Fake Bonus Scene

Mina 

“Oh my God! Babe!” I lurch to my feet, propelled out of my office chair by excitement, then stop and reread the email to make sure I’m not dreaming. Or hallucinating. Or have somehow become untethered from reality. 

Dear Mrs. West, 

I’m delighted to inform you that you’ve been selected as Architectural Digest’s “One to Watch”… 

Nope. 

Not hallucinating. 

I pinch myself. 

Definitely felt that. 

Not dreaming either. 

And unless Nathan shows up wearing a kilt or with the head of a talking cat, it’s safe to assume I’m still tethered to reality. 

Dear God. Are you freaking kidding me with all the blessings?! Yours always and forever, Mina West. 

“Babe!” My hands shake. I take one step forward then pause to reread the first line. You know. Just in case. 

Nathan appears in my studio doorway, eyes wild. “Mina! What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“It’s happening. Or I guess, it’s happened!” I wave my phone in my husband’s direction. “I didn’t…I mean…who woulda thought?” 

“Who woulda thought what? Mina, you’re scaring me a little.” Nathan’s face contorts through a memorable performance of half smile, half concern. “I can’t tell if you’re excited or dying.” 

“I’m so excited I might die. I just got an email from Architectural Digest. They…” I open my phone and start to read from the screen, but then thrust the thing into his hands instead. “Here. You read. Tell me I’m not losing my mind.” 

Nathan takes the phone like he’s afraid a bomb might go off, then reads. Concern gives way to amazement, then his eyes meet mine. The pride shining in them has my hands covering my swelling heart. 

“It’s about damn time!” He crosses the room and wraps me in his strong embrace, swaying ever so slightly as his hands press into my back. “I am so proud of you. So happy for you. Not at all surprised, but so damn proud.” 

*** 

“To the fabulous Mina West!” Angela raises her glass, and the rest of the crew follows suit. “We’ve known she was one to watch since the day she showed up to your birthday in that red dress. It’s about damn time the rest of the world sees her the way we do!” 

“That’s what I said!” Nathan cries amidst a chorus of “here, heres,” “hell yeahs,” and lifted drinks. 

I beam from my place at the head of a huge table at The Pact. Angela, Garrett, Micah, Ivy, Nick and his latest girlfriend Sabrina smile back at me. Since the wedding, I’ve gotten incredibly close with Nathan’s cousins. These people aren’t just family, they’re my best friends. Though I expect poor Sabrina won’t be around much longer.  

“Oh!” Angela puts her hand on her swollen tummy. “The baby’s kicking. She must be excited for Mina too!” 

Garrett puts his drink down and places his hand on his wife’s belly. The smile that lifts his lips is pure bliss, which says a lot because Garrett isn’t a pure bliss kind of guy. “I didn’t think fatherhood would be my thing,” he says, reverently, “but this has been the coolest experience. I can’t wait for the day I finally get to meet my little girl.” 

Micah nods knowingly. “I’ve loved every minute of being a dad.” 

“Come on.” Nick rolls his eyes and sits back, huffing in disgust. “Every minute? The diapers? The crying? The snot and drool? You like the late nights and loss of freedom, do you?” 

The rest of us exchange worried glances. Once Nick gets on a roll, it can be hard to switch him off. 

“It’s worth it, man.” Micah leans forward, like maybe he can show Nick what he’s feeling through proximity. “I know it doesn’t sound like it, but it is. You’ll understand once you’re a father.” 

Nick scoffs. “Not gonna hold my breath on that one.” 

There’s a moment of awkward silence while everyone worries about what to say next. Dancing around his moods can be like walking a tightrope. One wrong move can have disastrous results. I’ve found it’s best to move the conversation away from him when he’s like this. 

“What about you guys?” Angela asks, physically turning away from Nick to look at me, clearly having read my mind. “Are there any pregnancy plans in your future? Nathan always did want a big family.” 

While I understand the reason she chose this topic, I wish she’d have gone in a different direction. Nathan and I have talked about kids and I know he’s ready to start our family, but my career is just starting to take off. I want a baby too, but not when I’d have to split my attention between motherhood and Bancroft and Blake. 

Nathan gives an angelic smile and takes my hand, patting it gently. “The timing’s not right for us,” he says to his cousin, while silently communicating to me that he’s totally okay with our decision to wait. 

“What are you talking about?” Angela squawks. “The timing’s perfect! If you start now, all the cousins can be close, like we were.” 

Never one to skip an opportunity to pile on Nathan, Micah leans his elbows on the table with the shit-eatingest grin. “You know how much you hated being the youngest. Never being as fast or tall as the rest of us. Always feeling left out…” 

“I wasn’t the youngest for long,” Nathan says. “I had brothers and a sister and so many younger cousins to boss around. Besides. A little humility was good for me.” 

