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She nodded. She did, too, and she wanted them to be married. Maybe she was in too much of a hurry. But after all these years—and now that she was expecting, how could it be too soon?
She let go of him as he turned back to attend to the pans on the stove top. Surely he’d ask her soon?
Chapter Eighteen
On Saturday morning, Marcos sat out on the patio while Molly spent her time in the bathroom. He’d been reading about morning sickness, and from what he’d learned, he was hoping that it wouldn’t last too much longer. He felt bad for her. He wished he could take it away or go through it for her. But, like pretty much everything to do with having a baby, it was all on Molly. All he could do was support her, be there for her, and try to make things easier for her. He needed her to know that he was in this with her. He’d be by her side every step of the way—every day for the rest of their lives, not just for this baby, but for the next, and the next, if he got his way.
He turned the ring box over in his pocket. He’d planned to ask her last night, but she’d fallen asleep. He’d made her dinner, and they’d eaten out here on the patio. They’d talked and laughed, and he’d drunk prosecco—she wouldn’t be sharing any with him for a while. She’d taught him which plants were which around the flower beds. She loved them all, the pretty white ones and the pink ones with hundreds of tiny flowers. There was a big green plant in the center. It was more like a bush with dark green waxy leaves. He hadn’t seen flowers on it since he’d been here. She’d told him that was a peony and they only bloomed for about two weeks. He’d suggested that she should use the prime space for something else that would bloom for longer, but she’d laughed and told him that the best things in life were worth waiting for. Even if they didn’t last as long as you’d like, you wouldn’t want to replace them with something else.
He blew out a sigh. She’d waited for him all this time. He wanted to do everything he could to make her happy for the rest of her days—to make up for all the time they’d lost.
She looked bright and breezy when she came out to join him. He was amazed at how quickly the sickness passed each day.
“What do you want to do?” she asked.
“Whatever you like. We can hang out here, if you want. Take it easy.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want. For me, not being at work is taking it easy, but sitting around here is no fun.” She smiled. “Have you heard anything from Ken? Do you think we’d be able to go and look around at the Hardy place?”
“Sure. I’ll give him a call. I don’t see why not.”
An hour later, they were pulling up outside the gate. Marcos rolled down the window and tapped the code into the keypad.
“It’s awesome that they don’t mind us coming out here,” said Molly.
“The place has stood empty for a while. There’s no reason they should. If we do any damage, we’ll be responsible.”
She looked at him warily, making him laugh.
“We’re not going to do any damage, but Ken had to make me aware of the legalities.”
He brought the car to a halt on the circular driveway in front of the grand entrance.
“Do you want to walk the vines?”
He smiled. She knew how much walking the vines meant to him. It was a part of his being. It was how he’d always gotten right with himself and the world, and she knew it would be a part of how he bonded with this place. “I can do that any time. I thought you wanted to look at the house.”
“I do, but I’d like to walk the vines with you first. They’re going to be an important part of your life going forward. I’d like to get to know them.”
He had to smile at that. He didn’t think of it as spending time with the vines themselves, just as getting to know the land and what grew there. It was a way of staying grounded and keeping an eye on how things were going. It was typical of Molly that she thought of it as getting to know the vines.
She shrugged. “I know you think I’m nuts, and that’s okay. Those vines are going to be part of our family.”
He laughed and got out of the car, going around to open her door and help her out.
She made a face at him. “I’m still capable of getting in and out of the car by myself. Maybe in a few months when I’m huge, I’ll need your help.”
He took her arm and steered her past the house. “You’re going to have to give me some slack. I can’t help it. I want to take care of you.”
“Aww.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “In that case, thank you.”
~ ~ ~
After their tour of the vines, Marcos let them in the house. Molly wandered around. It was huge! She loved the place, but she couldn’t see herself ever living there. Just the thought of having to clean it made her feel exhausted.
Marcos went to her and slung his arm around her shoulders. “What do you think we should do with the place?”
“Probably put it on the rental market.”
