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Anna couldn’t think straight while locked in his arms. Hands flat on his chest, she pushed against him, and he let her go. She went to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared down at the busy street below. Putting distance between them was only half the solution. She needed time to think.
Being honest with him seemed the best thing to do under the circumstances, so she spilled her heart out. “You have no idea how many times people told me I was wonderful and they loved me. They promised me a place in their home. Then they sent me back.” Feeling bereft, she hugged herself and repeated, “They always sent me back.”
From the other side of the room, he said, “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“The real reason I don’t date anymore is that I find myself waiting for them to reject me. I pick at everything a man says or does, and I lose sleep wondering when they’ll finally cut me loose.” She turned to face him. “I thought you were different. We skipped the dating and went straight to an engagement. I kept trying to tell myself you were like the rest of them, and you’d walk away someday. It’s my fault I let myself believe in you.”
“You got it all wrong. I didn’t feel good enough for you, not the other way around. I am not even in your league.”
That surprised her. Skylar had more than his share of confidence. “Why would you think that?”
“I’m a recovering alcoholic, and I’m known for being ruthless in the courtroom... and in my personal life.” He cut the distance between them. His hands smoothed over her shoulders and down her arms as if he couldn’t stand that close without touching her. “I planned to give us a chance. You can see by my Christmas gift to you that you were always on my mind. I was even thinking about proposing on the covered bridge over Christmas vacation.”
“What changed your mind?”
“My father’s heart attack. I thought I was about to lose someone else important to me, and I panicked. If I lost you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go on living.”
She blinked back fresh tears, happy tears this time. “That’s silly. You were afraid of losing me so you pushed me out of your life?”
“Yeah.” He groaned. “Grandma Dot didn’t think it made much sense either.” He shrugged. “I plead temporary insanity.” His lips brushed against her hairline, and his hands gripped her upper arms. “Sweetheart, will you please forgive me? If you do, I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Anna considered letting him swing for a while, but she couldn’t contain the love overflowing in her veins. Lifting up on her tiptoes, she went in for a kiss. “I love you.”
“Are you sure? Be sure. Because once you commit I will never let you go.”
She repeated, “I love you.”
After fishing something out of his pocket, he dropped down on one knee. She recognized the diamond ring he’d originally given her resting on the palm of his hand. “Anna Burkhart, will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
He slid the ring onto her finger. As soon as he stood she leaped into his arms. Whooping loudly, he spun around with her until she was giddy. They laughed and collapsed onto her couch with her half on top of him.
Her secretary peeked in. The woman gasped, her face red. “Sorry. I had no idea you were... busy.”
The woman raced from the room, hand over her heart.
Anna rolled off him and sat up while straightening her clothes. “Great. By lunchtime, everyone will think we were in here fooling around.”
His hand rested on her bare thigh an inch beneath her skirt. “That’s okay. I happen to know your boss.”
She splayed her fingers, holding her hand up to the light so she could admire the beautiful ring. “I don’t understand why you gave me this ring instead of your mother’s ring. I mean, I love it. Both rings are beautiful. I’m just curious.”
“I bought this ring with you in mind.” He tapped the princess diamond with his finger. “True, I didn’t know I wanted to marry you for real at the time, but I did pick it out for you. I think it suits you. My mother’s ring is a little too big. Don’t tell her, but I think it’s gaudy.”
“My lips are sealed.” She used those lips to kiss him. “And I love this ring… because now I know you chose it for me.”
He dug his mother’s ring from his pocket and gave it to her. “Keep them both. Mom wants you to have it.”
“What in the world would I do with two rings?”
“You have more than one finger, don’t you?” He kissed her. “You know what? I think I will give you another ring on our anniversary every year.”
That sounded wonderful to her, their anniversary, not the rings. “Did you tell your family you were proposing to me today?”
“We’ll tell them together.” He pressed his lips against her temple for a lingering kiss. “For now, I’d like to keep you all to myself. Let’s go home.”
“Whose home?” They still had so much to work out. “Where are we going to live?”
