Part 16 (2/2)

”Only with very stubborn men.”

Evan nodded. ”I'll have to remember that. They should meet you because, other than being very nice people,” he said, grinning, ”you've also become important to me.”

It was like pulling teeth, but she wasn't about to stop now. ”Important how? Important like a nanny or a housekeeper?”

He knew what she was after and he was enjoying himself. ”A little more than that.”

Claire raised her chin, her eyes narrowing. ”How little?”

Evan flicked his finger down her nose. d.a.m.n, but she stirred him. And she had a right to know it. ”All right, a lot more. Satisfied?”

”No,” she sighed, ”but we're getting there.”

The smile on his lips grew serious. ”Come up to my room and we'll see what we can do about the 'satisfied' part. We're both finally well enough to stay in the same bed at the same time.” He couldn't begin to count how many times he'd thought about that in the past week.

Claire looked down at Libby, nestled so peacefully on her lap. ”Evan...”

He could read her thoughts. ”You're afraid she'll wake up and find us together?”

Maybe that sounded old-fas.h.i.+oned, but that was the way she wanted to raise Libby. With a good sense of values firmly entrenched. ”Yes.”

He pretended to consider that. ”She might have to get used to it.”

She didn't want to hurt him or spoil this. Any of it. But he had to understand her position-as difficult as it was for her to take. As much as she knew she loved him, she was still Libby's mother, and with that came a responsibility that had to take precedence over her heart.

”Evan, it's not that I don't want to. I do. For the first time in years, I really do, but Libby's too young to understand about the way it is between men and women.” And it was up to her to protect Libby for as long as she could.

”Oh, I don't know about that.” Lightly, he ran his hand over Libby's hair. It felt as silky as Claire's. ”She's pretty savvy, and most kids understand that their parents sleep in the same bed.”

”Parents?” Claire echoed dumbly. What did that have to do with what they were discussing?

She really didn't know, did she? He'd never met a woman as una.s.suming as Claire. ”Yeah, you know, mother, father.” He pointed to her, then jerked his thumb back to himself. ”You, me.”

Claire held up her hand. This was going way too fast for her to a.s.similate. ”Hold it, hold it, what are you saying?”

Evan shrugged. ”I told you I wasn't any good at talking.” He gave it to her straight. ”I'm asking you to marry me.”

She knew how she felt about him, but she hadn't thought that he actually reciprocated these feelings. ”When did this happen?”

”Just now. I just asked you if you'd marry me,” he answered innocently.

She hit his shoulder with the flat of her hand. He was doing this on purpose.

”Not that, I mean when did you decide that you wanted to marry me?” If the signs had been there, she certainly hadn't seen them.

He didn't even have to think about it. ”Somewhere in between my pa.s.sing out on my bed and holding you in my arms in the hall this morning. Why, did I miss an entry deadline?”

She felt completely dazed. ”No, it's just that...I didn't... That is...” Claire gave up. ”You leave me completely speechless.”

He sincerely doubted that, but for the sake of peace, he let it go. ”That's good, because what I've got in mind doesn't need words. As a matter of fact, words only get in the way.” He framed her face with his hands, becoming serious. ”I love you, Claire. I don't need an answer right now-just tell me that you'll think about it.”

There was that wild, heady feeling again. The one that took her breath away and made her pulse leap as if she were sprinting toward a finish line.

”Yes.”

He searched her eyes, wanting an answer despite what he had just said. He knew he shouldn't push, but it was hard not to, not when he felt this way. ”Then you'll think about it?”

”No.”

Confused, he tried to decipher which question she had just answered. ”You won't think about it?”

Obviously, he needed this spelled out. Claire began spelling. ”The answer is yes, Evan. Yes, I will marry you.”

He'd always been cautious and even now, he was afraid to take her reply and run with it. ”This isn't just the fever talking, is it?”

”Yes.” She laughed. ”But it's not the kind of fever you think. It's more of a slow roast, the kind I feel in my chest every time I see you. Every time I watch you with Rachel or hear you reading a story to Libby.”

The last surprised him. ”When did you hear me reading to Libby?”

”When you read Cinderella to her.”

”That narrows it down,” he quipped. ”I've been reading Cinderella to her for the last four nights.” He'd come to learn that it was one of the main staples of her nighttime routine.

Claire remembered every word she'd overheard perfectly. ”The night you said I was beautiful.”

He'd thought he'd heard something in the hall that night, but he had chalked it up to his imagination. Now he knew it wasn't. ”You eavesdropped?”

Claire preferred to think of it differently. ”I thought I was coming to the rescue.” She laughed at herself. ”I was making my way down the hall, holding on to the walls. All in all, I'm glad you didn't see me.” The smile lit up her face, already aglow in the firelight. ”And I'm glad I heard you.”

”So am I.” She was going to marry him. She'd said yes. He felt like celebrating, like announcing it from the rooftops, or better yet, e-mailing several million people with the news. ”So what do you want to do? We have the whole night ahead of us.”

Claire sighed, snuggling against him. ”Just sit here by the fire, listen to Libby breathe. Feel your heart against my cheek.”

”Funny, I was just going to suggest that.” Evan's arm tightened about her shoulders as he brought his lips down to hers.

Chapter Twelve.

”We get to do this two times this year, huh, Mama?” Libby beamed as she tossed another handful of tinsel at the Christmas tree.

”Yes, honey.” Claire undid the last box of silvery streamers. She figured that four should do it, as long as Libby remembered to toss the tinsel on all sides. It wasn't a very big tree, but it was a Christmas tree, which was all that really counted.

”Why didn't Evan want to have one this year?” Another fistful sailed and landed in a clump around a ball depicting Santa and his reindeer.

From his complete lack of decorations, Claire suspected that this wasn't exactly the first year Evan hadn't had a Christmas tree in his living room. Determined to do it right, she'd gone out while he was at work and purchased ornaments, garlands and lights, all reduced to half price because it was so close to Christmas. Then they'd all gone out for the tree together. The slightly listing tree had been Libby's choice.

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