed out loud.
Yeah, in a good way.
“You brought my family to Paris.”

“I did. I thought you might want them here to celebrate.”

My eyebrows went up. “Celebrate what?”

He didn’t answer but tugged on my hand, pulling me gently toward the piano. “Come on. I want to play something for you.” He motioned with his head. “Come sit beside me.”

As soon as he began, I recognized the melody from the pages I still clutched in my hand. It had a simple, peaceful center and bright undertones that created a joyful, hopeful countermelody. Somehow the entire work felt like the promise of every good thing life had to offer. I generally liked to watch Elliott’s hands while he played, but this time I was riveted by his face, by the sincerity and love in his expression.

When he finished, I sniffed and wiped my eyes. “How do you
do
that?”

“Do what?” he asked softly.

“How do you write all that emotion into your music? It’s like . . . poetry without words.”

“All I had to think about for this one was you.” He leaned
forward, whisking a tear off my cheek with the pad of his thumb,
then kissed me softly. “I love that music makes you cry.”

I huffed. “Most of the time it’s hugely inconvenient.”

He chuckled, then reached for the sheet music, sliding it out of my hands. He lifted a pen off the piano’s music stand and tapped the blank line at the top of the title page. “Do you want to know what it’s called?”
His eyes were bright and hopeful.

Oh. My. Word.
“Yes, please,” I whispered.

He clicked the pen open, then, bracing against the top of the piano, wrote the words
Veux-tu m’epouser?

Elliott put down the pen and took my hands. “Emma,
veux-tu
m’epouser
?” The French rolled off his tongue with such ease it sent shivers clear through me.

Somewhere over my shoulder, a voice whisper-yelled out of the
darkness, startling me mostly because I hadn’t realized there was
anyone else in the room. “It means ‘will you marry me?’” the voice said.

“Travis, shut up,” Lilly whispered. “She knows what it means.”

“Sorry,” Trav said. “Just trying to help.”

“You two are really spoiling the moment,” Gram said.

“Shhh!” Ava’s voice quieted them all. “She can’t say yes if you all don’t
shut up
.”

Elliott’s shoulders shook in silent laughter. “Are you still glad I brought your family to Paris?” He reached into his shirt pocket and
pulled out a ring, holding it up for me to see. “Marry me, Emma.
Please say yes so the hooligans over there can just cheer already.”

I held up my hand, and Elliott slid the ring onto my finger, the diamond sparkling brightly under the piano lamp’s pale glow.

I leaned in and kissed him soundly, then said loudly enough
for everyone in the room to hear, “
Oui, monsieur
. Of course I’ll
marry you.”

My family erupted into cheers while we kissed again. They
gathered around the piano, hugging us and patting us on our back
s, Dad and Trav reaching forward to shake Elliott’s hand. Through all the commotion, my eyes stayed on his, hoping he recognized in my gaze just how much I loved him.

Trav clapped Elliott on the back, then draped his arms around our shoulders. “Okay, think about this: a joint reception for the four of us. You guys bring the music; we bring the beer.”

Lilly appeared beside Trav. “Seriously? Are you completely out of your mind?”

“What?” Trav grumbled as he dropped his arms. “It’s a good idea.”

I wrapped my arms around Elliott’s neck and leaned in close. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For the music, for my family . . . for everything.”

“Even Trav?” Elliott asked. He raised an eyebrow.

I laughed. “Even Trav.”

“You have my heart, Emma. Forever. There’s no undoing it now.”

I leaned in and kissed him softly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

THE END

Jenny Proctor was born in
the mountains of Western North
Carolina, a place she still resides and considers the loveliest on
earth. She and her husband stay busy keeping up with six children and a growing assortment of pets. She loves to hike with her family, read whatever book she can get her hands on, and eat delicious food she doesn’t have to fix herself.

Jenny hopes Love Notes, a reflection of her love and appreciation for good romance and classical music, inspires you to listen to Mozart and kiss your significant other as frequently as possible. Love Notes is her third novel.

To learn more about Jenny and her books, visit her website at www.jennyproctor.com.

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