by Rice, Heidi
‘I’m not hiding.’ She braced her hands on the countertop behind her, looked past him out the picture window. ‘I just fancied a little peace and quiet, that’s all. It’s been a pretty hectic day.’
‘You? Peace and quiet?’ he scoffed. ‘I don’t think so.’
Tucking his forefinger under her chin, he brought her gaze to his. He looked amused and curious, and so gorgeous her heartbeat skidded into her throat.
‘Now are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you?’ he asked mildly. ‘Or am I going to have to wheedle it out of you?’
The heat blazed hotter in her cheeks. Had she really been that obvious? ‘Nothing. Nothing’s bothering me. I’m fine.’
‘Forget it, Ruby,’ he said. ‘The gig’s up. You might as well spill it now, or be prepared to be ravaged into submission later.’
She wanted to smile at his teasing. But she just couldn’t. She swallowed. This was it. The moment of truth. And however ready or not ready they were to take this next step, she couldn’t hold back the yearning to at least know where she stood a second longer.
‘I’ve been thinking about children.’ She cleared her throat, the sudden blockage coming from nowhere. ‘About us. And children. And whether we want to have any. Or not.’
Instead of looking stunned, or worse, horrified, his smile barely faltered. ‘I see.’
‘So what do you say? Are you in favour of the idea?’ She tried to be brusque, businesslike. Not easy with her heart now pummelling her larynx. ‘You know, in principal, that is. We only have to make a decision in principal at this point. Obviously we don’t have to start trying straight away. I’m only twenty-eight, we’ve got a few years yet before we have to worry about …’ Her voice trailed off.
She was babbling. She sounded like a nincompoop.
‘Well, say something,’ she said, starting to get a little annoyed by the dimples deepening in his cheeks. ‘Why are you smiling like that? It’s not supposed to be …’
‘It sounds like a wonderful idea,’ he interrupted. His hands gripped her sides as he pressed her back against the countertop. ‘How about we get started right now?’
She braced her arms against his chest, her temper kicking in. ‘This isn’t a joke, Cal. I’m serious.’
‘I know you are,’ he said, the grin widening. ‘So am I.’
‘But …?’ Her mouth dropped open. ‘You are?’
That couldn’t be right. She’d been agonising over asking him for weeks now, months even. He never made a decision without judging every piece of advice, weighing each iota of relevant information carefully. It had taken him a week to choose a new TV. It was one of the things she loved about him. He couldn’t possibly have made up his mind in three seconds flat.
‘But aren’t you going to think about it first?’ she murmured, still reeling.
He shrugged, his palms warm on her back. ‘What’s there to think about? You’d make an amazing mother. And I’m sure I can manage to make a halfway decent Dad if I set my mind to it. We’ll probably make mistakes, all parents do. But that’s all part of the adventure.’
‘But, I …’ She couldn’t speak. Excitement and love and total shock combining to make her tongue numb.
‘Ruby, I love you. I adore just being around you. The last seven months have been the best of my life. Even though you still can’t follow instructions worth a damn,’ he teased. ‘When I come home at night and you’re there, I have to kick myself, because I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you. We make a great pair. I’d never have considered having children with anyone else. But with you, it makes sense.’
Tears welled in her eyes. They made sense. That was it. And here she’d been tying herself in knots about the question, when the answer had always been there, right in front of her.
He brushed the tear away with his thumb. ‘I’m hoping those are happy tears.’
She gave his arm a little punch, laughed. ‘You know they are.’
‘Good, because there is one small hitch in your plan.’
‘What’s that?’
‘As you know I’m a logical, boringly conventional guy. I like to do things in their proper order. And what we have here is definitely a cart-before-horse situation.’
Ruby blinked and sniffed. ‘What?’ He’d totally lost her again, but she was willing to give him the chance to explain, because the wave of euphoria inside her was kind of hard to contain.
‘Before we have a baby, or babies. I want my ring on your finger. And your signature on a marriage certificate.’
‘You do?’ She hadn’t actually thought she could be any happier, but now she was.
‘I definitely do,’ he said, gathering her close.
He slanted a kiss across her lips.
As always the passion ignited between them instantly. But before she could get completely carried away, Ruby struggled back and held him at arm’s length.
‘Not so fast, Westmore. If that’s your idea of a proposal, it’s pathetic.’
He chuckled, hauling her up to seat her on the countertop and step between her thighs. ‘I guess I’m going to have to work on it,’ he murmured, a wicked glint in his eyes. ‘But the good news is,’ he said, sliding his palms under her dress and making her thighs quiver. ‘Even if we hit the jackpot tonight, I still have a few months to practice.’
‘I’ve got a better idea,’ she said, sending him a saucy grin as she leaned close, tasting her own chocolate cupcakes and desire on his breath. ‘Why don’t I save you the trouble?’ Running her palms over broad shoulders, she gazed deep into his emerald eyes. ‘Callum Westmore, will you marry me and give me your babies?’
Lifting her in his arms, his hands caressing her bottom as she wrapped her legs round his waist, he swung her round in a circle, kissed her full on the lips, and then laughed.
‘Damn it, woman. I thought you’d never ask.’
As it turned out, it took them three months to hit the jackpot, by which time Cal had already got Ruby’s signature on their marriage certificate. So the following Spring, when the proud parents celebrated the birth of Max Ryan Westmore with a cupcake and champagne picnic on Hampstead Heath, everyone was happy. Except Ruby, who—despite the addition of another six pounds that she would also have to lose at a later date—was ecstatic.
All the 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 the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
BTW: I LOVE YOU © Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. 2012
Originally published as Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger © Heidi Rice 2010 and Cupcakes and Killer Heels © Heidi Rice 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4089-9527-3
028-0612
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Rice, Heidi, BTW: I Love You (Mills & Boon M&B) (One Hot Fling - Book 1)