“Like you were the one with the ego problem.” Ivy laughs gently and jerks her chin at her husband.  

“I want kids,” I blurt, eager to take the focus off Nathan since I’m the reason we’re waiting. “I always wished I had a big family growing up and after being part of this one, I’d love a kid or three. It’s just…” 

Bancroft and Blake Design has taken off. We have people reaching out for our services from all over the country. Benjamin and I have actually discussed starting a waitlist. After this story about me in Architectural Digest, we’ll probably have to implement it. Which is wonderful. It’s more than wonderful. It’s a dream come true. As it stands, I’m traveling a lot. Sometimes Nathan comes with, and we sightsee when I’m not with a client or at a job site. Sometimes he stays home and focuses on work or hangs out with his cousins, trying to snap Nick out of his funk. 

All of this is great, except I don’t see how I can do the whole pregnancy and mommy thing without sacrificing work. And I’m currently a big fan of my life. Am I ready to give up on all that?  

“It’s just not the right time for us to start a family.”  

Nathan finishes my sentence for me, pats my hand, and brings it to his lips. Something in the gesture sets off a chain reaction of epiphanies around the table. I watch understanding pop off on face after face until we get to poor Sabrina who’s staring at Nick’s grimacing profile, probably concluding that his sour attitude doesn’t fit into her vision for her life. 

Angela shoots us an apologetic glance. “The timing has to be right,” she says with an understanding smile. “It’s not like adopting kittens. Parenthood is a big commitment.” 

*** 

We finish the night laughing and stumble out of the bar into a gorgeous night. The moon is full and high and bright, casting everything in shimmering silver. Nathan’s hand is warm and strong on my back. There’s nothing to do. Nowhere to be. It’s just the two of us in this perfect moment where anything could happen. I turn my face skywards and inhale deeply, like I can breathe in the perfection. 

Nathan slides his hand from my back to my wrist then tugs me closer. “This is one of my most favorite memories,” he says, brushing my cheek with his thumb. 

“What’s that?” I lean into his touch and close my eyes. He is the best feeling I’ve ever had. I just want to be here a while and revel in it. When I open my eyes, I find my husband staring down at me with warmth glittering in his gaze. Gone is the frozen barbed wire and steel skyscrapers I added to his mood board when we first met. Gone are the thorns and brambles. He’s warm and golden and sweet and wonderful. Not the villain. The prince. 

“This is where we had our first kiss,” Nathan says with a smile. 

“Does it count though? Since it was just for show?” 

“Of course it counts!” His eyes go wide. “Remember the whole, ‘I’m not paying you for the kiss, the kiss was for me, speech I gave the next day? I played it off like I did it because we had an audience, but I had been wanting to do that for days.” 

I grin. “I was so confused after that. It was like the perfect kiss. A million-dollar kiss.” I wave my hand through the air. “But you showed up so grumpy and rude the next morning.” 

“We’ve had a lot of perfect kisses since then.” 

“Maybe because we’re the perfect couple.” 

“I wonder if we could do it again?” Nathan leans close, brushing his nose against mine. “Another million-dollar kiss.” 

“I’ve been standing here for the last ten minutes hoping you’d try,” I murmur, then press my lips to his as Angela wolf whistles on her way out of the bar. 

*** 

“I’ve been thinking,” I say, plonking a cup of coffee on the table for Nathan. “About what Angela and Micah were saying at The Pact the other night.” 

“About you being awesome?” 

“No, the other thing.” I pour a little milk into my mug. Then a little more. Then a dash more. “About starting a family,” I say, reaching for the sugar like I didn’t just open the door on a topic we both agreed was closed. 

“Mina.” Nathan sits back, shaking his head. “Honey…” 

“No. Let me say this.” I lift my chin and fold my hands on the counter. “I’ve heard the family legends. Little Nator Tot decreeing he wants seven kids and holding onto that dream for years. You’re a caregiver by nature. Of course you want a family. You deserve a family. And I want one too. A little you running around here? I mean…” I give in to a crooked smile as I imagine chubby legs and bare feet slapping against the tile in a wobbly toddly dash through the kitchen. 

I hurry on before Nathan can remind me we decided the time’s not right. “The cool thing about my job is that it’s super flexible. I do most of my work out of the studio here at home, so I can juggle mamahood and work. Because you know, Angela is right. The best time to start is now. Everyone else is having babies, so there will be lots of cousins to play with. Sure, it’ll be difficult to balance everything, but I’m used to doing hard things. And knowing how happy it’d make you? Plus, the fact that I want a family too? That’ll make it worth it.” 

Nathan swipes his coffee off the table and sits back, an odd look on his face. “Are you finished?” 

I can’t read his expression. 

