“This was serious. I was grounded for two weeks. And no, I didn’t get any other gifts that year. That was when I figured out Santa wasn’t real, although I did wonder briefly if maybe he’d paid us an early visit and stored mine under the bed.”
“That’s your deep, dark secret?”
“Yes.” He lowered his head and kissed her briefly. “I don’t have deep, dark secrets, Rosie. I’m pretty straightforward.”
“I know, and I love that about you.” Her heart was still knocking against her ribs. She’d braced herself to hear something awful, and she should have known it would be a joke. He loved to tease her, and most of the time she loved his brand of teasing. “Here’s something about me that you don’t know—I’m allergic to dogs. And cats.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. My worst asthma attack ever happened when I was staying with a friend who owned a dog. Which basically means I can’t ever own a pet.”
“Damn.” He ran his hand over his face. “Then we’re done. We’re over. Better call Mom and cancel the wedding.”
Her heart almost stopped. “Are you—” she swallowed “—are you serious?”
“No, of course I’m not serious. You should know that.” His expression was midway between amused and exasperated. “What’s wrong with you today?”
“I don’t know. I’m worried you’re going to change your mind, I suppose.”
“I love you, Rosie. You. All of you. No, I didn’t know you were allergic to animals but never mind. We’ll work with it. Do I like dogs? Sure. But I like you more. If marrying you means I have to get my furry animal fix outside the home, then that’s what I’ll do.”
He made everything sound so simple.
“That’s—” she swallowed “—good. Because I thought maybe that if you’d always imagined a family home with a pet, then—”
“I can live without a pet, Rosie.”
“Right. You—you don’t see obstacles, do you?”
He frowned. “That wasn’t an obstacle.”
“It might be, to some people, but that’s what I mean—you don’t see them.” And she loved that about him. “I thought there might be things we don’t know about each other, that’s all.”
“I’m sure there are. But not because we’re keeping secrets. Not because there’s something dark we need to hide. It’s finding out those small things that are going to add to the fun.”
He was so sure of everything. So confident.
It made her feel a little better.
He lowered his head and his lips brushed hers, teasing, seductive, a reminder of what they’d shared the night before and the night before that.
She felt a punch of desire and wrapped her arms around his neck. The sounds of the airport faded into the background and her world was filled with nothing but Dan, his mouth, the sudden blast of heat as his arms locked around her. Her head spun.
When he finally released her, she kept her hand on his shoulder for extra support.
Someone strolling past them muttered get a room, and Dan grinned.
“That’s not a bad idea. How about we check into an airport hotel and I’ll show you how much I love you? We’ll tell your parents we were stuck in the snow.”
Even though it was a ridiculous idea, she was almost tempted. Her legs still felt like liquid and her body throbbed with need. The chemistry between them was off the scale. When they were naked and in bed she never had any doubts at all.
“Dan, I’ve been wondering—” Say it, Rosie, say it! “I’m wondering if we should have taken more time over this, that’s all. It’s happening very fast and that’s a lot of pressure.”
“You are so thoughtful, but don’t worry about it. Mom is a champion last-minute organizer. She has never met a crisis she hasn’t defeated. Frankly she thrives on it. Everything will be fine. It’s given her something to focus on. I haven’t seen her this happy since Dad died.”
And still more pressure.
Everything he said made it harder for her to speak up.
“Dan—”
“Wait—is that them?” Dan peered over her shoulder and she turned, searching the flow of people.
They ranged from the very young to the very old, many of them arriving to celebrate the holidays with loved ones. They surged around her wearing scarves, hats and eager expressions while juggling suitcases and parcels.
She saw a family placating a fractious toddler, an exhausted mother soothing a baby.
She didn’t see her parents.
“It’s not them.”
“You’re right, they are taking a long time.” Dan frowned at the last trickle of people. “Your dad would have