“That wasn’t quite the reaction I was hoping for.” His hand caressed her damp cheek.
Somehow all her emotions seemed to be flooding her mind at once. She couldn’t stop her tears long enough to speak.
She found herself scooped into Steven lap, snuggled against his chest.
“Maybe I read you wrong.” His lips pressed against her forehead. “I won’t pressure you, Anne. If you don’t want this, just tell me.”
“I’ve worked so hard to convince myself that it could never happen. It just doesn’t seem real.”
He whispered into her ear. “Do you want it to be real?”
“I do. But I don’t trust myself anymore.”
“Do you remember your list? The one from Switzerland?”
She shook her head.
“I remember—I memorized it. You wanted someone who’d love your girls, and I do—I already love them. And you wanted someone to hold you when you cry. And I’ve done that—I even like doing it. But you also wanted someone with integrity and someone you could trust. I know that’s me. But the question is, do you? Did I blow my chance?”
Could this be real? Maybe she was only hearing the things she wanted to hear.
“Are you saying you love me?”
“Love is such a small word for what I feel. For the first time in my life, I have a reason to breathe. I’m enchanted with every part of you I know, and I only know a small part so far. I plan to spend the rest of my life searching out every hidden enchantment in your body and soul. And I’m going to cherish and protect you with every fiber of my being. So, do I love you? No… I lovelovelove you.”
Warmth spread throughout her entire body. What was that feeling? She’d felt it before. When she’d married Tom. When her girls were born.
Joy!
He smiled, his dimples deep and his eyes bright with hope, reaching out to brush a tear off her cheek. “So now, will you marry me?”
She grinned. “I don’t know. Let me look at that ring first.”
He laughed, holding the ring case above his head, just out of her reach. “Trade ya.”
“For what?”
“I’ll let you have the ring, if you agree to marry me next Saturday.”
“There’s no way. Why the rush?”
“Because,” he said, as he stretched out on the limousine seat and pulled her on top of him. “I don’t want to wait. I don’t think I can wait any longer than that. One more week, tops. I think I’ve shown a great deal of self-restraint with you, but I have my limits.”
She looked down at his face and felt a now-familiar tingle deep inside. His hands caressed their way up her sides, his thumbs rubbing on the sheer silk panels. Though his fingers never strayed from her sides, she her entire body trembled.
Then he shifted beneath her and his mouth nuzzled her neck, sending chills down her spine. “I can’t wait to marry you and show you how much I love you.
“Yes!” she said. “A week sounds great. Plenty of time. Maybe we shouldn’t wait so long.”
She moved her lips to his and kissed him. This time she wasn’t tentative and shy. Her mouth was hungry and her lips couldn’t get enough of him. Her entire body was on fire. Suddenly, he pushed her off and sat up, depositing her beside him.
“Whoa! I don’t think you’ve forgotten much, after all. But I’m never going to make it a week if we keep doing that.”
They sat alongside each other, dazed and panting, waiting for their hearts to slow.
Finally Anne said, “What will Gram say?”
He laughed. “Gram? I imagine Gram is busy patting herself on the back right now. She knew I’d hurry up when she threw Evan into the mix.”