“Love,” he answered. “I love you and you love me. And it’s something I have every intention of fighting for. I meant it when I announced it at the meeting. I love you, Kiley.”
“You didn’t feel that way the other day.” She shook her head. “You walked out in the middle of quite possibly the most important conversation we’ll ever have—the one about our daughter.”
The emotional pain and disappointment he saw in the depths of her pretty brown eyes made him feel as if he’d been punched in the gut. But it was no less than he deserved.
“I know I acted like a complete bastard, and I regret that more than you’ll ever know,” he said honestly. “I left because I needed time to come to grips with everything. I know it’s no excuse for my behavior or the accusations I hurled at you, but it’s the truth. I was never more shocked in my entire life than I was when I figured out Emmie is mine. But what angered me the most was that you knew and didn’t tell me as soon as you suspected I could be her father.”
“I didn’t want to be an alarmist in case I was wrong,” she said defensively. “Nor did I want you to think I was using Emmie to try to keep the day care open.”
He nodded. “I understand that now that I’ve had time to think straight. And I admire you for handling it the way you did. But at the time, all I could think was that you’d deceived me.”
“And I felt you had betrayed me when you put off the day care issue at the funding meeting,” she shot back. “You had assured me you were going to give the day care center a fair evaluation. But that afternoon you acted like it was an inconvenience for me to even request the additional funds.”
“To tell you the truth, the day care center was the last thing on my mind at that point,” he said, meaning it. “I asked that the issue of additional funding be tabled because I figured with my state of mind, it was the only fair thing I could do.”
“Why did you call an emergency meeting of the funding committee today to decide the day care’s fate?” she asked, frowning. “Couldn’t it have waited until after the first of the year?”
“I wanted to make sure that issue was dealt with and out of the way so I could concentrate on fixing the mess I had made with you.” He brushed her lips with his. When she didn’t protest, he took that as a positive sign and went on. “I love you, Kiley. And I take full responsibility for our argument.” He kissed her forehead. “If you’ll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you for acting the way I did.”
As she stared up at him, tears filled her eyes, and knowing he had caused her to cry made him feel as if someone tried to rip out his heart. “Josh, you don’t have to say that.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to try to stop you from being with Emmie.”
“Honey, I know that.” Giving her a kiss that had her clinging to him for support and him feeling as if his jeans had become too small in the stride, he smiled. “What I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t just want Emmie. I want you, too. I love you more than life itself. I want to marry you and raise a whole house full of kids just like our beautiful little girl.”
“Josh, I don’t know—”
“Do you love me, Kiley?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she nodded.
“Will you marry me?”
“I—I’m not sure—”
Kissing her again, he felt like he’d run a marathon by the time he raised his head. “Are you sure now?”
“I?I… You’re not making it easy to think,” she said, looking delightfully confused.
“Just say yes, Kiley,” he commanded.
As she continued to look at him, he could tell the moment she gave in to what he knew they both wanted. “Y-yes.”
“Thank God!” Releasing her, he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out the red velvet box he had carried with him since stopping by the jewelry store on the way to the TCC clubhouse earlier that morning. “Kiley, will you marry me?”
Laughing, she covered her mouth with both hands. “You already asked me that and I said yes.”
“Say it again.” He laughed as he opened the box, removed the one-carat solitaire diamond ring inside and slipped it on her finger. “And keep saying it until we celebrate our seventy-fifth wedding anniversary.”
“Yes, I’ll marry you, Josh Gordon,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.
“Good.” He gave her a quick kiss, then, taking her by the hand, led her toward the house.