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“Oh, but I do. If it’s the right person.” He brushed delicate strands of hair from her brow. “If it’s you.”
“I didn’t want to marry again.”
“That’s what you’ve said. I’m not trying to fire you up, but I’m not sure I believe you.” He kissed her before she could protest. It was a long, hot, bone-melting kiss that had her leaning against his chest, weak. Dazed.
“You never married Camille,” she whispered.
“I never loved Camille, not the way I love you.” His expression shifted, lips flattening. “Can we not talk about her, though? I like her. I respect her. But she’s not part of this equation. She never has been.”
She pressed her lips to his, breathing him in. “What is the equation?”
“For someone so very good at math, it’s stunning to discover how you struggle with single digits.”
She kissed him again. “Humor me, Dr. King.”
He kissed her, another long, scorching kiss, one that wasn’t as tender, one that felt demanding, hungry, possessive. “It goes like this, Dr. Newsome. One plus one equals we, which in essence, is one. Together we’re one, and strong, far stronger than when we’re just . . . one.”
“I’m amazed you can even teach statistics. That was terrible.”
He grinned. She smiled back at him, loving him, so very much. “Are you really proposing?” She looked into his eyes; the green and gold flecks were ever so bright. “Or is this a spur-of-the-moment desperado thing?”
He reached into his deep trouser pocket, his hand sliding beneath her bottom, and retrieved a handkerchief. Inside the white linen was a ring with diamonds and a large, intensely blue stone. “It’s not a sapphire,” he said. “It’s tanzanite. I bought the ring for you last week—”
“Why?”
His forehead creased. He gave her a look of infinite patience. “Because I planned on proposing before you returned home with the students.”
“This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
“No. Well, today, yes, but I knew I couldn’t let you return to California without letting you know how I felt. You’re part of my heart, Paige, and I want you to be part of my life. Forever.”
“Until we grow old?” she asked, blinking hard, wanting to remember every word because he was saying such nice words.
The corner of his mouth tugged. “I think that’s what forever means.”
Emotion thickened her throat, and she bit into her lower lip to keep it from trembling. Her gaze dropped to the stunning ring in the platinum setting. “Can I try it on?”
“Is that a ‘yes, Jack, I’d love to marry you’ response?”
She dashed away the tears. Her smile was watery, but happy. “Yes. I think we’ve gone mad, and we’re breaking all our rules, but I’d love to be with you even when we’re old and gray.”
He started to slide the ring onto her finger. She stopped him, her hand curling into a fist. “Jack.”
“Yes, babe?”
She searched his eyes. “Do we have to get married? Or could this be a ring that says I’m yours, and I’ll always be yours?”
“Marriage scares you.”
She nodded. “I’m not afraid to love you. I want to be with you. I’m just not sure marriage is the right thing . . . for us.” She swallowed hard. “At least right now.”
He was silent a moment. “I don’t need a wedding. I just need you.”
“I need you, too.” She hugged him hard, and then whispered, “But can I wear the ring? Can we be engaged?”
“To not marry?”
“Engaged to be together,” she corrected. “Forever.”
He slipped the ring onto her ring finger. The gorgeous blue stone shimmered in the sunlight. She looked down at the beautiful tanzanite, and then up at him. “I love you, Jack King.”
“And I love you, Paige, my queen.”
She wrinkled her nose, laughed. “I know what you did there.”
“I figured you would.” He rose with her, set her on her feet. “Let’s go get lunch or we’re going to be famished on the next drive.”
“I dread these drives.”
“We should have a nice break between the afternoon drive and evening one.” He took her hand in his, kissed it. “Some people nap. Some do other things.”
“I think we need to nap,” she said. “It’s been an exhausting day.”
“I agree with you. Let’s nap so tonight—”
“—after our evening drive—”
“—we can do other things.”
She kissed him. “Deal.”
