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He drained his glass and set it on the railing, then pushed his hands into his pockets. “I suppose I do, but I wouldn’t stay here if I had thought through an alternative. Before I met you, I hadn’t come up with anything I wanted more. Lochlan may have saved me from some bad choices.”
“Here’s how I see it,” she said and laced her fingers with his. “People always say I owe you my life. I owe you my life. Nothing another person can do for you is worth the same as your life. Nothing. You can be thankful and loving toward them. You can do them favors, but you can’t give them your life because they haven’t given you theirs.”
He smirked. “You have a very interesting perspective.”
She shrugged. “It’s my opinion. Take it or leave it, but think. How much did it hurt Lochlan to share his wealth with you? He hired others to take care of you. He doesn’t visit. He wasn’t inconvenienced at all. Why do you think he’s not at this fun little party?”
Torrian threw back his head and burst out laughing. Her heart soared seeing that smile. He had shared many during the times they spent together, and she began to believe it was why Torrian had kept her secret from this side of his life. Her and him in her tiny apartment, cooking and laughing together, this was the real him and where he belonged.
A sharp wind blew against her legs, and she shivered, trying to adjust the coat. Torrian frowned and reached out to help. “Come on. We need to get you inside. The jacket and coat are crushing your pretty wings.”
“Don’t make me go back in there. I think we should go home.”
An arrested expression came over his face at her chosen words, which was just what she had intended to say. “Home?”
“Yup. The place is a little small for two people, but if you still don’t know what you want to do with the company, you can always commute. I probably wouldn’t park the limo or the BMW on the street, but that’s just me.”
She started to walk off, but he caught her and drew her back to him. The impact of his pull drove the air from her chest, and she fell silent. Torrian smirked at her. “Are you asking me to move in with you, Jazara Crane?”
“Well…” She lowered her gaze from his eyes to his yummy lips. “I’m saying I love you.”
A growl escaped him, but he didn’t kiss her. He pressed a chilly cheek to hers and squeezed her tight for a long while. She wondered if emotion overcame him as it had for her when he spoke the words. Men might be different, but she could guess he never expected to hear it. Not after she hadn’t called for so long. Gratitude to Niles washed over her. Everyone should have people like him working for and with them.
“Yes,” Torrian said after some time. “The happiest time of my entire existence was spent with you in that box.”
“Hey!” She pretended to be insulted, and they both laughed.
“I won’t give up the company, but I will work with the board to hire another CEO. That will free me considerably. Also, we’ll sell the mansion and get something bigger than what you have now but smaller than my house.”
She blinked at him. “Mansion?”
“We’ll need room for the kids.”
“Whoa, what?”
Torrian’s face radiated joy. “The kids, baby, because before the end of the year, my new goal is to convince you to be my wife!”
Epilogue
Eight years later…
“Tor,” Jaz shouted. “Are you kidding me? How many times did I ask you to get this train set out of the hall? Torrian Donnelly, Jr., don’t make me come find you!”
Her seven-year-old poked his head out the doorway of the front room. “Sorry, Mommy.”
She glared at him. He looked just like his daddy, which had caused her to spoil his behind rotten. “Don’t, ‘Sorry, Mommy’ me. You know I can’t see past this belly, and I certainly can’t catch myself if I go down.”
Her son’s green eyes widened, filling with fear. He darted forward and scrambled to pick up the train set. Twin three-year-olds, Faith and Hope, both silent, rushed into the hall to help Tor. The girls had been with them a year now, adopted, and they were still all getting used to each other. Jaz loved her daughters from the moment she met them and wouldn’t give them up for anything. Their parents had been killed in a plane crash, and having no other family that wanted them, they had become wards of the state. Now they were Donnellys, and Jaz and Torrian had vowed to show them all the love in the world. Of course, Torrian had a good start on his own goal of having five kids, the bum. Before she knew what happened, he’d knocked her up with a baby when a little over six years had gone past without a second birth. She was due in two months and wondered how on earth she would survive.
A key sounded
in the door, and Tor dropped all the trains he held. His sisters followed suit, and the herd jetted toward the front door just as Torrian opened it. A chorus of, “Daddy!” rose, and Jaz sighed. She watched with fondness as her brood threw themselves into Torrian’s open arms. Love and happiness reflected in his expression as he kissed and hugged them.
“Yes, I brought presents.” Torrian laughed in response to their questions. He’d been gone five days on business. Lochlan O’Brien had passed and left everything he owned to Torrian. Now her husband had to sort through estates in three countries where Lochlan had lived and done business. Torrian met her gaze, and her heart sped up even after all this time. She’d missed him. He threaded his way through the tiny bodies blocking his path, then frowned. “What’s this? Toys in the hall? I can’t give out presents to naughty kids.”
Jaz rolled her eyes. “Boy, please, don’t act like you’re the disciplinarian around here. You bring them gifts even when you’re gone two hours.”
Amusement lit Torrian’s gaze, and he grabbed his shirtfront in mock horror. “Mommy, how can you say that?”
