He chuckles. “Well, you told me you wouldn’t marry me if I was the last man on earth, so I need to do something to get back in your good books.”
I flush. “I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s okay, I deserved it. But if I’m going to make an honest woman of you, I need to put in some hard work first.” He smiles. “I suppose we’d better get back and make sure they haven’t murdered each other in the boardroom.” As we rise, he says, “Are you busy tonight?”
“Um…” I pretend to think about it, even though my calendar is clear for, like, the next twenty years. “I don’t think so.”
He opens the door and stands back. “Can I take you out to dinner?”
I nod happily. “I’d like that.”
“All right. Shall I pick you up from your apartment at, say, six thirty?”
“Sounds perfect.” I slip past him, and we walk slowly along the corridor.
I feel dizzy with hope and joy and excitement. I’m going to head the new soil restoration program. I’ll be able to integrate their system with mine, and the sky is the limit after that. And I’m also going on a date with the most handsome bachelor in the whole of New Zealand.
And I didn’t miss the way he slipped in,if I’m going to make an honest woman of you…I know better than to cling hold of that, because a million and one things can happen to stand in the way. We might discover we’re not compatible once we start dating. A short-term fling is very different from a long-term relationship, and once he realizes just how clumsy, ditzy, and disorganized I am, he could quickly change his mind.
But at the very least, it doesn’t sound as if he’s going to abandon me and Little Raspberry. I’m not going to have to do this pregnancy alone. Whether or not this turns out to be the romance of the year is irrelevant. All that matters is that the baby will grow up with two parents present who are both supportive and loving. And I have no doubt now it’s likely that will be the case.
Still, despite my attempts to rein in my excitement, a bubble of happiness floats up inside me and refuses to be popped. He’s forgiven me. And he’s taking me on a date. He wants to try, at least, to make it work. That’s not nothing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next morning
Caesar
“We should get up,” I murmur.
“Mmmmmm.” Maddie peels herself away from me, stretches and yawns, then flops back again onto the pillows. “It’s so warm in here.”
The morning sun is streaming through the windows, coating the bed with thick, buttery rays. Normally, I’m up and in the shower by seven, but today it’s close toeighta.m. and we’re still tangled in the duvet.
I reach for the remote control and flick on the air con, then roll back onto my side facing her, head propped on a hand.
She looks up at me and smiles. Her galaxy hair is spread over the pillow. Her cheeks are flushed. Her eyes glow.
“So much for ‘just going for dinner’ and ‘I’m going to take my time,’” she teases.
“We did go to dinner.”
“Barely. I didn’t even have a dessert.”
“I distinctly remember sampling something sweet.”
She snorts and pushes me, and I chuckle.
“I really should get up,” she says, lifting her arms above her head. “I’ve got tons to do. There’s a meeting at ten to talk about the new division.”
“They’re going to come down heavy on you.” I rest my fingers on her forehead and then trail them over her nose, her chin, and down her neck. “They don’t want you at the helm. They’ll try to make sure you’re only a figurehead.”
“They can kiss my ass,” she says.
That makes me laugh. “Seriously, though, you’re not going to have an easy ride.”
“If I know I have the support of you, Marcus, and Edward, I can handle my family.”
