The Expectant Executive
“Oh, Travis, I love you, too. So very much.” Wrapping her arms around his waist, she laid her head against his chest. “I was afraid you wanted the baby, but not me.”
He kissed her silky auburn hair. “I never again want you to doubt that I want and love you. You own my heart, Fin Elliott. The baby is an extension of that love.” Leaning back, he smiled. “Even though I don’t deserve you, will you do me the honor of being my wife, Fin?”
“That’s more like it, cowboy.” She gave him a watery grin. “Yes, I’ll be your wife.”
He felt like the luckiest man alive. “I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure you don’t regret it, sweetheart. But are you sure you want to live here on the ranch? What about your career? Your apartment in New York? Won’t you miss them?”
“No.” She placed her soft palm along his jaw and gazed up at him with so much love in her eyes it stole his breath. “When I was a child, my dream in life was to have a husband and family. But after Jessie was taken from me, I made Charisma my baby. I nurtured it and watched it grow. But it’s time to let my ‘baby’ go. I’ve raised her to be a strong force in the fashion industry. Now it’s time for me to step back and let someone else guide her while I devote myself to my first dream.”
“You won’t miss New York?” he asked, still unable to believe that she wanted to give up life as she knew it to marry him and raise their child under the wide Colorado sky.
She shook her head. “I belong here with you on this beautiful ranch.” Her smile caused him to go weak in the knees. “I want to raise our children here in this wonderful place. I want to make love with you every night in that big bed upstairs. And I want to sit with you on the swing on the front porch and watch our grandchildren playing in the yard.”
He would have told her that he wanted all those things, too, but he couldn’t have forced words past the lump in his throat if his life depended on it.
Instead, he showed her by placing his lips on hers and kissing her with all the emotion he couldn’t put into words.
When he finally raised his head, he smiled. “Who do you think your dad will appoint as editor-in-chief at Charisma?”
“I’m not sure.” She grinned. “But he’d better do it soon because other than occasional visits to see Jessie and Cade and the rest of the family, I’m not going back.”
“How do you think your dad will take the news?”
Fin nibbled on her lower lip as she thought about her father. She’d held a grudge against him all these years, but it truly had been a waste of spirit and energy. It hadn’t brought her baby girl back to her. Only time had taken care of that. And if she were perfectly honest with herself, she wouldn’t have met the love of her life and had a second chance at motherhood if Patrick hadn’t insisted that she give Jessie up for Travis and his wife to adopt.
“Why don’t you give him a call?” Travis asked, as if reading her mind.
She sighed. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Start by saying hello.” He led her over to the phone. “The rest will take care of itself.”
As she dialed her parents at The Tides, Travis disappeared into the kitchen and she knew he was giving her the privacy he thought she needed for the difficult phone conversation. She loved him for it, but he needn’t have bothered. She didn’t intend for there to be any secrets between them.
“Hi, Mom.” Fortunately, instead of the maid answering the phone, her mother had picked up on the second ring.
“Finny, ‘tis good to hear your voice.” The sound of her mother’s Irish lilt caused Fin to smile. Maeve had always been the glue that held the Elliott clan together, despite their share of problems.
“It’s good to hear you, too.” After exchanging a few inconsequential pleasantries, Fin asked, “Is Patrick home from the office?”
“Yes, dear. He returned from the city about an hour ago.”
Fin closed her eyes as she gathered her courage. “Could I speak with him, please?”
When her mother handed the phone to Patrick, his booming voice filtered into her ear. “Hello, Finola.”
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to bring up the subject that had driven them apart over twenty years ago. “I want you to tell me the truth, Patrick.
Have you ever regretted forcing me into giving Jessie up for adoption?”
His sharp intake of breath was the only sound she heard from him for several long, nerve-wracking seconds. When he finally spoke, there was a gruffness in his voice that she’d never heard. “I thought I was doing what was best for you at the time, Finola. But in hindsight, it was quite possibly the worst decision I’ve ever made.”