In his hotel room.
And then there’d been last night.
“Okay, okay, so he’s a dreamboat,” Elena said as the car crept slowly through rush hour traffic toward Manhattan. “How’d he pop the question? Champagne? Roses? Fancy restaurant with a water view?”
“Holy crap,” Jill said with a laugh. “Were you there?”
“I know all,” Elena said, extending her hands to the side as though she were some wise sage. “Did you see it coming at all?”
“Not even a little bit,” Jill admitted.
Not even with the expensive champagne, or the two dozen roses, or the fact that the restaurant staff seemed to be going out of their way to give Jill and Tom privacy at the terrace table overlooking the ocean.
She’d simply thought it had just been a really fantastic good-bye.
Instead it had been a bit more of a be mine forever and ever.
And Jill had said yes.
She’d said yes almost the second he’d gone down on his knee, not because she’d been that sure—she’d been pretty sure… sort of sure—she’d said yes because in that moment, Jill had wanted what Tom Porter was offering her.
A companion. A partner. Love.
And that’s what it came down to. Jill wanted to be loved. She wanted to love.
She loved her mother, obviously. And loved the memory of her father, God rest his soul.
And though she had no siblings of her own, the Morettis had filled that gap. And with the recent addition of Luc’s girlfriend, Ava, and Anthony’s new wife, Maggie, she had some amazing girlfriends to add to the mix.
And last, but never least, there was Vincent. Her partner. In some ways her best friend, although in a way that was different from her relationship with Elena.
But as much as Vincent sometimes seemed like two parts of the same whole, he’d always held a bit of himself back from her. From everyone.
He’d made no secret of the fact that he had no intentions of getting married, ever. Any fantasies Jill had had that her partner would one day wake up and see her were long gone.
Which left her a bit… lonely.
She wanted someone to come home to at the end of the long day who would just be there. Who’d pour her a glass of wine, maybe rub her feet and just listen.
Tom offered Jill what nobody else had offered her… ever.
Love. Commitment. A future.
And she knew that he loved her. Fast as their relationship had developed, she could feel it. And she loved him too. At least she was pretty sure.
“Aww, you like him,” Elena said teasingly, reaching out a finger and poking the dimple in Jill’s left cheek.
“I want to be happy, El. I want the happily-ever-after with someone who wants it with me.”
She met her friend’s eyes and saw from the flash of regret on Elena’s face that El understood what Jill wasn’t saying out loud.
I can’t wait for Vin forever.
“I’m assuming you haven’t told him?”
Jill shook her head and looked down at her ring, still trying to get used to the sparkle on her finger. “No. Like I said, not really a phone conversation.”
“He’s going to be thrilled,” Elena said with a small smile. “I mean, he won’t show it, of course, because he’s emotionally barren. But he cares about you, babe. He just wants you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Jill said.
Elena nodded distractedly, and Jill’s eyes narrowed. She knew her friend well, and something was definitely on Elena’s mind.
“Spill it,” Jill said.
Elena blew out a long breath. “Okay, so it was supposed to be a surprise, but given that huge rock on your finger and the enormity of the bomb you’re about to drop, I just can’t let you go in unprepared.”
Jill frowned. “Go in where?”
“To Anthony and Maggie’s place. There’s kinda sorta a surprise party awaiting you.”
Jill clapped her hands excitedly. “I love surprise parties! Especially when they’re for me.”
“I know you do, I just didn’t know if you were planning to tell everyone all at once, or if you maybe first wanted to break the news to… individuals first.”
Jill rubbed her thumb on the underside of the platinum band as she contemplated. In truth, she hadn’t really thought about how she was going to break the news to her partner. Hadn’t really let her brain go there.
“He was unbearable while you were gone,” Elena said quietly. “Even more so than usual.”
Jill snorted. “Yeah. I’m sure the separation was pure agony. You know, I barely heard from him?” she said absently. “I was gone three months, and I’d say he returned about ten percent of my texts, maybe two percent of my phone calls.”
Elena sighed. “So what’s the plan? I can make an excuse, say you’re not feeling well—”
Jill’s head whipped around. “No! I’m dying to see everyone. And your mom’s cooking…” She rubbed her belly.