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“Well, I haven’t seen him in his underwear—not that I want to—but he’s handsome and in shape. I can tell by the arm porn.”
“The what?”
“Muscular arms with veins that pop. Arm porn. My roommate wanted to know why Madison was freaking out. Valeria thought the colonel was hot too.”
Good grief. Erin didn’t need General McKittrick to hear about women her daughter’s age calling Graham hot. That might make him find some old, bald colonel to replace Graham with, even if they claimed to be engaged. “Has your father decided yet on coming over at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or another time?”
“No, but I haven’t asked either. We don’t have a break at Thanksgiving here. We have time between semesters in February.”
“Fall classes start when?” Maybe she and Graham could do a quick trip to Spain between California and the ball.
“The second week in September. Valeria and I are going to Portugal between the summer session and the start of fall classes.”
“Okay.” That killed that possibility. Christmas seemed so long to wait. “I want you to meet Graham.”
“I have.”
“I mean in person. Look at your calendar and see what might work for a weekend visit.”
“You’d come all the way here for a weekend? That sounds serious. I thought you were just hooking up while you were there.”
Heat raced up Erin’s chest to her face. “I care about him a lot.” Though she wasn’t quite ready to tell her daughter she was in love with him. “He and I might add on a few days since I haven’t been to Europe. And I was thinking maybe he could come part of the time if I come at Christmas. If you want to visit the Amalfi coast, Graham knows the area. He also speaks Italian. We’ve got time to decide.”
“And you’ll tell Dad?’
“Yes. He can work around us.” She went into confident Erin mode. She was no longer settling for what others wanted or expected from her.
ChapterThirty-Seven
Graham parkedin front of Erin’s condo right on time. He took a deep breath before putting his sunglasses in the cupholder. He hadn’t been this nervous since he’d broached the arrangement to Erin.
He’d missed her while she was in California for the pilot’s filming, but they’d talked daily despite the time difference and shooting schedule. On their trip up the coast, she’d shared how Levi requested significant changes to the storyline. She’d tweaked the end of the pilot. On their trip, she’d run ideas past Graham, since Levi planned for the second episode she’d written to be the opener for the second season instead.
That opened up the conversation about how much time she’d need to spend in Los Angeles. It might be more than either wanted, but he had to accept that and support her. After nearly two decades of long deployments, if anyone understood what it took to make a relationship work long-distance, he did. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t see each other for months. They could fly across the country for long weekends.
However, he’d have trouble selling that to McKittrick. To alleviate any concerns that Graham might repeat the sins of the officers before him, the general would expect Erin to be here. Visible, not just at events like the ball. There was a lot on the line tonight in terms of convincing the general and not only any skeptical operators, but every man and woman there that Erin was the only woman he was interested in. Fortunately, he would not be faking that.
Erin’s insistence on getting ready for the ball at the condo instead of his house and picking her up amused him, considering they spent nearly every night together. Still, the anticipation of seeing her completely made up had his heart racing as he rang the bell. He tugged his jacket down before she opened the door.
“Wow!” She drew out the word and fanned herself.
“That’s supposed to be my line.”
“I can’t help it. The way you look in that uniform makes me weak in the knees—again.”
“You look gorgeous.” Did she ever. She wore her hair up in a fancy style, showcasing her neck and glittering earrings. The blue of the stylish gown and her makeup made her eyes stand out. She was the definition of classy and elegant. “I am the luckiest man to have you as my date. But something is missing.” He looked her up and down.
“What?” she asked as he reached into his coat pocket and removed the black velvet box. Erin’s mouth opened, and her eyes widened as they locked on the jewelry case before he opened his hand to show her the size of the box.
“I love you, but it’s not a ring.” He ignored the sensation spreading through his chest like Kevlar stopping a bullet. Earlier this week, General McKittrick casually mentioned the ball being the perfect opportunity to propose. Only there was no way he would blindside Erin with a public proposal—or even involve her in one for show. Not when he still had a chance of winning this battle. “But I wanted to give you something special.” He opened the top to show her the necklace with seven sparkling diamonds forming a V.
“Graham, it’s gorgeous.”
“Megan helped me pick it out,” he said before she could protest. “I hoped you’d wear it tonight.”
“Of course. Will you put it on me?” She swallowed, then turned.
He fastened it, then slid his hands down the silky skin of her arms as he pressed a series of kisses to the side of her neck, eliciting a soft murmur as her back pressed against him.
