it was about Cara, but I was trying to deny that it was about me. I didn’t want to want you as more than a nanny, or a booty call, like you just put it.”
Oh. No. Was he? Could he—
“I love you, Alice Sommers.”
She lifted her hand to her forehead and rubbed it. A lightheadedness stroked her, and suddenly her knees buckled under his confession. OMG. This was major. Thank goodness he pulled her to him, her softness slamming against the hardness of his chest, and the world was good again. He captured her mouth with his, not that she offered any resistance. His words still dancing in her ears, she linked her hands around his neck. His mouth searched hers, as if needing to discover every corner of her mouth.
“Wait. I need to tell you—” He broke the kiss but didn’t let go of her. She hoped he never would. Smiling, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “I don’t need to move to New York City. If you don’t want to, I will make it happen from here. I understand your commitment to your family, and I will take you however I can get you.”
“Seriously? You would do that?”
“Yes.”
“Well, thank you. But you may not have to. I want to go to New York City with you and Cara.”
“Alice, that’s generous, but if that’s because of—”
She put a finger on his lips and shook her head. “Let me finish. I don’t want to pass on a good opportunity, personal and career wise, because I’m scared. I guess this was about me, too, maybe being afraid of moving on. I talked to my mother, and she guaranteed she will step up. I need to leave my comfort zone. With you. I want to experience all the zones with you.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want my wife to have any other outlook on life.”
Wife? “Was that an engagement ring in the box?”
He nodded.
Crap. “With a big fat diamond?”
“So big your finger may get a cramp.”
She slapped her forehead. “Can you please get it for me?”
“You got it.” He walked her to the edge of the pool, and before she had the chance to wonder why, he dove in and took her with him.
They submerged together for an instant before surfacing again. She gasped, more from the surprise than anything else. He swam across the pool until he spotted the box, dove for it, and swam back to her.
She laughed. Did he really do that? Silly man. Except he wasn’t silly. Not usually. Just for her.
“Alice Sommers, will you marry me?” He opened the box.
She blinked at the gorgeous, modern diamond shining at her. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
He kissed her. “Good. I’m planning a life of misbehaving together.”
“I hope so,” she whispered against his lips, and this time planted a couple of kisses in the corner of his mouth. There was no need to rush. Her former Mr. B, Lorenzo, cockalicious man wasn’t going anywhere…not without her.
Epilogue
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Lorenzo dipped his head and kissed Alice on the lips. The celebration of his first marriage had been a stuffy affair, with all of Kristen’s high-profile family members and upper-crust friends attending.
This one, he realized, as he glanced around to find his mother smiling and his daughter cheering him on, was quite different. Alice had insisted on having the ceremony at an outdoor venue just outside Austin, right before the sun went down. Six months had gone by since their move to New York, so it was nice to be back with her family—who he’d learned to enjoy as his own. He smiled at Rachel, who looked much better. Judy wiped the tears from her eyes with a tissue.
The intimate crowd clapped as a melodious song started playing in the background. With the priest’s blessing, Lorenzo held her hand in his. This was it. “You are now an honest woman, Alice Baldi,” he said to her, and wondered if she heard amid the clapping and catcalling from the guests.
She leaned into him, her gorgeous chestnut eyes gleaming with a message only he could decode. From now on, he’d enjoy unveiling all the nuances of Alice Sommers Baldi. A jolt of happiness surged through him. She winked. “I believe it has to be consummated for it to count.”
He felt a grin teasing his lips and was about to say it had been real for months and their life together surpassed all his expectations, but instead