Meddling with a Millionaire (Case Brothers 1)

Was that a sign that she and Nathan weren’t going to last, either?

Ten

Wondering what could be keeping Emma, Nathan reentered the bedroom and found her standing, lost in thought. Taking her by the hand, he drew her into the suite’s main room, where dinner awaited. Candlelight sparkled off the cut-crystal glassware and highlighted the gold pattern on the china.

Nathan pulled out a chair and Emma sat down. His heart bucked as he knelt beside her chair, but other than that, he felt remarkably calm. This was the moment he’d been anticipating all day. “I have something for you.” Still holding her hand, he turned her palm up. “Marry me.”

Silence filled the room while Emma stared at a magnificent diamond glittering on her palm. Despite the uncertainty in her eyes, her lips twitched. “Most men propose with a ring.”

“I figured you’d rather design your own.”

“You’d be right.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” he prompted.

She closed her fingers, trapping the diamond in her fist. “Funny, I didn’t hear a question.” She raised her chin and met his gaze. The hope and wariness at war in her dark brown eyes didn’t ease the tightness in his chest. “It sounded more like a demand.”

And it had been. Nathan immediately recognized his mistake. She was a fanciful girl who believed in fairy tales. He’d offered her practicality. He turned over the hand clenched around the diamond and dusted a reverent kiss across her knuckles. “Emma Montgomery, will you marry me?”

“Can you promise me I’ll never regret it?”

“No.”

At last she smiled. But it was a pale representation of true happiness. “You could have lied and told me yes.”

“I’d rather be honest with you.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I want our marriage to be based on respect and trust.”

“But if there was no deal with my father you wouldn’t be marrying me.”

“Deal or no deal, if I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t.”

An intense light entered her eyes. Her whole body vibrated with tension. “Do you think you could ever love me?”

Here was the question he’d been dreading. The businessman in him counseled lying to her, but that would mean he would spend the rest of his life living a sham. He needed to be truthful, even if he risked losing her.

“I can’t promise you a happily-ever-after, but you’ll never question my commitment to you or our life together.” He released her chin to coast a gentle caress against her cheek. “Marry me.”

She deflated beneath his words. “I don’t have to.”

“What do you mean?” he demanded.

“My jewelry sold at Biella’s. It’s enough to replace all the money in my account. I won the bet with my father.” Her voice shook. “I no longer have to settle for a marriage based only on trust and respect.”

“You want love.” He dragged his hand though his hair. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“More than anything.” Her warm chocolate eyes cooled as his scorn struck her.

“There is no such thing as a fairy-tale ending, Emma.”

“Not for us,” she whispered. “Not if you can’t love me. But maybe someday for me if I don’t marry you.”

“You’re a fool.”

She pushed his hands away and stood. “No, I’m not.”

Nathan got to his feet as well, but slowly, uncoiling one muscle at a time while he fought to keep his frustration in check. “You’ll spend the rest of your days chasing rainbows only to have them fade before you catch them. That’s what love is. An illusion.”

“You’re wrong. Love is what keeps us together through the worst life throws at us. It’s hope and faith. It makes us strong. And you’d see that if you’d just stop expecting to be disappointed.”