Charlotte felt the prickle of potential tears but it wasn’t just the thought of that baby that touched her so deeply.
‘Yeah,’ Hawk repeated softly. ‘I changed my mind.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘And have you taken off because I wanted all the things you didn’t want? That the game we were playing had become one I wanted to play for keeps?’ Hawk raised his eyebrows. ‘Hello?’
Charlotte could feel a smile beginning to shape her lips.
‘And there was the little problem of you still being in love with Jamie,’ Hawk added. ‘I had him staring at me from your desk every day to remind me that I’d never have a chance.’ He stopped abruptly and his brow creased. ‘Actually, I haven’t seen that photograph recently. What have you done with it?’
‘Put it away,’ Charlotte told him. ‘Where it belongs…with other old memories. How I felt about Jamie is ancient history now, Hawk.’ Her smile grew a little. ‘Someone I respect very much told me that if you shut passion away for too long, something inside will wither and die. He also told me it was time I started living again.’
‘Well, this is all very well and I’m delighted for you both.’ Lance Currie sounded anything but delighted. ‘Rules are rules, however, and I can’t allow a two-person department to be having a carry-on like this. Unless…’
‘Unless?’ Hawk and Charlotte both turned surprised faces towards Currie.
‘Unless there’s some kind of guarantee that it’s not going to completely undermine the efficient functioning of the SCS.’
‘There are no guarantees in life,’ Hawk said slowly. ‘You have to make the most of every moment of joy you can get.’ He wasn’t looking at his superior officer now. His gaze had locked with Charlotte’s. ‘And if being with one person creates more joy than anything else in your life then you have to do everything you can to hang onto that. To make it last just as long as you can. To make it better even. Stronger.’
‘Well, I want some kind of guarantee,’ Currie said firmly. ‘At least an indication of commitment so I won’t be waiting for you two to fall out and be trying to work together without speaking to each other. For heaven’s sake, would it be too much to ask for you two lovebirds to get married? Or at least engaged.’
‘Oh…I don’t think that would be too much to ask.’ Charlotte’s gaze was still locked on Hawk’s. ‘Do you, Hawk?’
The love she could see reflected in his dark eyes chased away any remnants of fear for their future.
‘No,’ Hawk said mildly. ‘I don’t think that’s too much to ask at all.’
‘So you’ll get engaged, then?’ Currie pressed. ‘Now?’
‘No.’
Charlotte raised her eyebrows in dismay at Hawk’s decisive tone. Currie buried his face in his hands and groaned.
‘We’ll get married,’ Hawk announced. ‘If that’s OK with my partner, that is.’
Charlotte gulped. ‘It’s fine with me.’
Currie groaned again. ‘Well, that’s just peachy. Rush into it, why don’t you? Next thing it’ll be babies that are disrupting my department.’ He raised his head and gave Charlotte’s stomach a suspicious glance.
Charlotte and Hawk just smiled at each other.
‘I suppose…’ Currie said grudgingly. ‘We could offer Cam his job back when he wants it. By then, I expect Charlie will either be the size of a house or I will have persuaded the powers that be that the workload of the SCS does, in fact, require a three-person team.’ He pushed himself to his feet. ‘And I suppose I’d better give you two a few minutes to celebrate your engagement, however brief that turns out to be.’ He had the two letters of resignation in his hand. ‘I take it I can put these in the shredder?’
Charlotte and Hawk smiled at him.
‘Fine.’ Currie paused when he reached the door. ‘You’ve got two minutes,’ he told them. ‘Then I want some evidence that the working of this department will continue without further interruptions.’
The two minutes became three. And then five. It was the longest and most satisfying kiss Charlotte had ever experienced.
‘I love you,’ Hawk murmured when they finally pulled back far enough to see each other’s faces.
‘I love you, too, Hawk. So much.’
‘We don’t have to get married, you know. I just said that to keep Elsie happy.’
‘Did you?’
‘No.’ Hawk pulled Charlotte into a tight hug. ‘I said it because it’s what I want. More than I’ve ever wanted anything. I was just trying to give you an escape clause in case it wasn’t what you wanted.’
‘Oh…’ Charlotte raised her face for another kiss. ‘Then don’t worry, Hawk. Marrying you is exactly what I want.’
The door to the office opened and a sigh was heard. ‘I see you two haven’t finished fluffing around yet.’ Currie’s gruff tone could not disguise a surprising level of tolerance, possibly even approval, at what was happening in his office. ‘I’ll give you another two minutes, then.’
Hawk grinned. ‘Make it ten.’
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5806-1
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First North American Publication 2005
Copyright © 2004 by Alison Roberts
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