‘Then what did you mean?’
There was no way he could explain the emotions that had ripped through him when it had occurred to him that she and Josh might have gone for good. He wasn’t entirely sure he fully understood them himself. Perhaps it would be best to get to the point. ‘I have a proposal.’
Her gaze turned quizzical, wary. ‘What kind of a proposal?’
‘A way forward that will suit us all. Permanently.’
She frowned. ‘By “proposal” you don’t mean marriage, do you?’
‘No.’
‘Phew. Thank goodness for that.’
‘I wouldn’t go thanking goodness just yet.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because instead, you and I are going to enter into a civil partnership.’
* * *
If Georgie hadn’t been holding on quite so tightly to Josh she might well have dropped him in shock. A civil partnership? Was Finn being serious? He couldn’t be. And yet he didn’t look as if he was joking. His jaw was set and he wasn’t smiling. His gaze was fixed on hers with an intensity that was both unnerving and oddly exciting. He clearly meant every word.
‘What on earth makes you think that’s a good idea?’ she asked, ignoring the little leap of her pulse and concentrating on the fact that a civil partnership may not technically be marriage but it was just as much of a commitment and equally unnecessary.
‘It will provide security for Josh.’
Not ‘would’ but ‘will’, she noticed. So this wasn’t a hypothetical proposal. Finn had given it quite a bit of thought already and evidently considered it a fait accompli. Too bad for him that she didn’t. ‘He already has security without it,’ she pointed out. ‘We’ve added your name to his birth certificate and he now carries your surname instead of mine. Plus financially you’ve set him up for life.’
‘That’s not enough.’
Of course it was enough. It was more than enough. So what was going on? What more security could Josh have or need? Unless it wasn’t only Josh Finn was thinking of. ‘Is this in some way about you?’ she asked, since there was absolutely no chance it was about her.
Something flickered in the depths of his eyes, something that suggested she’d hit the nail on the head. ‘Why would it be about me?’
Hmm. ‘You do know that I have no intention of ever preventing Josh from seeing you or vice versa, don’t you? Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, I don’t see how it would be possible.’
‘I have no doubt you mean that at the moment.’
Ouch. ‘Don’t you trust me?’
‘It’s early days.’
‘I’m well aware of that,’ she said coolly, still stinging at the realisation he didn’t see her progress in the same light as she did.
‘Then you’ll understand why a formal arrangement is necessary.’
‘I can understand why you think it might be, but I don’t agree.’
‘It will benefit you, too.’
Oh? ‘In what way?’ she asked, transferring Josh to the other hip.
‘Commit to me and you’ll have the stability you admitted you need. You’ll never want for anything again.’
Well, materially that might be true, yet he’d promised her that already. And what about him? What advantages would it have for him? Was he somehow hoping for a friends-with-benefits sort of thing? He’d better not be. ‘What would you get from it?’
‘Peace of mind.’