“You?”
“Brutus is a difficult character to handle and I can’t risk having to interrupt my working day every time he goes missing.”
Deciding that this might not be a good moment to smile, Molly simply nodded. “Good point.”
“So it’s easier if I keep him myself.”
“That is a sound and logical decision. And a generous one,” she added, “given that you’re not a dog person.”
“But you are a dog person. And you’ll be living with me, so he’ll have someone who knows about dogs.” His hand was on Brutus’s head, but his eyes were on her. And what she saw in his eyes made her breathless. How could she ever have thought she could live without him? She didn’t want to, not even for a moment.
“I will?”
“We could live at your place if you prefer, but there’s more room at mine. And two dogs are going to take up a lot of space. Especially as they’re not exactly small dogs.”
“I’m not clear about this. You’re suggesting I move in with you?”
“It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command, with an alternate close.”
“An alternate close?”
“Your place or my place.”
“That’s it? That’s my choice?”
“Yes, although it shouldn’t be that hard a choice. After a day with Brutus in your apartment, you’d have to remodel. He lacks spatial awareness.”
“In that case, I don’t think there’s a decision to be made.” She felt light inside. Light, and so happy she wanted to dance. Warmth flowed through her.
Daniel took her face in his hands, everything he felt visible in his eyes. “I wrote to you. I sent Aggie a letter this morning. I was waiting for her answer.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart forever lost. “I haven’t been online since you left, but I can tell you what her answer would be.”
“I haven’t told you the question.” He murmured the words into her hair and she smiled, holding him tightly.
“Whatever the question was, her answer would be yes. Yes to all of it. Yes, to love. Yes, to living together. Yes, to anything. I’m desperately in love with you. That’s the only thing that matters.”
He brought his mouth down on hers again. “I can’t stop kissing you,” he murmured against her lips, “and there are about a thousand people in the park. Think what I’m doing for your reputation.”
“You’re probably enhancing it, although people will warn you that I’m going to break your heart.”
“I never believe what people tell me. I prefer to check out the evidence for myself.”
“Good.” She looked into those wicked blue eyes and wondered how she’d lived without him all this time.
“So we’re a family. You, me and two unruly dogs.”
“Seems that way.”
He smoothed her hair back from her face. “And one day, a long way in the future, I’m going to ask you to marry me, so you’d better write to Aggie and ask for her advice on how you should answer.”
“I think I know what she’s going to say.”
Sensing her happiness, Valentine barked his approval. Brutus joined in, and through the crazy barking she heard cheering and pulled away to see Fliss and Harriet beaming at them.
“Of course when you marry me, you’ll get two sisters,” Daniel drawled. “If that’s a problem, we could always move to another city.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms round his neck. “I’m never moving again. I love your sisters, I love you and I love this place. New York actually is the best city in the world.”