Jonah frowned at her. “Sorry for what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, I did,” she insisted. Emma had put a lot of thought into this the last few days and she wanted to make sure he knew how she felt now. “I let my worries about what other people think of me interfere with living my life and loving you the way I wanted to. I’ve spent my whole life more concerned with what other people thought than what I thought of myself. I didn’t like the uptight, boring woman I’d become, but I thought that’s who I should be.
“You loved the parts of me that I was ashamed of, and it helped me to realize that what other people think of me is none of my business. All that really matters is that I’m happy and living my life the way I want to live it. And I want to live it with you. I want to make a family with you, Jonah, however we decide to have it.”
Emma didn’t care if they got married with a big Plaza wedding, eloped at the courthouse or didn’t get married at all. The big wedding was her mother’s dream anyway, not hers. A wedding and a marriage was only important if they put importance on it. All Emma wanted was Jonah in her life, and in her baby’s life, every day. She wanted to love him and be with him. That was what would make her happy.
Jonah looked at her for a moment and she could swear there was a flicker of nervousness across his face. Before she could say anything else, he reached into his coat pocket and slipped out of his chair onto one knee.
He kept a tight grip on her left hand as he moved, so Emma had to clutch the arm of the chair with her right. Her entire body tensed up as she watched him and realized what he was doing. “Jonah...” she gasped, but he ignored her.
In his left hand, he held a Tiffany blue jewelry box. Before he opened it, he looked at her and said, “I know you said you didn’t want to marry me the last time I mentioned it. You said we hardly knew each other and that if, given time, I fell in love with you and wanted to get married, you would reconsider.” His thumb anxiously stroked the back of her hand as he spoke, making it hard for her to focus on his words.
Finally, he let go long enough to pull the black jewelry box out of its bright blue container and pry open the lid. He held the ring up for her to see it. Nestled in the velvet was the ring of her dreams. Emerald cut, surrounded in tiny diamonds and with a delicate band inset with even more. It picked up the morning sunlight in Jonah’s office, displaying a dazzling show of rainbow colors. It was simply breathtaking.
“I’m hoping that you’ve reconsidered, Emma. I know that not much time has really passed, but this week without you has felt like a lifetime. I couldn’t let another day, much less another week, go by without telling you how much I love you. And that I want to make you my wife.” Jonah paused for a second to look her in the eye and swallow hard. “Will you marry me, Emma?”
How had she gotten to this point in her life? From her lowest moment before that Mardi Gras party, to the thrill of romance with a stranger, to the crushing loss of everything she held dear... And now love. Marriage. A family.
“I will. Of course I will, Jonah,” Emma managed with tears filling her eyes.
With a cheer of satisfaction, Jonah leaned in and gave her a firm, soft kiss. Emma held his scruffy face with both hands to keep him close for as long as possible, but eventually he pulled away. Taking her hand in his, he plucked the ring out of its velvet bed and slid it onto her finger. It was perhaps half a size too big, but with her blooming pregnancy, she had no doubt it would be snug before too long.
Emma admired the glittering stone on her finger, then turned her attention back to her fiancé. “Thank you, Jonah,” she said. “You’re amazing and I’m so lucky to have found you.”
Jonah stood up and shook his head. He pulled Emma to her feet, then wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m the lucky one, butterfly.”
They would have to agree to disagree. Emma put an end to the discussion by pressing her lips to his and losing herself in his kiss. Somehow, despite the odds being against her, everything had come together and she couldn’t be happier. Sometimes the scary decisions in life reaped the greatest rewards, and today, her reward was marrying the most amazing man she’d ever met.
A chime sounded over their shoulder from Jonah’s computer. “Crap,” he groaned as he broke away from her kiss and looked down at his watch.
Emma frowned at Jonah. “What’s the matter?”
“Well, to be honest,” he said with a sigh, “none of this was supposed to happen until tonight at your apartment. I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning until I saw your résumé.”
Emma wouldn’t tell him that she’d sworn everyone, from HR to Pam, to absolute secrecy about the interview. “So?”
“So, you were my first interview of the day. I’ve got two more lined up after this. Why didn’t they schedule you last? I want to take you home and make love to my fiancée.”
Emma laughed, pulling back from his snug grip on her body. “Well, that’s not going to happen right now, so you’d better get prepared, Mr. Flynn. Even if you marry me, you’ll still need a financial director.”
Jonah narrowed his blue gaze at her in surprise. “You mean you don’t want the job?”
“Of course I want the job!” Emma said. “But I want it fair and square. I told you before, I’m not letting anyone say I earned it on my back.”
At that, Jonah laughed. “You’re seriously going to make me interview all those people even though I have every intention of hiring you in the end?”
“Yes. I’m pretty sure your HR director would say the same thing. And if you hire me,” she said, poking him in the chest with her finger, “it better be because I’m the most qualified.” She might be marrying the boss, but Emma still had her pride. She’d worked hard to achieve a director-level position and she wanted it on merit alone.
Jonah studied her face for a moment and nodded. He took a step back and sucked in a deep lungful of air. Then he held his hand out to Emma. “Well, thank you for coming in today, Emma. Pam will see you back down to Human Resources. I’m sure they have some paperwork for you to fill out and they can answer any questions you have about the company and our total compensation package.”
Emma grinned as she shook his hand and picked up her leather portfolio. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Flynn. When should I expect to hear back from you about the position?”
With her hand still in his, he leaned in and whispered into her ear. “I’ll be at your place by six.”
* * * * *