AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I mean, I didn’t bother with heavy stuff. Until I get my Realtor’s license out there I figure I’m going to be a beach bum, anyway. You don’t mind marrying a kept man, do you? I promise I’ll make it up to you when I can start working out there. Sell a few of those multimillion-dollar mansions to the stars, and we’ll be set.”
She couldn’t help it. She reacted like a total girl. Tears rose to her eyes, and she threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, God, Mick!”
He grabbed her around the waist, holding her close, burying his face in her hair. Inhaling her. Adoring her. Telling her without words that he was never letting her go.
“I love you, Caroline.”
“I love you, too, you rotten, miserable joker.”
He began to laugh. “That’s about as romantic a declaration of love as I’ve ever heard.” Then he kissed her forehead, her temple, her eyelids. “And it’s the only one I’ve ever wanted to hear.”
She pulled away, staring into his beautiful green eyes that sparked with tenderness and longing, promising the kind of future she’d been dreaming about for eight years.
“I will never let you leave me again.” His words were an oath.
“I’ll never want to. You’re sure you want to come to California?”
He nodded without a second’s hesitation. “I do. I really do. It took you coming here, waking me up to the fact that I’d been doing nothing with my life—nothing but existing,killing time—to make me realize I wanted to startlivingit.”
She stood up on tiptoe, pressing her lips to his, kissing him with every bit of pent-up love and emotion she’d ever felt for the man. And she began to whisper, “Love you, love you, love you.”
He caught her whisper. Whispered it back. Over and over, the two of them were standing there in his driveway, declaring their love for one another.
It was like something out of a TV show.
Finally, she pulled away and stuck her index finger in his face. “Why didn’t you tell me last night? Why torture me? When did you decide? What about your house? What about your family? What about your business?”
He laughed and grabbed her hand in his, pulling her finger to his mouth for an intimate little nibble.
“I have things worked out with the business. My associates are going to run it until they can earn the capital to buy me out. The house can stay here—”
“For vacations. Holidays.”
“Weddings,” he added, obviously meaning Sophie’s.
“Christenings,” she chimed in, already picturing the children they’d have.
He understood her meaning and his eyes grew a shade darker, more intimate, more serious.
“As for why I didn’t tell you…1 had to be sure. I had to know why you left me. And what would make things different now.”
She looked up, not removing her arms from around his neck. Caro understood. Completely. “You needed to know I trusted you.”
He nodded.
“I do.”
“I know that. And I’ll never make you regret giving me that trust.”
She grinned. “I know that, too.”
Turning, he put his arm around her waist and led her to the passenger side of the car. He unlocked it, watched her get in, then walked to the driver’s side.
Once inside and buckled, he looked at her beside him. “You think I’m gonna like California?”
She nodded. “I think you’re gonna love California.”
He put the car in gear, reached over and took her hand and looked toward the west.
“Then let’s go.”
