To take a chance on love.
He spoke again, those black eyes shining. “I think Trevor would thrive if we married. I know you already have so much to offer him, that you’re giving him an excellent start in life. But if we’re together, he can have even more. For one thing, you would be able to spend more time with him. You could plan the work you choose to do specifically around him, during these years when he needs his mother most of all. And I would hope that, in time, we can speak of my adopting him.”
Was there a more fabulous man in the whole world? She doubted it. “You would want to adopt him?”
“I would. So much. And I would hope that we also might have more children—I know, I know. I promise not to expect eight more. But maybe one or two …?”
“Oh, Rule …”
“Say yes.”
She still had her hand on his chest, where she could feel the sure, steady beat of his heart. “I
would need more time, here, in Dallas, before I could move to Montedoro. I have to give my partners reasonable notice. I can’t leave them scrambling when I go. I may be ready to move on, but it would be wrong to leave them high and dry.”
“Is it possible that you could be ready to go in two weeks?”
She gasped. “No way. Cases have to be shuffled, clients reassigned. I was thinking three months, if I really pushed it.”
“What if you brought them more clients, big clients, as a … compensation for making a quick exit?” He named a couple of big oil companies, a major health food and vitamin distributor and a European bank that had branches in the U.S.
Sydney realized her mouth was hanging open. She shut it—and then she asked, “You’re serious? You can deliver those?”
“Yes. I have a number of excellent connections worldwide. And if it doesn’t work out with one or two of those particular companies, I’m sure I can offer others just as good.”
“Well, I could possibly get away in a month or so, if my partners were grateful enough for what I brought them before I left.”
“I’ll get to work on that potential client list in the next few days. And I’ll arrange the introductions, of course. I think you might be surprised at how quickly you can wrap things up with Teale, Gayle and Prosser, once they know exactly how much business you’ll be bringing in before you go.”
He was right. It would make all the difference, if she brought in some big clients. “I can’t do it in two weeks. But if you bring the right clients, I’ll give it my best shot. I could manage it in a month. Maybe.”
His whole fabulous face seemed to light up from within. “I believe that you just said yes.”
“Yes.” She said the beautiful word out loud. “I did. Yes, Rule. Yes.” And she threw her arms around his neck and let her kisses say the rest.
“Wow, Syd. When you finally go for it with a guy, you really go for it.” Lani, in her pj’s, still groggy from sleep, was shaking her head as she reached for her glasses. But at least she was smiling.
It was ten of five on Sunday morning. Sydney had headed for Lani’s room the moment she walked in the front door and they were sitting on Lani’s bed. Rule had said he would return at eight and Sydney had promised to be ready to go. He’d told her that he would have a private jet waiting at the airport. It helped to be a rich prince when you wanted to elope to Vegas at a moment’s notice.
“So … you don’t think I’m crazy?” Sydney asked, apprehensions rising.
“No way. I knew he was the one for you the moment I saw him.”
“Uh, you did?”
“Oh, yeah. I mean seriously, Syd. The guy is your type.”
“Well, yeah. In my wildest fantasies.”
“Which have now become reality. He’s intelligent, smooth and sophisticated. He’s tall, dark, killer handsome—and I really think he’s a good man. It’s quite the major bonus that he happens to be a prince. And seeing him with Trevor, well, he’s terrific with Trev. And have you noticed they look enough alike to be father and son?”
Sydney chuckled. “I have, actually.”
“I go a lot on instinct,” Lani said. “You know that. And my instinct with Rule is you’ve made the right choice.”
Sydney beamed. “You are the best friend any woman ever had.”
“Likewise.”