She couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop herself from flicking her tongue over her bottom lip. “Like there is any chance that you and I will—that there’s something you could say that would—you know exactly how you’re looking at me.”
The corner of his mouth curled in a hint of a smile. “Yes, because you’re looking at me the same way.”
She shook her head, but couldn’t tear her eyes from his. Being close to him—knowing that all she’d have to do was stretch ever so slightly to once again feel his lips on hers—made it difficult to remember why she was upset with him. “This isn’t enough,” she said for her own benefit as much as his. “I have responsibilities. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what Delinda did and what that means for me and Skye. If my talk with Delinda doesn’t go well, I’m essentially homeless.”
“That would never happen. You and Skye would come with me.”
“To where?” she asked hoarsely. There was nowhere she could imagine bringing Skye that night.
“My place is big enough—”
“It’s not that easy, Spencer. She doesn’t know you. You haven’t even met her. You may not like her.”
An expression entered his eyes that she’d seen before, but this time it was more intense. “I don’t have to meet her to know that I’ll love her because she’s part of you.” He took out a box and opened it, revealing an enormous sparkling engagement ring. “I’m not asking you to move in with me. I’m asking you to marry me. There has never been anyone else for me. I love you, Hailey Tiverton.”
Hailey blinked back tears, wanting to believe in second chances but afraid to. “This is too fast.”
“Is it? I knew you were the one the first time around; I just wasn’t ready to do anything about it.”
I wasn’t, either.
Don’t—don’t open yourself to hope again. It never ends well. “Did Delinda give you the ring?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
He frowned, hesitating before answering. “Does it matter?”
“Maybe. Have you thought this through? Skye and I are a package deal, and parenting is a full-time gig. Skye takes riding lessons twice a week. Saturday shows. School starts in the fall. That will mean homework. She may take an instrument—maybe an ear-piercing one like violin.”
“You’re not scaring me.”
“No?” Did he understand how big of a commitment it was? “She’s getting to the age when she’ll want friends to sleep over. That means girls giggling all night. I want her to have all of those experiences. She’s not only my responsibility; she’s also a priority. A wonderful, miraculous, sometimes terrifyingly overwhelming priority.”
“Hailey?”
“Yes?”
“I had an amazing father who would have loved every moment of the life you’re describing. I will as well. You think I can’t handle giggling? I was raised with two sisters. In a pinch, I can braid hair and apply nail polish like a pro. It’s not something I normally brag about, but I’ve got skills. I’m up for this. The question is—are you?”
Spencer held his breath. He didn’t want to rush her, but he felt like he’d waited half of his life for this moment. In the movies, women broke into tears and threw their arms around a man who proposed, then the credits began to roll. Reality was much more gut-wrenching. Hailey went pale and hugged her stomach while leaning forward as if she were about to retch. I’m a selfish bastard. She’s been through hell and back, and all I can think about is making her mine before I lose her again. This isn’t business, where closing the deal is all that matters.
This is the woman I love, and she’s scared.
He put an arm around her. “Talk to me. Say yes. Say no. It’s okay. It won’t change how I feel about you or how willing I am to help you. You are not alone. If you won’t marry me, then I’ll still be the best damn friend you’ve ever had—always.”
She shook beneath his arm, and he hated that he hadn’t done every step of this better. “Oh, Spencer. I want to marry you, but I can’t move fast anymore. If we do this, we need to take it slow. I have to make sure Skye’s okay—with all of this. She’s been through so much.”
Spencer closed the ring box, pocketed it, then gently turned her face toward him. “So have you. Let me carry some of the weight you think belongs solely on your shoulders. You don’t have to do this alone.”
He kissed her then. He intended to brush his lips across hers, but that light touch opened the floodgates for both of them. They kissed deeply, feverishly, like lovers who had gone too long without each other. He told himself to pull back, but the feel of her undoing the buttons of his shirt sent him over the edge.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the guesthouse, almost tripping over the puppy that darted between his legs when he opened the door. They continued to kiss as he carried her down a short hallway to where he guessed her bedroom would be. The puppy raced around them, yipping with excitement. Spencer raised his head and peered down at the creature. “What’s his name?”
“Her name is Hope,” Hailey said breathlessly, her face beautifully flushed with desire.
“As in ‘I hope you have a crate for her’?” he asked.
She chuckled, then sobered. “More like I hope you forgive me when I say we can’t do this. Skye could be back any moment.”
Just outside the master bedroom door, Spencer slowly lowered Hailey to her feet and rested his forehead on hers. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I don’t know what happens to my brain around you.”
She smiled. “I do because it happens to me, too.”
“We’re quite a pair.”
“Yes, we are.” She framed his face with her hands and tilted her head back so she could better meet his eyes. “There are women with so much less baggage than I have. Why choose me?”
It was a question he hadn’t expected. “You might as well ask me why I choose to breathe. It has always been you, Hailey. Always. We can take it as slow or as fast as you want.” He leaned down and picked up the puppy and held it up to his face. “Hope, huh? Good name. I tried life without you, and it sucked. Walking away was easier, avoiding my family was a hell of lot less messy, but I don’t want that life. I didn’t grow up that way, and I sure as hell don’t want to die that way. So, Hope, how about you convince your mommy to marry me, and we’ll give this whole messy family thing a shot?”
Hope gave Spencer a wet kiss on his cheek that he took as a yes.
“You’re crazy—do you know that?”
He shot her a smile. “Crazy in a lovable, ‘you can imagine spending the rest of your life with me’ kind of way? Or ‘put down my dog because I’m about to call the police’?”
Hailey burst out laughing. “Definitely the former.”
“Good,” Spencer said as he tucked Hope beneath his arm. Hailey hadn’t accepted his proposal, but he now believed she would—in time. And that was okay because now there was hope. “Come on, my entire family is likely lingering in the driveway, waiting to see if you toss me out on my rear or forgive me.”
He held out his hand to her. She hesitated.