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“It tears at me to hear that,” he said. “But you can trust me, Belle.” He looked into her eyes and willed her to see the truth. “You’ll never be rid of me again. Even if you tell me to go away today, I’ll just come back. I’ll keep trying for however long it takes to convince you that you’re all I want. All I need.”
She bit her bottom lip, and tears welled in her eyes. Feeling hope lift like a helium balloon in his chest, Wes kept talking. “I called off the merger.”
“I know. I saw it on the news. I couldn’t believe it.”
“Yes, you can. I put Teddy off. None of that matters to me anymore. The only merger I’m interested in is the one between us. Marry me, Belle. You and Caroline come home with me. Build a future and a family with me.”
“Oh, Wes...”
He smiled now, because he could see that she believed. That she was going to say yes. “You can design toys for the company, and together, we’ll make sure Caro’s Toybox is big enough that every child around the world has a toy to play with and a stuffed animal to cuddle.”
A short, choked laugh shot from her throat.
Now that he was on a roll, he just kept building on the future he could see so clearly. “I want more kids, Belle. Brothers, sisters for Caroline. I want us to build a family so strong, not even your hardheaded brothers could tear it down.”
She laughed again, louder this time, and reached up to cup his face between her palms. He closed his eyes briefly and released the last of his worries. The heat of her touch sank into him, reaching down into the darkest, loneliest corners of his heart, and left him breathless.
“It’s not my brothers you have to worry about, Wes,” she said, with a slow shake of her head. “It’s me. Because once I say yes, I’m never letting you go.”
Wes grinned. “That is the best news I’ve ever heard. So are you saying yes?”
“How could I not? I love you, Wes. I always have. So yes, I’ll marry you and have babies with you and build a future filled with family.”
“Thank God,” he whispered, then reached into his pocket. Showing her the small blue velvet box, he opened it to reveal a square-cut emerald surrounded by diamonds.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
He slid it onto her finger. “Now it’s beautiful.”
Then he kissed her, and she melted against him while Wes gave silent thanks for whatever gods had blessed him with a second chance at the love of a lifetime.
“Hey, you two,” Eli called out. “Come up for air. There’s a little girl here who wants to say hi.”
They broke apart, and Wes looked down into the shining face of his daughter. Caro was staring up at him with pleasure in her eyes and a delighted smile on her face. She wore the red plastic heart that had first started him out on the journey that had led him here to this amazing moment. Shooting a quick look at Belle, he grinned. “I can’t believe you saved that necklace.”
Her smile was soft, tender. “It was the first thing you ever gave me. And Caro loves it. She loves you too, Wes. It’s time she knows who you are.”
Nodding, Wes went down on one knee in front of his daughter. Weirdly, nerves rattled the pit of his stomach. “I missed you,” he said and signed.
“Me too,” she answered, then threw her arms around his neck.
The force of that hug freely given shook Wes to his soul. Tears burned his eyes, so he closed them, reveling in the knowledge that he would never lose Belle and his daughter again. Then he pulled back, looked into her eyes and said softly, “I’m your father, Caro, and I love you very much.”
Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. She shifted her gaze to her mother and asked, “Really?”
“Really, baby,” Belle said through her tears.
The little girl looked at Wes again and gave him a bright, happy smile. Her fingers flying along with the words pouring from her, she asked, “You’re my daddy?”
“Yes,” Wes s
aid and signed.
“I wished that you were,” she said, grinning now. “And my wish came true! I love you, Wes. I mean, Daddy.”
His heart burst in a sweet blast of love and joy as Wes reached out to scoop her up and stand, still holding her close. Balancing his daughter on one arm he draped the other around Belle’s shoulders and knew he’d never been more complete.
Completely shattered still as his daughter’s simple words made him feel like the luckiest man on the face of the planet, he paid no attention to Belle’s grinning brothers, still watching. He simply handed Caroline to her mother to free his hands and then he carefully signed, “I love you, too, baby girl.”
