And now that she had admitted she wanted him—truly him—he could take the next step to his new life.
“Annie?”
“Yes?” She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and the very sight of her robbed him of breath.
“I think we should get married,” he said.
“Get married? You and me?”
“Everything we went through together changed both of us. We were forced to face the truth about ourselves and our beliefs and the kinds of lives we had chosen to live.”
Annie started to speak, but before she could utter a sound, Dane jerked her up against him. “Ah, Annie, don’t you know that all I want is for you to be happy. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to have you in my life. But if you don’t want to get married again, we can—”
“I didn’t think I’d ever want to remarry,” she admitted, standing on tiptoe so she could drape her arms around his neck. “But that was before I fell head over heels in love with you. So, big boy, you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”
He kissed her, all the passion and promises in his heart combining in that one act. When they were both breathless, he ended the kiss. “Let’s get married right away. No big wedding. Just you and me and a couple of witnesses. How about asking Sam and Jeannie?”
“Sounds wonderful,” she sighed.
“And how about a month’s honeymoon cruising the Caribbean on the Sweet Savannah?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.
“Sounds like heaven.” She licked a trail from the vee of his open shirt, up his neck and to his chin. “And I really think you should get me pregnant on our honeymoon. After all, you’re already forty and I’m thirty-five. If we’re going to have a couple of kids, we need to get started right away.”
Dane tensed. “I thought you didn’t want children.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I want our children.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean are you really sure? You’re not agreeing to have kids just for me are you?”
“I’m sure. And I’m doing it for both of us.”
“Annie, I love you.”
“It’s about time you told me.” She smiled. “You know what? I want our son to be the same kind of Southern gentleman his father is.”
Dane lifted her high into his arms and swung her around and around, then lowered her to her feet, letting her body drift slowly down his. “My gut instincts tell me that our first child will be a girl and she’ll be the same kind of feisty, independent Southern lady her mother is.”
Nine months, three weeks and one day later, Dane was proven right when Dana Sophia Carmichael came into the world screaming at the top of her lungs.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-6393-6
Copyright © 2010 Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
Anyone But You
Copyright © 1996 by Jennifer Crusie
Prince Joe
Copyright © 1996 by Suzanne Brockmann
The Millionaire’s Indecent Proposal
Copyright © 2007 by Emilie Rose Cunningham
An Officer and a Gentleman
Copyright © 1991 by Susan Civil
Keeping Annie Safe
Copyright © 1999 by Beverly Beaver
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
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