It Should Happen to You
Page 17
Dominic was sitting on the bleachers waiting for her, more dressed up than usual. Khakis clung to strong thighs and he wore a simple white cotton dress shirt that made his skin look even darker. He smiled when he saw her, and she couldn't pretend anymore. She smiled back. She didn't know what was happening here, but it was good.
"You're late."
She glanced at her watch. "Oh. I didn't notice."
He looked like he didn't believe her, but he let it ride. "You may be wondering why I called."
She hopped up on the bleachers, giving him an eyeful of leg. "Uh-uh-uh. First things first. What's the answer?"
He rolled his eyes and began to recite, "When comparing the ratio of the luminosity emitted in Halpha in relation to the bolometric luminosity for each star, there is almost a constant ratio over the range M0-M9."
Be still my heart . She looked at him with new respect. "How did you figure that out?"
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling easily. "I called a certain Ms. Chao."
He was the devil a kinder, cleverer devil . "That's cheating."
He grinned, smug and sure. "You didn't specify rules."
"What did you promise her?" she asked, hoping this wasn't going to involve money or sex.
"I didn't promise her anything."
Mickey didn't believe it for a minute. She was learning to recognize the slight dent in the left cheek that appeared when he was exaggerating the truth. Royally, she raised her eyebrow.
"I admit, I might have pried. I asked her how you had been holding up over the past two weeks."
This was going to involve retribution. Chao was going to pay. "What did she say?"
"I gave my word of honorsuch as it isnot to say. However, I did say that I thought I knew the cause of your problems, because I'd been having just the same kind. She seemed to accept that, and I also promised that you wouldn't be in before 9:00 a.m. for the next twelve months."
A future commitment, at least for twelve months. It sounded positive. However, appearances could be deceiving. She'd seen a Z-4 quasar turn into a Z-8 just as quick as you please. "What do you want?"
"I want us together."
It was the moment of truth. She wanted to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground. "Why the change of heart?" she asked, the wobble in her voice betraying her.
"I didn't have a change of heart. The heart didn't change, Michelle. It was always there, with you."
She blinked twice. Deep inside her, a glow began, a light brighter and hotter than anything she'd ever found in the sky. His night-dark eyes stayed fixed on her, intent, making promises that she prayed he would keep.
"Did you fix everything?"
He winced. "Most of it. I told my parents."
"Is everything okay?"
For a second he was silent, considering, staring up at the sky, and then he met her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. I think so. It's going to be weird for a while. I did the right thing, but it still hurts."
He looked so alone, and she wanted to comfort him, but things weren't right. Not yet. "I'm sorry. You're their son. It'll get better." .
"Thanks."
"And what about the job?"
This time he took her hand, his thumb rubbing her palm, a gesture of comfort rather than seduction. "It's going to be hard. I won't kid you. But I need to be a cop. I'm a good one. Maybe I've got my own agenda, but I'm doing right. I know that now. You reminded me of where I stand. Sometimes your head gets a little messed up being undercover. But you're my North Star. I can look up and figure out where I am when I see you."
She inched closer. "You really listened to all that I said?"
"Most of it. You've got to explain a lot to me, though. But I like knowing about the sky and the planets. I like seeing the stars reflected in your eyes."
Mickey considered herself practical and logical and beyond emotional mishmash, but every time he looked at her, she felt a quiver shoot right through her. Irrational, illogical and completely silly. "This all sounds pretty good," she said in a quasi-calm voice.
"You remember the last time we were here?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't get to do what I wanted to." He hopped down and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her to the ground. Then he pointed to the faded wood, the old seat of the bleacher and there she saw it. Carved in wood.
Dominic Loves Michelle.
He took her by the shoulders and there was no mistaking the dreams in his eyes. This from a man who didn't believe in dreams. "I love you. It's forever. I don't believe in divorce."
Oh, my . Her lips curved in a soft smile. "What are you asking?"
He got down on one knee and brought out a little black box. "Michelle Cushing Coleman, will you marry me?"
"You want to marry me?"
"Only you. I've got to take you back to New York for a week or so. I made a promise. Please say yes."
High in the summer sky, above the heavens and above the stars, a shaft of light shot through the darkness, blazing a trail in its wake. A perfect wishing star for a perfect wish.
And Michelle said yes.
*****
THE BACHELORETTE PACT
continues with
BREAKFAST AT BETHANY'S
Temptation
Don't miss Beth's story
coming next month
May 2004!
Table of Contents
10
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Sans nom