smile warmed her.
“This will all turn out okay, Kelly. I promise you, I wouldn’t be offering you marriage if I didn’t feel in my heart that it is the right thing to do.”
Again, that nudge. He didn’t say because he loved her. So, did he mean that marrying her was the right thing to do politically? Was he protecting her, the underdog, once more as he was nationally known to do? Was he taking Kelly and Matt on as a personal crusade to elevate his career, and then would he divorce her when the dust settled and the scandal lay behind them?
Well, if he did, she should be grateful. Damn her suspicious heart, but she just could not bring herself to trust that Evan was taking these actions for love. To do that would mean she would become vulnerable. She didn’t think she could ever trust anyone enough to give herself over like that.
She managed a smile and made sure her eyes reflected her appreciation. “Never underestimate how grateful I am, Evan. What you are doing for us is beautiful.”
He kissed her fingers. “I want to do this, Kelly. I think we have the beginning of something good between us.”
She smiled. It was the best she could offer.
Kelly’s phone rang. She looked at the ID. “Hello, Donna.” She listened, letting her gaze move from Evan’s to Matt’s. “Yes, we’re on our way back.”
* * *
EVAN SLID AN arm around Matt as he watched Kelly speak to Jared’s mom, aware that Kelly was the most interesting woman in all of Manhattan for both him and Matt. This little boy loved his momma—she was his world. Evan wanted to make both of them the center of his world. Evan’s chest tightened with hope that one day the bond of love that encircled Matt and Kelly would widen to include him.
He watched Kelly smile as she spoke, soft lines creasing the corner of her mouth. Evan wanted to kiss that mouth so badly he could taste it. Wisps of her ginger-colored hair had fallen loose from her braid, framing her face with a glow. Her perfume had intoxicated his senses as she leaned into him to sign the marriage license in the small window space at the bureau. He had inhaled a slow steady breath of the warm fragrance, just as he did now, knowing that her perfume would be in his life for a very long time—if he had his way. He was discovering that each moment with Kelly was magic. Yet, from the way she’d taken his pen from him to sign the license, he had no illusions and knew she was terrified at the prospect of marrying him.
He’d do everything he could to allay her fears between now and tomorrow’s ceremony, and every day after that until she understood that he meant to be a pivotal force in her life. One she could depend on and trust until the day she died.
Kelly ended the call. “Donna will meet us at the penthouse to pick up Matt.”
“I’m going to Jared’s?”
“Yes you are, honey. You’ve been so good these past few days and Jared has missed you.”
Matt punched the air. “Yes!”
Evan smiled at the two of them, not believing his dumb luck. He was about to have an afternoon with Kelly all to himself, if he could just keep her from running off to Neverland.
* * *
BY THE TIME Donna and Jared arrived, Matt was bouncing around the penthouse with excitement. He was so thrilled to see his buddy he actually hugged him. The mothers laughed. Evan wondered if these two boys would remember this moment ten, twenty, thirty years from now. Did childhood friends last a lifetime as they used to when the world moved at a slower pace?
Donna hefted Matt’s backpack. “Since tomorrow is Friday, why don’t we throw some pajamas in? If the kids are having fun, we’ll make it a sleepover. I can keep Jared home from school for a day.”
“Can I, Mom?” Matt jumped up and down, tugging at Kelly’s arm.
She glanced at Evan, who grinned. “I remember being excited like Matt, only it was to convince my mom to let me and my buddy sleep in a tent in the backyard.”
A look filled her eyes as if she were imagining Evan as a ten-year-old boy full of exuberance and unable to contain himself. She smiled at Matt. “Sure, honey. Get your pajamas and toothbrush, but you have to promise to brush your teeth before bed.”
The boys