She’s got her legs crossed, her hands worrying in her lap.
She meets my eye as I reach over, take her hand, and give her a squeeze of support. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she whispers, that breathy voice that drives me nuts. “I’m excited. Are you sure you won’t tell me where we’re going?”
“Not yet.” I smile. “We’re almost there.”
The lights change, and we drive on.
* * *
I pull up at the side of the road. We’re on the outskirts of the city at a quiet intersection.
I walk around the car and quickly open Lucy’s door.
She smiles as she climbs out. “Aren’t you the gentleman?”
“Always am.”
I smile shakily, and my woman steps forward, placing her hand on my chest. She slips beneath my suit jacket, so I can feel her warm bare skin against mine through my shirt.
“Your heart is beating like crazy.”
I reach up, pressing against the back of her hand, sharing more of her warmth.
“I wanted to tell you here, Lucy. I love you.”
There’s no delay. She smiles, the most beautiful wide smile as the beginnings of tears glisten in her eyes.
“I love you too,” she says. “Thank you.”
I laugh and lean forward, kissing her. “Thank you?”
“I don’t know,” she laughs adorably. “I just mean…I’m so freaking happy you feel the same.”
“Of course I do.” I hold her. “It’s just taken a while to get the permission from the city.”
“The permission for what?”
Dammit. I’m slipping up.
I lean back, smirking. She reaches up and touches my face.
“You’re losing that devilish smile. Now you look happy.”
“Don’t worry. I can still be a devil when I need to be.”
She laughs softly. “I know you can.”
“The reason it had to be here,” I go on, feeling my heart drumming against the ring box. “It’s because….”
Her mouth falls open. “This is the spot. The place it happened, where you lost them.”
“Where I lost Anna,” I say. “But yeah, where her mom died too. But it had to be here because….”
I clear my throat.
“You have to know, Lucy. It’s only going to be you and our children now. I’m not saying I won’t always miss my daughter. She will always have a special place in my heart. But you need to know…I willneverput her memory before our children. I’ll never give their attention to somebody else.”