“Right,” he said. “I’ve lived just fine with your schedule. And with you. You give me everything I want and need.”
“But I’m a walking—”
“—law brief. You’ve said that before. But I seem to remember three times in the last six weeks when you played hostess to, all told, nearly two dozen of my business associates.”
“I didn’t play hostess. Other people did the work.”
“So you didn’t do the cooking yourself. No career woman has time for that. But you made the arrangements—twice at restaurants, once with a caterer on the boat.”
“Susan told me what to do.”
“But you did it, and don’t tell me it wasn’t a whole lot of work, because I know it was. Food, flowers, tables and chairs, background music—you coordinated everything. And then you stood there by my side, looking absolutely gorgeous, so calm and collected that no one could believe you’d put in a full day at the office.” He caught his breath, but nothing could stop the flow of warmth in his eyes. “Do you have any idea how proud I was of you?”
Savannah felt the warmth of that pride as a glowing ember deep inside her. “You’ve told me,” she said humbly.
“And I’ll tell you again. And again. You played hostess, and you did it with flair. Face it, lawyer lady, you’re not quite as limited as you thought.” He took a deep, slow breath. “So, do you believe that I want you?”
She hesitated for just a minute. “I’m getting there. I have doubts sometimes. But you’re still hanging around.” She shot a look at her surroundings and amended that to, “I’mstill hanging around.”
“Only because I have to work. Otherwise I’d be at your place. Or on the boat. But I don’t like the idea of your being there while I’m here working. This way I can run upstairs and check on you.”
“Against FCC regulations,” she reminded him with a crooked grin.
“Ahhh,” he teased, “such a stickler for legalities.”
“I always was. Susan called me a goody-two-shoes. I played by the book, while she broke every rule.”
“Goody-two-shoes?”
She nodded. Too late, she realized that she’d set herself up.
“If you play by the book,” Jared advised in a dead-serious drawl, “then we have to get married. We’re in love. We’ve living together. And you may be pregnant.”
“Later.”
“Pregnant?”
“Married. We’ll get married later.”
“Why wait?”
“Because I can’t think straight with this trial coming up.”
“So? I love you anyway.”
“This trial is really important to me, Jared.”
“I can understand why. But just think. If we get married now, one part of your life will be completely settled. You’ll be able to focus your concentration that much more.”
“Could work the other way around,” she reminded him. “I could be that much more distracted.”
“I won’t distract you.”
“You do. All the time. Take now. Since I couldn’t sleep, I was going to do some work. So here you are.” She glanced toward the sound room. “Aren’t you supposed to be in there getting ready to fade something or other in or out?”
“In a minute.” Lowering his head, he kissed her gently, then deepened the kiss until she’d begun to melt against him. Only then did he warn, “I won’t let you go. I’ll keep after you until you give in. We’re going to be married, Savannah. Count on it.”
Later, thinking back on those words, he had to commend himself for his confidence. Because the fact was that he could tell her whatever he wanted, but the decision was hers. When it came to determining the future direction of their relationship, she was the one in the driver’s seat.
