New York Nights (Heart of the City #2)(37)

'Just one more,' he whispered, stepping to me.

My chin trembled. 'I can't.' And just as I was about to pull away, I heard a sound that stood out from all the bustling crowds and street music, a distant cry that I would recognise anywhere. I searched for it, looking past Ben's shoulder, and saw Ruth pushing a stroller.

'I am sorry, Mr Worthington, but Grace is not going to settle,' she said, unclipping and handing the baby over to Ben.

'Heeey, what's the matter?' he said, lifting Grace up and kissing her before rocking her into instant happiness.

'Have you told her yet?' Ruth said.

'Ruth,' he warned.

I glanced between the two of them. 'Told me what?'

Ruth rolled her eyes. 'What have you been doing all this time?' she chastised him before turning her deadpan expression to me. 'The secret is he loves you and he wants you to stay; honestly, you people are just so utterly ridiculous,' she snapped.

Ben, Grace and I watched her roll the empty stroller away toward the fountain, mumbling and shaking her head.

We turned to each other.

'Annnnd that's how you kill a moment,' Ben said.



       
         
       
        

I stood, stunned, waiting for him to clarify Ruth's statement, to hear the words from his mouth. Only then would I believe them. Grace began squirming and whinging, leaning out to grab me, and it was a welcome distraction. I took her into my arms, holding her to me, breathing her in and kissing her temple.

'Hey, Gracie girl.'

'No more running away,' he said. His expression deathly serious. Was he going to say it? Repeat what Ruth had just said, or was she just being cruel? 'No more nights at Lafayette, no more dinner parties with people we don't like.'

'No more secrets,' I added quickly.

Ben smiled. 'Not any more.'

I swallowed. 'So, when Ruth said that you-'

'From the moment you promised to love and care for my daughter, the same meeting when you stood in my office questioning my parenting skills.'

I cringed. 'I did, didn't I?'

'You most certainly did,' he said.

I felt my stomach do a little flip watching the lightness in his eyes. I felt the full weight of that stare. He was telling me that he loved me, even if it had been interrupted by Grace's cries and Ruth's deep sighs and eye rolls, but I was used to that. Plans changed, moments got interrupted and I always had to think on my feet, just as I was doing now. How could I possibly put into words how he made me feel, how any time he walked into a room my heart beat faster, or that when he looked me in the eyes the rest of the world fell away? I adjusted Grace's weight on my hip as I tore my eyes from her beautiful, happy, flushed face to Ben's. I wanted to look him in the eye so he understood I meant what I was about to say.

'You asked me why I chose to stay. I told you I stayed because I loved Grace. I said I stayed because I loved New York.'

Ben was silent, watching me intently.

I shifted, swallowing and trying to keep my thoughts together. 'But aside from those two very good reasons, I need you to know that, despite everything, I also stayed  …  because of you.'

I could see the most delicate shift in him, as if relief was flooding through his squared shoulders, as though he wasn't able to control his reaction.

Then, ever so slowly, Ben's lips turned up. 'It was the grilled cheese, wasn't it?'

I burst out laughing, readjusting Grace in my arms as I stepped forward, looking at the man I had come to love. Through all the days and nights that I had been in this city, I had never known such frustration, such chaos, such tenderness  –  such love. I knew it in the way he looked at me now, and I felt it in the warmth of my arms holding Grace, who happily chewed on a strand of my hair.

In the movies, now was the time when the man leant down and kissed the woman, taking her breath away with an embrace and promising her the world. But this wasn't a movie, this was us, and although I made the first move, he met me halfway, circling his arms around us, kissing me tenderly in the heart of Central Park. 

I pulled away, cocking my brow at him, as he waited for my answer.

'That, Ben Worthington, simply sealed the deal.'

'The grilled cheese or the kiss?'

I smiled broadly, looking at him in the dying rays of the New York sun and running my hand along his freshly shaven cheek. 'Both,' I said, reaching up on my toes and kissing him once again. 'Ben?'

'Sarah?'

'Let's go home.'

Ben laughed, glancing from me to Grace and back, before breaking into that infamous crooked smile of his as he leant in, kissed my forehead and whispered, 'Right where we belong.'





IF YOU LIKED NEW YORK NIGHTS YOU WILL LOVE THE OTHER BOOKS IN C.J. DUGGAN'S HEART OF THE CITY SERIES: PARIS LIGHTS AND LONDON BOUND.



