Tough As Nails
Page 23
She stood and folded her hands as she paced back and forth. “Most of my clients come from broken homes. Single parents trying to raise their kids. I want a family, but I want a husband and a father for my kids. A guy who will come home every night. I’m just not the kind who can sit by and worry to death, Mike. In time I’d resent you. And you’d resent me if I asked you to give up the life you’ve made for yourself.”
“You don’t have to ask me, Bria.” He stood and moved beside her. “I’m here to tell you that I’m taking over the New York operations.”
Warily, she lifted an eyebrow.
“Bailey will be graduating and studying for her bar exams. Then she wants to travel. Maybe foreign law. Besides, I’ve got other plans and I won’t have time for globe-trotting.”
“Other plans?”
“Yeah. I want to build a house. Lots of rooms for all the babies you want to have. I’ve just come back from scouting out properties.” He put his arms around her. “We can commute on the train each morning to our offices, if you want, or maybe we can drive in together. But I’m more than happy to settle down, Brianna. That is, with you.”
“You’re saying that now, but—”
“Bria,” he said, cupping her chin. “I lost you once because I was a fool. When Liam called me and said that Fox had taken off with you aboard the Tiger, I thought my life was over. Something inside me died, and I knew that the only way I’d be whole again would be to get you back.” His voice strained with emotion, and she felt tears sting her eyes as she silently listened.
“I prayed that if I got another chance,” Mike said, “I’d spend my life showing you how much you mean to me. Then when I saw you alive in the streambed with Fox in the Tiger hovering over you, I thought, maybe, just maybe, we had a chance. I prayed to God that if He would spare you, I would vow to make it up to you in any way I know how.”
“Oh, Mike. What makes you think you won’t want to fly off when the next intriguing case comes along?”
“I can mastermind the operations from New York. TALON-6 has five other operatives. Plus we can always hire freelancers from Clancy’s Pub.” He held her fingers in his large warm hand. “I won’t leave you, Bria. I can’t leave you. Say you’ll marry me.”
Her throat tightened. “Oh, Mike…”
“I won’t take no for an answer.”
She closed her eyes and wiped the tears of happiness from them. “Marrying me will mean big changes in your life,” she teased.
“Like what?”
“Well, for a start, I might buy a complete set of dinnerware, glassware and silverware for those empty kitchen cabinets at your apartment at the Crib.”
“Hmm. Let’s compromise. Paper plates?”
She laughed. “Okay, we’ll compromise. I’ll start with a coffeemaker and four cups and saucers.”
“We’ll go shopping right now. As soon as we call Bailey. The TALON-6 yacht is docked, champagne in the cooler, and Bailey, Liam’s sisters and Aunt Nora have been making arrangements for an engagement party all day.”
“Party? Why not a wedding? Aunt Nora is still in town. Wait until she hears we’re getting married.”
“Ah, Nora already knows. She was part of my backup plan. That’s why I asked her to come into the city. If you’d turned me down, I was going to have her plead my case.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“All’s fair in love and war.”
“You’re pretty sure I’ll say yes.”
His face sobered. “No, I’ll never take you for granted, honey. But I know that if you marry me, I’ll never let you regret it.”
“Oh, Mike, of course I’ll marry you.” He kissed her, and as their kiss deepened, Brianna knew that she and Mike were still two different personalities. But if they loved each other enough to be willing to work through their differences, then who could ask for anything more?
ISBN: 978-1-4592-4079-7
TOUGH AS NAILS
Copyright © 2003 by Jackie Manning
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