Spotlight (45 page)

Sunlight streamed across the bed, warming Nate despite the winter temperatures. It had been quite some time since he’d awoken to something other than the blaring sound of an alarm. This morning, it was the aroma of coffee. He hummed contentedly and reached for Lily, blinking away the remainder of sleep when he couldn’t find her.

He didn’t have to look far.

She sat curled up in a cozy chair on the other side of the room, her attention focused on the laptop perched on her thighs. She wore Nate’s gray dress shirt from the night before and nothing else. The cuffs were turned back so that the long sleeves wouldn’t get in her way, and her dark hair was piled into a messy bun. Her own rarely worn frames sat delicately on the bridge of her nose.

As she reached for the ceramic mug at her side, she glanced toward the bed and noticed Nate staring at her.

“Good morning,” she said softly.

“Morning.”

He noticed that she shivered a little at the sound of his voice.

Nate stretched languidly before leaving the warmth of their feather-filled cocoon. He bent down to kiss her on his way to the bathroom.

When he emerged, they ordered breakfast and began their day. Nate worked at the desk while she stayed in the chair, using the matching ottoman as a workspace. They talked easily about the night before, each of them tying up loose ends.

Nate couldn’t shake the small grin on his lips. He could feel that this was his future. He welcomed the thought of waking up to the smell of dark roast and the sound of Lily clacking away on her keyboard. He wanted to bask in the sight of her—sleep-rumpled and smiling—every morning.

This time was different, and he knew it.

Despite their differences—both personal and professional—they both wanted this relationship to work.

At some point midmorning, Lily got up to stretch and grab a bottle of water. She stopped behind Nate, rubbing his arms while resting her chin on his shoulder. He hummed and leaned back into her.

“What are you working on?” she asked casually, glancing at his screen.

“Just looking through some of the coverage of last night.”

He turned in the chair and pulled her to sit in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped hers around his neck.

“You’ve said before that we make a good team. Why do you think that is?”

Lily’s brows furrowed at the seriousness of his question. But then her expression eased, and she smiled. “In the end, we both want the same thing . . . and we’re finding a way to work together to make that happen.”

“And you think we can find a way to work together in the long run?” His question alluded to much more than media coverage.

She nodded, something in her eyes telling him she understood, and pulled him closer. “I absolutely do.”

Epilogue

One year later . . .

The engagement party was a loud, crowded, wonderful gathering of their loved ones. Lily’s heart could barely contain all the excitement and joy around her, and she found herself wondering how she’d manage on her wedding day.

Her face ached from smiling and laughing so much, her feet were sore from too much time on the dance floor, and her throat was parched from talking to her guests over the music. She was also somewhat overwhelmed with emotion and needed a moment to center her thoughts.

Squeezing Nate’s arm to get his attention, she leaned toward him. “I’m going to get some air. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“All right, love. Don’t stay away too long.” He winked at her before bending to give her a quick kiss.

Grabbing a glass of champagne from the nearest waiter, she made her way out to a bench in the gardens. They’d decided to have their engagement party at the Four Seasons, and Lily couldn’t help but smile as she thought back to Nate’s proposal.

It had been an ordinary Tuesday, and she thought she was going to an ordinary screening. Nate said he’d organized the small event for an independent film entitled
Will You?
At the time, she thought it was just a regular assignment. He told her they needed some quotes from early reviews for the posters and other materials, and she was happy to help.

The tiny theater was filled with many of the friends she’d made while living in California, so she spent a few minutes chatting before taking a seat along an aisle toward the front. She caught Nate’s eye and waved as he walked around—she assumed checking on last-minute details.

Soon, the lights dimmed. As the movie screen lit up, Lily gasped at what she saw.

The film was of Nate—standing against a plain white background, holding a series of storyboards each with their own illustration. The first one simply read, “
My sweet Lily–
”

His on-screen smile widened as that storyboard fell to the ground, revealing the next, then the next. Lily’s heart beat faster with each question.

