He had more words, but the tears leaking from her eyes stopped him cold. His whole life passed before his eyes. Oh, shit. She was going to turn him down.
There were no fireworks or marching bands. A flock of bluebirds wasn’t chirping on the deck, and she was dressed in nothing but one of Edward’s white shirts with her hair in a sloppy bun on top of her head. She wasn’t even wearing makeup.
Happiness exploded inside her. Yep. This was the perfect moment.
She maybe saw the ring he held but those sexy eyes of his had her on ocular lockdown, and the only thing filtering through the disbelief in her brain was his expression.
Edward Banning loved her and wanted to get married. She started to cry but didn’t know why.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she cried, jumping from the sofa into his surprised embrace. Kissing his face, she declared between smooches, “This is crazy, but I love you and … and … oh, fuck it! Just kiss me.”
And he did. Thoroughly. Then, while she shook from head to toe, he solemnly motioned for her hand, which she offered with trembling grace. She sighed softly when he turned it over so he could place a kiss in the center of her palm.
“This was my grandmother’s ring,” he told her as the sparkling diamond slid on her finger. When it was in place, they went silent, staring at the symbol of their love for one another. “Do you like it?” He sounded unsure, and she thought his hesitation was completely adorable.
“It’s beautiful,” she croaked, and then without warning, she burst into tears.
Edward held her tight, stroking her back over and over, whispering his love and devotion, and vowing to be the husband she deserved. Her emotions were on maximum overload. She needed to catch her breath.
Gently wiping away her tears, he smiled at her with so much love in his expression that the boo-hoo fest threatened to start up again.
“There’s just one more thing …”
She knew bad news when it knocked. The throat clearing and embarrassed expression was starting to freak her out.
“We, um … I mean, I forgot … not you … it was all me … and well, I don’t want you to worry.”
Was this one of those Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus moments because she couldn’t imagine what he was awkwardly getting at.
Forehead creased with a confused frown, she asked, “What am I worrying about?”
A red flush bloomed on his cheeks. “I’m pretty sure there weren’t any condoms involved this morning.”
Oooooh. Hold on, then! Paige knew something had been different but why was he falling on the sword when she’d been the one to initiate their wild coupling? She was just as responsible as he was.
“I told you, though. I’ve been on the pill for years.”
“I know,” he hastily replied with an adamant headshake. “But it’s up to me to keep you safe, babe, and until I can hand you a doctor’s note, it was fucked up to let things get so out of hand.”
She struggled not to smile. Struggled even more not to fall over giggling.
How could she tell him that she knew more about his health than he did? Those physicals he got for every movie? They were obnoxiously thorough, and she read over each and every report. Not only that, but she also trampled all over his privacy rights by sharing the pertinent details with his mom. He was healthy as a thoroughbred horse and just as hearty. Except for an occasional flare-up of seasonal allergies, the man was in excellent condition and probably farted pixie dust.
For no good reason other than because she could, Paige thought it would be fun to yank his chain a little.
“Um, well, the thing is, Edward, we might have a small problem now that I think about it. You see, with all the crap that’s been going on, I kind of forgot a pill. Maybe two, actually. But I caught up right away. I think …”
“What?” he barked, leaping to his feet and sending her onto her ass.
Before she could laugh at her jest, he went into crazy-man mode. “Oh, my god. We have to get you to a doctor. Immediately.”
Struggling off the floor, she froze. Maybe rattling his cage hadn’t been such a smart move because if he suggested the morning-after pill or anything even remotely close, this engagement was going to have a shelf life of half an hour. Not only that, but he’d also be wearing her handprint when she smacked the shit out of him.
“What do we do?” he asked frantically. “Should you take special vitamins? Can you drive? No, wait. Fuck the L.A. freeways. I’m getting you a car and a driver to use. How do you feel? What do you need? Something to drink? A pillow?”
Mystified by his reaction, she watched him dash around the room, gesturing broadly and talking a string of nonsense until it dawned on her what was going on. This time, there was no holding back the giggling.
His shocked expression as she dissolved in laughter only made the giggles worse.
“This is funny?” he asked.
Choking off the laughter, she fixed him with a mocking frown. “Yes, Edward. It is. Even if that’s how it worked, and one late pill upset the universal balance, I don’t think that pillows and vitamins are necessary for the first twenty-four hours.”
“Oh.”
This guy! Holy Batman and Robin stuck on a Ferris wheel—this guy was a keeper. Oh, and note to self … don’t joke around about stuff like babies. He might not know it yet, but everything about his reaction told her he was going to make a great daddy and an even greater husband.
“Okay, so … ready? On the count of three, we’ll switch on our phones and let the wild and fucked-up rumpus begin.”
There was this time in Iraq when intelligence had info about some really bad guys looking to make it to the jihadi top-twenty list. They’d intended to fuck shit up with an attack on his base and to target the convoys and motor vehicles coming and going at the sprawling compound. For days on end, everyone had been on edge. The waiting mixed with fearful anticipation made things … tense. That was how he felt. Knowing there was a shitstorm coming didn’t mean they had any clue in what form or fashion it would be.
He glanced around the kitchen of his fabulous beach house stopping to stare when she moved into view. All of a sudden, he had a clarity that was something of a game changer. The only thing that mattered was Paige. All the other stuff? Nah.
All of those things—the stardom and fame, the sweet house, cool car, and hefty bank account were nice, and all but none of it was fucking real. This woman, though, the one with the expressive eyes, whose smirk was like a ray of sunshine, who had shaken up not just his professional life but his inner world as well … she was real. If his Gideon life hurt her in any way, then all bets were off. He’d walk the fuck away tomorrow and never look back. His future was with her. That was what mattered. Not all this other bullshit.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” He stood and ran a hand through his hair, dropping the phone on the island. Snatching hers away, he laid it next to his and pulled her off a stool. She came into his arms with an ease that belied the short nature of their relationship. This part of who they were—the physical connection—might be new, but their closeness already had serious longevity.
He didn’t want to burst their happy bubble and let in the outside world just yet. Not until he’d kissed her some more. This incessant kissing surprised him. It was never enough. He always wanted more. She did, too. No hardship there.
With a calm smile, she looked up while wriggling against him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He took her lovely face in his hands and marveled at the chain of unrelated events that got them to this moment. Thank god, they’d lowered the barriers keeping them at a friendly distance before the Gideon show threatened to get messy.