He shrugged. “The last night of my old life, I suppose.”
“Now you’re not even making sense.” She half turned away from him, convinced that he would be sorry he said these things after he’d gotten a good night’s sleep.
“I love you, Terry.”
She gasped. “Please don’t…”
“You love me, too.”
She stiffened. “I didn’t say that.”
“Yes, you did. When you made love with me. Not in so many words—but I know you well enough to understand that you wouldn’t have taken me into your bed if you didn’t love me.”
Her throat was so tight she could barely speak, but she managed to say, “You’re a conceited and arrogant man, Riley O’Neal.”
“I know. But no one’s ever accused me of being stupid. You’re the best thing that ever came into my life, Teresa Scott.”
She closed her eyes, thinking that he’d come to know her too well. He was right, of course. She wouldn’t have made love with him had she not loved him. “I can’t talk about this tonight,” she said. “It’s too much.”
“I’m sorry. I guess my timing’s lousy. I was going to tell you these things earlier, after I had my coffee this morning—but we were interrupted. If you need more time, you’ve got it. Now that we’ve found each other, we have all the time in the world.”
All the time in the world. She’d come to understand all too well how unpredictable life was, how quickly things could change.
She’d been only a breath away from losing her son that day. From losing Riley. She was afraid to take any more chances today.
“I was married to a charming, fun-loving man who couldn’t follow through on his commitments,” she murmured. “Not to a job. Not to his wife. Not even to his children. I think he really wanted to keep his promises, but it just wasn’t in him. Schedules suffocated him. Obligations weighed too heavily on him. I tried to be responsible enough for both of us, but it was too much. I can’t go through that again.”
She heard Riley release a long, deep breath behind her. “Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me,” he murmured. “I’m going to have to prove to you that I’m not your ex-husband. I’ve had a good time being single and footloose, but I have no doubt that I’ll find just as many challenges and just as much satisfaction with you and the kids. However long it takes for me to convince you of that, I’ll make you believe me eventually.”
“It could take a very long time,” she whispered.
His hands fell gently on her shoulders. “We have all the time in the world.”
Epilogue
Teresa had underestimated Riley’s powers of persuasion. They were married on Valentine’s Day.
It was a festive occasion, and it seemed that almost everyone in Edstown was in attendance. There were several who said they’d had to see it with their own eyes. Riley O’Neal, a family man. Who would have believed it?
Teresa did. Now.
Smiling at her husband during a brief lull at the crowded reception, she marveled at how handsome he looked in his evening clothes. He’d worn socks for respectability—and the small gold earring to prove that he was still Riley.
She had worn a simple but elegant white suit. In honor of the holiday, she had carried red roses. Her two attendants, Serena and Maggie, had worn red dresses, Serena’s cut to accommodate her expanding waistline. Bud and Mark had served as groomsmen. Riley’s parents were in attendance, of course, almost humorously delighted that he was getting married and providing them with grandchildren all at once. Teresa was already quite fond of them and believed the feeling was mutual.
It had been a simple wedding, but beautiful. Perfect, in her opinion.
“So how much longer do we have to stay at this thing?” Riley murmured in her ear, sounding impatient to get away.
“We can leave soon,” she promised. “I just want to make sure Serena has everything she needs for the children while we’re gone.”
“You’ve a
lready checked twice,” he reminded her patiently. “You’ve left her the numbers where we can be reached for the next four days and the kids’ schedules mapped out to the minute. And you’ve given her our keys so she has access to everything the kids own if she needs anything. They’ll be fine.”
“I know,” she admitted. “It’s just the first time I’ve spent so much time away from them.”
“If it bothers you that much, we’ll cancel the trip. Take a honeymoon later—or take the kids with us.”