The Tycoon's Baby Revelation - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,51

more time with him, more time to deal with the heartache of him walking away.

“No! I’m not!” she lied again, and cringed. She really hated lying to him like this. It was so wrong! “At least, I don’t know if I am or not.”

He pulled the forgotten box out of her hands. “Why don’t you go take this pregnancy test and find out?” he suggested, those green eyes filled with gentle firmness. “Then we’ll figure out what to do next, no matter what the test says.”

Sloane didn’t move. She simply sat there on his lap, staring at the box.

“No matter what,” he vowed again. “I’m not going to disappear. Not even if you’re pregnant, Sloane. I love you. I’m not going anywhere. In fact,” he paused and shifted her slightly, reaching behind her and bringing forward a small, black box, opening the lid. “No matter what, I want to marry you, Sloane Abbot. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

She stared, stunned at the beautiful diamond ring nestled in the black velvet interior. It was a gorgeous square, center diamond with smaller diamonds lining the edge, then more diamonds along the top of the setting. She couldn’t even guess as to its worth, but it was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen!

“You…you want to marry me?” she whispered.

“Yes. I don’t care if you’re pregnant or not.” He paused, and shook his head. “No, let me correct that. I’d love it if you were pregnant. I want to have kids, Sloane. I want a family. But only with you. I’ve dreamed about you for so damn long, and you’re finally in my arms every night. I want to make it official. I want you to move in with me. Today. Immediately. I don’t want to hide my feelings anymore for fear that I might scare you away. Seeing you worried this afternoon shook me, reminded me that I had no official claim on you.” He took her hand, squeezing her fingers. “I want that, Sloane. I want to be the man that you turn to when you’re upset. I want to be the man that helps you through the hard times, the one that you come to when you’re excited or happy about something.” He leaned forward, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto her finger. “I want you, Sloane. All of you. Will you marry me? Before you take that pregnancy test, answer that for me. Because I want no misunderstanding about this. I want to marry you because I’m in love with you. Not because you may be pregnant.”

Sloane swallowed hard after that beautiful speech, not sure what to say. She wasn’t even sure if she could speak! Never in her life had she ever imagined anyone saying something like that to her. He wanted her because…he loved her?

“I think I’d given up on someone loving me,” she replied, staring at the diamond on her finger.

“Because you think your father didn’t love you?”

She shrugged, not wanting to admit that one person had so much influence in her life. “Maybe,” she hedged. Then she looked up at him. “Or maybe it’s because I’ve been in love with you for so many years that…”

The rest of her sentence was lost because Josh kissed her, his arms tightening around her until she could barely breathe. When he finally lifted his mouth, she was stunned by the passion in his eyes.

“Say it again,” he urged.

“I love you,” she whispered, wondering if she’d ever be able to say those words without feeling this quivering terror in her chest.

“I love you too,” he told her, and bent his head, kissing her again but more gently this time. Over and over, he brushed his lips against hers until she couldn’t take the teasing any longer. She lifted her hands, bringing his head down to hers and kissed him with all of the love in her heart.

He laughed, pulling her hands away. “If we don’t stop that, then you’re never going to give me the answer I want to hear.”

“I love you,” she whispered again, her fingers and eyes tracing over his facial features, stunned by the luck in her life.

He chuckled, and kissed her again. “That’s nice to hear, but not what I’m waiting for.”

“Marriage?” she whispered.

“Yes. Marriage. I want all of you. And I want to know that you can accept all of me, quirks, temperament, and all.”

She laughed, delighted. “I’ve dealt with you for the