“
Will you wake up beside me every morning?
”

“
Will you stand by my side, for better or for worse?
”

“
Will you be mine, to have and to hold?
”

“
Will you spend the rest of your life with me?
”

“
Will you?
”

Her tears spilled over at the sight of the stick-figure bride and groom under that all-important question. She knew without a doubt what her answer would be.

By the time the lights came up, Lily was already out of her seat, rushing toward Nate, who waited under the screen.

She ran straight into his arms, wrapping her own around him, and repeated her answer over and over again. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

Nate let out a sigh as he tightened his hold and picked her up to spin her around. When her feet touched the ground, Nate dropped to one knee.

Lily wiped the tears from her cheeks as he pulled out a ring box. “Time to do this properly, love. Lily Leigh Richards, will you marry me?”

“
Yes!
” Lily shouted. The audience behind them broke into cheers, but her focus remained on Nate. She placed her hand on his cheek. “Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife.”

“I love you so much,” he said, placing a ring that matched her necklace perfectly on the fourth finger of her left hand.

“I love you, too,” she said just before her lips met his.

They got lost in their kiss for a moment before Nate pulled back to look at her.

“I have one more surprise for you.”

“You do? Nate, this is more than enough—”

“Well, I didn’t want the important people in your life to miss out on this.” He turned her around, and her parents and two best friends stepped out of the shadows, followed by Daniel, with his arm slung around Sam’s shoulders.

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said as she leaned over to kiss him once more before they were surrounded in a group hug.

It was the happiest moment of her life.

For the time being, anyway.

Lily let out a contented sigh at the thought of all the happy moments yet to come and took another sip from her champagne flute. Daniel meandered over, sitting down beside her, and slipping his arm over her shoulders before leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek.

“Congratulations—again,” he said, studying her for a moment. Her tired smile got even wider. “You look happy.”

“That’s because I am. Nate is an incredible man.” She looked up at Daniel. “Thank you for introducing us. For everything.” She caught just a glimpse of that famous, heart-stopping grin. “But what about you? Are you happy? I read about those rumors—”

“Yeah, I am. I have been for a while now.” His gaze turned toward the crowd, and Lily followed it. A soft smile played on his lips as he locked eyes with Sam, who was chatting with a group of people near the bar.

Lily looked back at Daniel, one eyebrow raised.

Daniel caught her expression and chuckled. “What?”

She said nothing.

“Oh, Lily, come on. You should know this better than anyone.” He squeezed her shoulders with a wry grin. “You can’t believe everything you read.”

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, thank you to my understanding, supportive, caring, kind, amazing family. Your love and encouragement keeps me going and keeps me grounded. I owe my parents—all of them—so much more than a simple thank you. I wouldn’t be the person I am without your influence and guidance. I hope that my brothers are proud of their big sister and that my niece and nephews are proud of Aunt ChaCha.

I have some remarkably wonderful friends who have been such a help on this journey. Martha H. and Caroline S.—thank you for coming along on my whims and enjoying the ride. Donny B.—thank you for the incredible memory-making opportunities you’ve given me. Amanda B.—thank you for being this book’s fairy godmother with constant support and advice, “writing workshops” and gluten-free pizza. This book wouldn’t be what it is without all of you.
 

To all my fellow writers I’ve come to know—thank you for inspiring me with your own words.

Lastly, to the TWCS team—thank you for taking a chance on a girl with something she wanted to say, and thank you to my editors for helping me say it in the best way possible. I can’t tell you how much your belief in me and my story means to me.

About the Author

Krista Richmond is a journalist, pop culture enthusiast and a true Southern girl at heart. When she isn’t writing, she’s often in her kitchen, attempting to recreate recipes created by her favorite Food Network personalities, or at her local theater, catching the latest blockbuster (or indie flick).

A graduate of Tennessee Tech University and the University of Tennessee with degrees in communications, she worked in print journalism for several years. Now, she works in marketing in southern Louisiana.

Follow her adventures on Twitter at @KristaRichmond.