Write-A-Thon 2025

Everything I write for Nano this year

Bride to Be Chapter 24


THE LAST FEW MONTHS had flown by. Anna was finally returning to the office after her eight-week maternity leave, having given birth to a precious little girl, Kaci. Her return was a significant moment for the team, and Megan, also pregnant, was due to give birth any day now. To celebrate these milestones, Megan had set up an impromptu welcome-back party in the big cafeteria in the new office space.

Calvin stood in the doorway to the cafeteria, watching Lisa climb the ladder to hang the Welcome Back sign for Anna. Megan held the edge of the sign, her baby bump growing by the day. As he observed the pair, profound thoughts of marriage and kids filled his mind, causing the corner of his mouth to quirk upward. He'd been contemplating these thoughts for months, and after meeting baby Kaci, he had a sudden realization. There would never be a perfect moment in their busy worlds to pop the question. It was time to stop waiting for the ideal moment and move forward.

Calvin's steps were purposeful as he approached the women, his determination radiating with every stride. He was on a mission, a mission to make Lisa feel as valued and vital as she truly was. His life had been a monotonous cycle since his breakup with Jules, a relationship that had left him feeling unfulfilled and stagnant. Then Lisa Green walked in, injecting a much-needed spark. But it wasn't enough. Only one thing could turn his good fortune into perfection--her. Lisa needed to know his intentions without a doubt. And what he desired most was to spend his life with her. With every purposeful step, his heartbeat quickened to a thunderous rhythm that drowned out all other sounds.

Lisa hung the last corner of the sign and descended the steps, her movements quick as she reached the gray tiled floor and looked up to admire her work, crossing her arms over her chest. He knew that move well. Calvin smiled and slowed his pace, only a few feet separating them now.

He could feel the anticipation building, like a crescendo in a symphony. If he counted to three, he knew Lisa would relax her stance and be satisfied with her work, and then he would be standing right behind her, ready to make his move.

"Looks good," Megan said.

"Yes," Calvin began, "it does."

Lisa spun around, a smile on her pink lips, and those brown eyes he loved sparkled with happiness.

"So, does Anna have any idea, or were you two able to hide it?" Calvin asked, the curiosity in his voice unable to disguise.

Megan laughed. "If she knows, don't look at me. I didn't mention it."

"Ah, yes, but that doesn't mean Corey didn't," Lisa said, shaking her head.

Calvin had heard stories about the closeness between Corey and Anna, a friendship that went back to childhood. At any party or gathering he'd ever attended in Endurance, the two friends would always find a way to find a corner and be thick as thieves, usually plotting something.

"If he told her, he kept that to himself."

Other employees filed into the cafeteria, awaiting Anna's arrival. A quiet hum filled the room. They had only moved into this office space two weeks ago, and the satisfaction of seeing his plans coming to fruition sent a warmth of pride washing over him. There were just two pieces of the puzzle to put into place, and with any luck, one of them would happen today. One piece was his proposal to Lisa, and the other was asking her to move into his house as soon as construction was finished. There was no way he would move out of Lisa's house, to his, without her.

Piper and Abby Brady came through the door carrying trays of food.

"Here we go," Lisa said, moving toward the pair and relieving Abby of her load.

Calvin followed behind Lisa and Megan, but moved to the doorway as the four women set up the long table with Abby's catering. He checked his watch and knew Anna would be pulling up soon, probably with Nolan in tow. Nolan was as overprotective about his wife as a man could be. Calvin smiled, knowing there was a time not long ago that he would've thought Nolan was over the top, but since his relationship with Lisa had come into play, he understood how precious having an equal partner in life truly was.















WC: 746