Mac had to be hearing things. But one look at his face told her that she wasn’t. He’d just proposed. “Just like that?”
“No, not just like that. First we have to get a license, blood tests—”
“Wait, wait—” She stopped him before he could go on. This wasn’t a joke or a prank, she realized. And if it was a dream, then she was in big trouble. “Are you being serious?”
The smile on his face softened until it was a shade away from solemn. He feathered his fingers through her hair. God, but he had missed her. Missed her so much that it ached even now, even though he was holding her. “Never more serious in my life.”
Mac felt as if she’d just had the wind knocked out of her. “But—so fast?”
“A minute ago, you were accusing me of being too slow because I hadn’t called. You can’t have it both ways, McKayla.”
She could feel her pulse jumping up and down her entire body. It was a wonder she wasn’t vibrating, she thought. “Which way can I have it?”
He brought his lips to hers, but only touched them lightly. “Hopefully, with me.”
“What’s my other choice?” When he looked at her in worried surprise, she laughed, then kissed him hard on the mouth. “Gotcha! Yes, I’ll marry you.” She saw the question in his eyes. “And yes, I love you,” she added more softly.
After so long, things were finally arranging themselves in his life. It was almost hard to believe. “Then we’re on the same page?”
On her toes, she wound her arms around his neck. She was aware that Angie was peeking out of one of the cubicles, watching, but she didn’t care. Everyone would know soon enough. “On the same page, in the same book, on the same shelf.”
Cade grinned, tightening his hold on her. In the background, he heard Darin giggling over something he was watching. It was an incredibly heartwarming sound. “Does this mean Darin gets free dental care?”
“Whenever I’m not too busy with his dad.”
“Oh. Then I guess for the first hundred years, we’d better get him another dentist.”
She looked at him in mock disappointment. “Just the first hundred?”
“After that, we’ll see.”
“Deal,” she murmured just before he pressed his lips to hers.
Epilogue
“Two hands, Darin. Hold on to the reins with two hands.”
Craning his neck, Cade watched his son disappear from view as the merry-go-round whirled gaily, the horses moving in time to a popular children’s tune. Though he knew he shouldn’t, he held his breath until Darin reappeared on the other side, this time dutifully holding on to the reins of the cream-colored horse with both hands.
He supposed he could have postponed this, waited a little longer. But it had already been a year, and he’d always believed in facing your own demons. Returning to the amusement park where Darin had been kidnapped to celebrate his birthday would be therapeutic for both of them. He just had to remember to relax.
Darin was doing a far better job of that than he was, Cade thought, watching him.
“Aren’t you being just a wee-bit overprotective?” Mac threaded her arms around his.
These days, that wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Not when her stomach with its temporary tenant was always getting in the way.
Cade laughed softly to himself. He didn’t want to hold Darin back. He would have hated having his parents hover over him at that age. “You’re right. I’ve got to work on letting him be six. I mean seven.”
Mac nodded her agreement, a bemused smile playing on her lips. “And then eight, and then nine...”
“Hey, don’t rush me.” Cade held up a warning hand, as if to ward off time. As if it were that easy. “One step at a time.”
She’d forgotten what it felt like to find a comfortable position, Mac thought, shifting beside Cade. She covered her abdomen protectively as she pretended to eye him. “Are you going to be this way with Bernice or Horatio when they’re born?”
Cade winced at the names she flung out arbitrarily. She’d been doing this for the last nine months, trying to find one of each she liked fitting her tongue around. Was it him or had the names gotten more eccentric in the last couple of weeks?
“I am if you’re going to call them that. Otherwise, they’ll have the tar beaten out of them by the neighborhood bullies.” He looked at her. “You’re not really serious, are you?”
“About you and Darin, yes.” The somber expression gave way to the slightest gnn. “About the names... I can be bribed.”
One arm around her shoulders, he hugged her to him. “With?”
Mac paused, considering. “I’ll have to think about it.” Her eyes danced as she looked up at him. She couldn’t remember when she had been happier, even if she couldn’t see her feet anymore. “Just your luck, you had to marry a larcenous woman.”
“Yeah.” Impulsively, he kissed her temple. “Just my luck.” All good since the day she walked into his office, exactly one year ago today.
The carousel had stopped a minute earlier, and now Darin came flying over to them. “Did you see? Did you see me, Daddy?”
In the last year, the boy had shot up a couple of inches and filled out a little. He no longer looked gaunt or frightened. There were no leftover ill-effects from the ordeal he had gone through. Cade thought of himself as one of the lucky ones.
He went to embrace the boy, then abruptly held himself in check. Darin didn’t think “big boys” hugged in public. So he settled on ruffling the boy’s hair. “Never took my eyes off you, champ.”
Taking a step backwards, Darin bumped into Mac’s stomach. She felt the baby kick hard enough to send a football over the goal post.
“Ow.” Swinging around, Darin stared at Mac’s stomach. He rubbed his ribs. “I think Humphrey just kicked me.”
“Humphrey?” Cade echoed incredulously, looking from his son to his wife. “You’ve got him doing it, too?”
Mac raised her chin proudly, slipping her arm around Darin’s slim shoulders. He’d taken to calling her mom. It pleased her a great deal. “Strength in numbers.”
Darin raised his eyes to her. “Does this mean the baby wants to get out?”
She nodded. “Pretty soon.”
Darin grinned at her answer. His exuberant expression took in both his parents. “This is the best birthday ever.”
Throat tightening, Cade came between them and slipped an arm around his wife and one around his son, drawing them both closer to him. “You know, I was just thinking the same thing myself.”
ISBN : 978-1-4592-5909-6
HERO IN THE NICK OF TIME
Copyright © 1999 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
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 editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S A, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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