Marriage Terms

“You’re going to get picky on me?”

She shook her head. “No. No, of course not.”

“Then hop in.” He offered her a hand up.

She put one foot on the running board and stepped into the carriage.

He followed her up, closed the half door and signaled to the driver to start.

The horse’s hooves clip-clopped on the pavement. Dusk was falling over the city, and skyscraper lights began to illuminate the skies. The trees around Tavern on the Green lit up as they passed.

Daniel stretched his arm across the back of the seat.

“It’s beautiful at night,” said Amanda.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You’re what’s beautiful out here.”

“Yeah, yeah. You use that line often?”

“Nope.”

She scoffed in disbelief.

“Hey, how often do you think I take women riding through the park?”

She turned to look at him. “I don’t know. How often?”

“Rarely.”

“But you have done it before.”

“You’re saying spontaneity only counts if it’s a brand-new activity?”

“No. But you get bonus points for a brand-new activity.”

“I wish you’d told me that earlier.”

She laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

He felt her chest rise and fall as she breathed. Suddenly, his world felt perfect.

He kissed the top of her head and took her hand in his across their laps.

The sounds of the city faded, and the horse’s hooves, the squeak of the carriage and the jangle of the harness brass filled the night.

He wanted to ask her the question, but first he wanted the ride to last forever.

“Champagne?” he muttered against her hair.

She sat up straighter. “Where are we going to get champagne.”

He gave her an eyebrow waggle, pushed aside the lap robe and revealed the cooler. He popped the lid and pulled out a bottle of Laurent-Perrier along with two fluted glasses.

“Spontaneous?” she asked with a raised brow.

“I only thought of it this morning.”

She shook her head, but her smile was beautiful.

He couldn’t resist kissing her sweet mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly participating.

“Who needs champagne?” he muttered, drawing her close and delving into the recesses of her mouth.

She pulled back and glanced pointedly at the champagne bottle. “Wouldn’t want to screw up your carefully planned spontaneity.”

He reached for it. “As long as you promise we can kiss later.”

“We’ll see.”

“Would it kill you to plan something?”

“I like to keep my options open.”

He handed her the glasses and then twisted the wire holder off the cork.

“I want you to consider me an option,” he said, and popped the cork out with his thumbs.

The champagne bubbled out the top of the bottle, and Amanda laughed.

“An option tonight,” said Daniel as he poured the effervescent liquid into the glasses. “And an option every night.”

Her mouth pursed in confusion.

“Amanda,” he breathed, wondering if he should drop to one knee. That would be the proper thing to do. But Amanda didn’t have too high an opinion of doing the proper thing.

“Yes?” she prompted.

“These past few weeks…together.” He took a breath. “They’ve meant a lot to me.”

Her lips curved in a shy smile. “They’ve meant a lot to me, too,” she said.

“I’ve remembered things.” He glanced off into the dark trees and the city lights beyond. “I’ve felt things that I haven’t felt in years.”

He looked back into her eyes. “I’ve realized that my feelings for you were buried, but they hadn’t changed.”

“Daniel—”

He put a finger over her lips. “Shh.”

He slowly drew his hand back and reached into his inside suit pocket. Retrieving the ring, he flipped the velvet case open with his thumb.

“Marry me, Amanda.”

Her eyes went wide, and she sucked in a tight breath.

He rushed on before she had time to react. “I love you very much. I’ve never stopped loving you. I haven’t been living these past fifteen years, just existing.”

Her gaze shot from the ring to his face and back again.

“This is—”

“I know you think it’s sudden. But we’ve known each other so well and for so long—”

“I was going to say, unbelievable.” The tone of her voice wasn’t quite right. It was flat, almost accusatory.

“Amanda?”

“He couldn’t work this fast. Nobody works this fast.”

Daniel stared at her. To be fair, it had been a few weeks. And they weren’t exactly strangers. And they’d made love twice.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Have you? Have you?”

He flipped the conversation over in his mind, trying to figure out where it had gone off the rails. “Yeah.”

She glanced at her watch. “He only left my office two hours ago.”

“Who?”

She shook her head and laughed coldly. “No, Daniel. I won’t marry you.”

Her answer was like a stake in his heart.

“I won’t be your family’s pawn,” she said.

Panic invaded his system as he scrambled for a way to change her mind. “How’d my family get into this?”

She dumped her champagne over the side. “Your family’s been into it from the very start.”

He stared at the empty glass. So that was it. He wasn’t worth it.

“You’re saying our love won’t trump your aversion to my family?”

She dropped the empty glass into the cooler. “I’m saying take me home.”

He snapped the case shut. “Right.”

All night long, Amanda assured herself she’d made the right decision. Daniel didn’t want to marry her. He didn’t want to marry her any more than he wanted to be CEO of Elliott Publication Holdings.

Patrick had them all brainwashed, and there was nothing she could do to change that. The best she could do was save herself.

She’d definitely made the right decision.

And when her alarm clock went off, she was still telling herself just that.

She kept saying it all through her shower.

But over granola and tea she started asking questions. Scary, insidious questions.

Had she made the right decision?

Sure, Patrick was behind it, and Daniel might not have proposed again without his father’s urging. But there was something there. There was magic between them. And she could have spent the rest of her life exploring it.

She dropped her granola spoon and buried her face in her hands. What if she’d made the biggest mistake of her life?

That had been one perfect ring.

It had been one perfect proposal.

And Daniel was one perfect guy.

Her arms suddenly felt empty. Ridiculous, considering she’d spent sixteen years without him and only a few weeks in his company again.

She was losing it here.

She had to get him out of her brain.

She picked up the telephone, automatically dialing Karen’s number.

Olive put her right through.

“Hello?” came Karen’s voice, cheerful despite the early hour.

“Karen? It’s Amanda.”

“Oh my God,” Karen burst out. “Michael told me what happened.”

“He did?”

“The whole family is talking about it.”

Amanda sat back in her chair. “They are?”

“Of course they are. We can’t believe it.”

Amanda wasn’t sure she was getting this right. Daniel had put his marriage proposal out there on the Elliott grapevine?

Unbelievable.

“Cullen overheard,” said Karen. “And he called Bryan—”

“Cullen overheard what?”

Karen whistled low. “Patrick must be just fuming.”

“Because I said no?”

There was a silent pause. “Because none of his children have ever dared yell at him before.”

“I didn’t—”

“I’d have paid money to see it. Michael said Daniel went up one side of him and down the other. Now they’re all placing bets on who’ll blink first.”

“What do you mean who’ll blink?” If they fought, they’d already made up. Because Patrick had apologized. And then he’d told Daniel to marry Amanda.

“They’re no longer speaking to each other.”

“No. That can’t be right. They talked yesterday.” In the afternoon. After Patrick had seen her. After Patrick had decided to make Daniel propose.

“No they didn’t,” said Karen. “Definitely not.”

Amanda raked her fingers into her damp hair. This didn’t make sense. Unless…Her eyes went wide. Oh, no.

“Amanda?” Karen’s voice seemed to come from a long way off.

“I have to go.”

“What—”

“I’ll call you later.” Amanda quickly hung up the phone.

Something was seriously wrong. If Daniel hadn’t talked to Patrick, then he’d proposed all on his own. But that couldn’t be. Because that would mean…

Amanda swore out loud.

Daniel dropped the neatly typed letter on the top of his desk. He’d pictured Amanda here for this, pictured her smiling with pride, hanging on to his arm, making plans for a simple wedding—maybe on a boat off Madagascar.

He was ready to give her everything she wanted, everything she’d made him want.