Her breath caught. “What are you saying?”
“That I love you. I want us to be a family together. You, me, the baby, Lindsey, my brothers, Dani. All of us.” He shrugged, then said, “Not Gloria.”
“Good. She wouldn’t exactly be welcome in my world right now.”
“Please,” he said softly, staring into her eyes. “Give me a chance. I’m willing to work to prove myself. I’m willing to pay. Whatever it takes to make you believe I love you and that I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her fingers and smiled. “Except I quit my job earlier. Which you can do, if you want. I wrote an escape clause into your contract with the restaurant.”
There was too much information, she thought as the room began to spin.
“I need to sit down,” she said.
He led her over to the sofa.
She drew in deep, steady breaths and tried to clear her head. This wasn’t happening, she thought. He couldn’t be saying all those things to her. Love her?
Before she could ask him to clarify, he went down on one knee. Just like that. In her living room.
“Penny Jackson, you are the brightest light in my life,” Cal said. “I love you and need you with a desperation that defies words. Give me another chance. Marry me again.”
She felt her mouth drop open.
“I don’t expect you to answer me right now,” he told her. “I suspect I’ll have to do some crawling first, but that’s okay. I’m not afraid of proving myself to you. In fact, I look forward to it. I want you to know without a doubt how much you mean to me.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“I can keep saying it,” he told her with a smile. “I love you. Remember, before when we were married, you complained that I never said it enough? That’s because I was holding back. I was afraid of opening up to you. Not anymore. I’m never holding back. You’re my world and I love you.”
The pain faded as if it had never been. Penny stared into his eyes and saw down to his soul. The truth was there-shining so bright it nearly blinded her.
“Say yes,” he pleaded. “Marry me and have babies with me. You know we’re great together.”
She felt tears fill her eyes, but these had nothing to do with being alone and everything to do with finally finding her heart’s desire.
“I’ll still want to open my own place,” she said.
“Of course you will. You’re a great chef. But you’re more than that. You’re the woman I love.”
She threw herself at him and let the tears escape. “Yes,” she whispered. “Always yes. I never stopped loving you.”
He held her tight. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She sniffed and straightened. “I could say the same about you.”
He touched her cheeks. “Hormones?”
She nodded. “And I’m happy.”
“Good. So you want to get married?”
She laughed. “I do.”
SUSAN MALLERY