I can’t decipher his tone. 

I expected some pushback, but…did I actually make him mad? 

I clear my throat. “No. I have one more thing to add. Thank you for your time and consideration.” I wink at the line I used the night I drunk-texted the group chat and hope he catches the reference. The soft chuckle and slow shake of his head says he does. 

“Now that you’ve said your piece, I’d like to ask for your time and consideration on my vision for this whole starting a family thing.” Nathan takes a long swig of coffee, eying me over the rim of his mug. “Are you ready for this?” he asks after he swallows. He looks so serious. So intense. So not like the easygoing version of Nathan West I’ve come to expect. 

“I don’t know.” I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, then swipe my coffee off the counter and join my husband at the table. “Am I?” 

“Let’s just jump in there and see. I also get a little misty-eyed at the thought of a miniature version of you running around here. As everyone has been so quick to remind me lately, being a father to a herd of children has been high on my list since I was a little boy. And, like you, I agree with Angela. With my cousins starting families of their own, and my brothers and sister sure to follow suit soon, now is the right time to join in the fun. But that’s where we stop agreeing and start disagreeing.” 

I cock my head in question. “What else is there to agree about? We both want kids. We both think it would be a good time to start on the cousin front. Help me out here. What do you disagree with?” 

“I disagree with you being the one to sacrifice your life, your wants, your dreams. I disagree with you thinking you can work from home and be a mom and be happy with the amount of time you can give either venture.” 

I hold up my hands, shaking my head in defeat. “I don’t know what else to do then, my love.” 

“I’ll be the one to pare down my career.” Nathan grins as his statement hangs between us. I exhale, jaw dropped, trying to decipher how real he’s being. He’s devoted his life to the foundation.  

“I can work from home just as easily as you can.” Nathan leans forward, elbows on table, eyes lighting up as he grips his coffee mug in both hands. “Easier even, since I don’t have to fly out to meet clients. I can lean on Rita a lot more. I might even promote someone to take my place.”  

I shake my head, like that will help me rattle some processing power loose. “But Maisie—” 

“Is thrilled with the idea. I’ve been thinking about this for a while and brought it up to her after our conversation at The Pact.” 

“Are you sure this is what you want? I know how important your job is.” 

“A thousand percent sure. I’m ready for kids. I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplish career-wise. You still have a lot of kickin’ ass and takin’ names ahead of you. Of course, you’d still have to do the whole pregnancy thing, which can be a lot. So, if the timing still isn’t right, that’s fine. And if you want to wait until you can do the whole primary caregiver thing, that’s fine too. We can talk about it. We can postpone until you’re really ready. This has to be right for both of us.” 

“I kind of always saw myself doing the mommy thing—” 

“That’s fine.” Nathan sits back, holding out his hands, so sure he knows what I’m about to say. “We can wait until your ready—” 

“I’m ready now.” Tears shimmer in my vision as I feel the truth of those words down to my roots. I want to start a family with Nathan. Enough that I’m willing to step back from work to make it happen. The fact that he’s just as willing proves how perfect he is for me. 

“You promise me this is what you want to do?” I ask. “You’re sure?” 

“So sure.” Nathan’s grin reminds me of Garrett’s the other night at The Pact. Pure bliss. Coming from the man I once referred to as The Prince of Darkness, that says all I need to know. 

“Then I’m onboard with the idea, as long as this isn’t a sacrifice.” I hold his gaze, begging him to be honest with me. 

Nathan steeples his fingers under his chin. “Let’s see, just as the entry to this little project I get to make love to you. Score one for me.”  

“That’s a point in my favor too,” I say with a grin. 

Nathan nods his agreement. “Then, I get to watch you do the whole glowy pregnancy thing and I can be the doting husband who renovates a spare room into a nursery in between trips to the store for ice cream.”  

“Again, that sounds like another win for me. Doting husband. Unlimited ice cream…” 

“Then, as if that’s not enough, there’s a tiny little person who looks like you and me who I get to take care of and teach to play the guitar and take to the beach and burp and feed and…” Nathan shakes his head. “Does that sound like a sacrifice to you? Because it doesn’t to me.” 

“Every time I think I couldn’t possibly love you more, you show me another facet of yourself and I’m left awestruck. You’re an amazing man, Nathan West.” 

“Whatever I am, I’m better with you. Now. Are we a go on our entry to parenthood?” 

“I’m ready if you are.” 

My husband takes my hand and pulls me into his arms. His fingers thread into my hair as his lips press to mine. I drape my arms over his shoulders and press my body to his and feel the long length of his erection growing between us. 

“You better fucking believe I’m ready, HM,” Nathan growls. 

And then his mouth finds mine and my fingers fumble with his pants and it’s just him and me raw and honest and real, stepping into the next phase of life together.