Matilda Next Door - Kelly Hunter Page 0,57

a shower first? I’ll wait.’

He didn’t want her to wait on him. Unfortunately, he could think of at least two instances where he’d made her do exactly that.

He dug in his pocket for the little ring box and set it on the counter between them. ‘Have you changed your mind?’

‘No.’

‘ ’Cause I’m not sure I know anyone who wants to marry a silly, foolish man that they don’t know what to do with.’

‘It’s a good thing I have quite the imagination,’ she said.

‘I’ve always thought so.’

She laughed, just a little, and his heart lightened accordingly.

‘Open it.’

She did, and gasped. And it fit.

‘Do you like it? Because there is a return on it if you don’t, and the store’s right here in Melbourne. We could—’

‘I love it.’

‘Not too—’

‘Definitely not! It’s perfect.’

‘I was going to say small.’

‘Henry, if you think this perfect, glittering, several-carat diamond is small, we need to get you some glasses.’

Seemed he’d chosen well.

‘Shower,’ she said next, and pointed the way with her ring hand and immediately got distracted. ‘Oh, wow. Look at that sparkle. I am a sparkly gem woman.’ And then she accosted him on his way to the bathroom to hug him tight and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. ‘You mad romantic, I love it.’

Could be a good time to tell her about those other things he’d seen to lately because he figured she might like them. ‘Remember that library chair of mine you liked? The one near the window?’

‘The one I used to fantasise about you sitting in? With your tie all loose and your sleeves rolled up as you undid a couple of buttons on your crispy white shirt? I remember it well.’

‘It’s on its way here.’

Her smile grew positively wicked. ‘ ’Cause there was more to that particular fantasy of you in that big ol’ library chair. At one stage you even lost your trousers.’

‘I wasn’t embarrassed by that?’ It was her fantasy; he was just going along for the ride.

‘No, you were an absolute porn star,’ she murmured with all due emphasis. ‘Henry, you blush!’

‘Only for you. Also, is that a challenge? Because, challenge accepted. Care to join me in the shower?’

‘No. Go. Enough of your fancy gifts and spoiling.’

‘One more and then I’ll stop. And I haven’t actually bought it yet, but I’m hopeful. There’s a house on the market on the outskirts of Wirralong that I thought you might be interested in.’

She looked intrigued. ‘Which one?’

‘The old Sinclair place. Bluestone. Five acres. Many bedrooms. Dodgy old kitchen, and by that I mean it still has an open fireplace, a wood stove and copper pots for washing up in. But it’s a big kitchen, enormous, and we could rebuild it.’

‘That’s heritage listed.’

‘We could rebuild it to heritage-listed specifications.’

‘It’s a money pit.’

‘I have a lot of money.’ No bragging. Useful fact. ‘We used to go past it on the school bus. It was empty even then. You spent an entire week debating exterior paint colour options for it. I remember it well.’

‘I was thirteen!’

‘I’m expecting your colour choices to have matured.’ There was the sparkle that had been missing from their conversation a few moments ago. ‘Mad Henry and Silly Tilly strike again. Want to buy it and set the town tongues wagging? Because I’m in if you’re in.’

‘You want me to help you bring a glorious old Wirralong building to life? Work my way through renovations and paint colours, home fabric choices and furnishings, set up a commercial kitchen to grow my business in, and do it with laughter and children and you at my side? I’m in. I’m so far in I may never emerge into the real world again. How deep are your pockets again?’

‘Very deep.’

‘I’d like to feel intimidated by that, but for some reason, I’m not.’ Her confidence warmed him through. ‘I’m marrying you for your money, you know. And your daughter. And your shirts.’

It was all too easy to beam back. ‘You love me,’ he said.

‘That too. You know there’s an observatory in the garden out the back of that place? All it needs is a big-ass telescope, and the stars are your playground.’

‘I am aware.’

‘Oh, you sneaky man. You have it all planned.’

‘I’m trying.’ The shower could wait. ‘There’s one more thing I need to talk about though. It’s complicated.’

‘Pretend I’m smart enough to understand,’ she encouraged dryly.

‘You are. It’s me that needs a moment to drop barriers and put it all out there.’ He took a deep breath and faced her. ‘There’s a