Read on for a preview of Paris Lights.





Chapter One


I genuinely believe that aside from your place of birth there is somewhere else you belong: a place you're guided to by your heart. Some people might spend their entire lives in search of such a place, but all my life, throughout my travels, I knew which place was waiting for me.

Paris.

I had fed my love of Paris by having the Eiffel Tower plastered on my bedspreads and cushion covers, by buying kitchen accessories and placemats with Rue Du Temple scrawled across them, and hanging a cute Bon Appetit sign in my kitchen. I'd tried to explain to my boyfriend, Liam, that it wasn't really an obsession, I had just adopted a French Provincial style of decorating for our home. He seemed unconvinced.

Everyone wants to go to Paris. To fall in love, eat smelly French cheese and drink good local wine while toasting to the Eiffel Tower. It was more than just our home's décor and my Chanel lipstick collection that strengthened my bond. Paris is the art capital of the world, with tourists flocking from near and far to catch a quick glimpse of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and wander the vast halls of the Louvre. But, while many people believed the Louvre to be the pinnacle of the Parisian art museum scene, there were so many other museums to see. With much excitement, I had rattled off the list of must-see locations to Liam as we'd planned this long-awaited weekend in Paris.

'We could head to the Centre Pompidou, Paris's bastion of modern art. We'll need a good couple of hours to wander through all the amazing rooms with world-famous works of  –  oh my God, we'll be able to see Picasso, Klimt, Miro and Kandinsky!'

Liam's face had twisted in horror, and he'd said, 'Claire, I would sooner claw my own face off than spend an entire weekend in art museums.'

I had laughed it off, but my heart sank knowing that he wouldn't budge on this. I would have to settle for compromising on the art so we could both enjoy the trip.

Liam had insisted we save the Eiffel Tower until our last day in Paris. He'd said we shouldn't conform to the typical tourist itinerary, that we should discover other parts of the city first. He was so smart, so romantic.

We battled the crowds at the Louvre for a date with Mona Lisa, strolled hand-in-hand through the Jardin de Tuileries, dodged pigeons and love-lock sellers near Notre Dame, and, of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to the famed Moulin Rouge.

And this morning, stepping from the bus, our heads had craned upwards, my mouth ajar as Liam clicked away on his expensive Canon camera, snapping the iron beast before us. Except it wasn't a beast. The Eiffel Tower was a lady  –  strong, imposing, beautiful  –  but I couldn't have said so to Liam. He would have just rolled his eyes.



       
         
       
        

We'd lingered around the edge of the crowds, taking it all in. It was incredible how something that stood still could evoke as much excitement as a themed rollercoaster at Disneyland. Hordes of tourists surrounded us in a blur of excitement and delight. Despite the wonders around me, though, my attention remained on Liam. I only had eyes for him.

I tilted my head, admiring my gorgeous boyfriend: his dark, unruly hair, his five o'clock shadow, his charcoal-grey jumper and dark jeans that made him look like he belonged here; a true Parisian. Liam had been acting strange for days. Twitchy, antsy, a bit snappy. As he stood beside me, rubbing his unshaven jaw, I could see the cogs turning in his head, no doubt wondering what to say, how to do it. He is such a stickler for details; it's one of the things I love about him.

My chest expanded as I breathed deeply. I tried to hide the knowing smile that twisted the corner of my mouth. This is it; this is really going to happen. It was all clear to me now: the impromptu visit to Paris; saving the tower till last.

This is my moment.

Wait until everyone back home finds out about this.

I stood in the heart of the square and waited for Liam to speak. Waited for him to ask the big question, to go down on one knee in front of all these people, and ask me to be Mrs Liam Jackson.

My chest tightened as he turned to me. His focus was on me and me alone. In this moment, under the massive iron structure, the world around us didn't matter. It was as if we were the only ones on the planet and that the tower had been built for us alone. I could feel my skin prickle despite the warm air that swept over us.

'Claire.' Liam swallowed nervously. I could feel my eyes watering as he reached out and grabbed my hand, a hand that had been nervously tapping my thigh.

'Yes?' I breathed out, my heart beating a million miles an hour. Yes, yes, yes had been echoing in my mind all morning.