LITMIR.BIZ

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and Blaine had shown amazing resourcefulness and courage.

      Through it all, Riley had come to care about him, trust him, and admire him.

      “It’s hard to say,” she said. “Both, I guess. It seems like a long time because of how close we’ve gotten. It seems like a short time because … well, because I’m sometimes so amazed at how fast we’ve gotten so close.”

      Another silence fell—a silence that told Riley that Blaine felt exactly the same way.

      Finally Blaine said …

      “What do you think … should happen next?”

      Riley looked into his eyes. His gaze was earnest and inquisitive.

      Riley smiled and said the first thing that popped into her head. “Why, Blaine Hildreth—are you proposing to me?”

      Blaine smiled and said, “Come on inside. I’ve got something to show you.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      Riley felt a bit breathless now. A whole world of future possibilities seemed to be opening up in front of her, and she didn’t have any idea how to think about them.

      She didn’t know what to say, so she just picked up her glass of wine and followed Blaine off the porch into the dining room.

      Blaine went to a cabinet and took out a large roll of paper. When they’d arrived, Riley had noticed him unpacking the roll from the car along with beach stuff, but she hadn’t bothered to ask him what it was.

      He unrolled the sheet on the dining room table, putting cups on the corners to hold it down. It looked like some kind of elaborate ground plan.

      “What is this?” Riley asked.

      “Don’t you recognize it?” Blaine said. “It’s my house.”

      Riley looked at the drawings more carefully, feeling slightly puzzled.

      She said, “Um … it looks awfully big to be your house.”

      Blaine chuckled and said, “That’s because a whole wing of it hasn’t been built yet.”

      Riley felt positively dizzy as Blaine began to explain the drawings. He showed how the new wing would include bedrooms for April and Jilly. And of course there would be an entire apartment for Gabriela, Riley’s live-in housekeeper, who could work for them all once everything was built. The new design even included a small office for Riley. She hadn’t had a home office since Jilly had moved in and they’d needed it for a bedroom.

      Riley was both overwhelmed and amused.

      When he finished explaining things, she said …

      “So—is this your way of asking me to marry you?”

      Blaine stammered, “I—I guess it is. I realize it’s not very romantic. No ring, no kneeling.”

      Riley laughed and said, “Blaine, if you kneel, I swear to God I’ll slap you silly.”

      Blaine stared at her with surprise.

      But Riley almost meant it. She was having a flashback to Ryan proposing to her so many years ago when they’d been young and poor—Ryan a struggling lawyer and Riley an FBI intern. Ryan had gone through the whole ritual, kneeling and offering her a ring that he really couldn’t afford.

      It had seemed plenty romantic back then.

      But things had turned out so badly for them, the memory seemed sour to Riley now.

      Blaine’s much less traditional proposal seemed perfect by comparison.

      Blaine put his arm around Riley’s shoulders and kissed her on the neck.

      “You know, marriage would have practical advantages,” he said. “We wouldn’t have to sleep in separate bedrooms when the kids were around.”

      Riley felt a tingle of desire at his kiss and his suggestion.

      Yes, that would be an advantage, she thought.

      Intimate moments had been scarce. The two of them had relegated themselves to separate bedrooms even during this lovely vacation.

      Riley sighed deeply and said, “It’s a lot to think about, Blaine. A lot for both of us to think about.”

      Blaine nodded. “I know. That’s why I don’t expect you to jump up and down with joy yelling ‘yes, yes, yes’ at the top of your lungs. I just want you to know … it’s been on my mind, and I hope it’s been on your mind too.”

      Riley smiled and admitted, “Yes, it has been on my mind.”

      They looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments. Again, Riley found herself enjoying the quietness between them. But of course, she knew they couldn’t leave all those questions milling through both their minds unanswered.

      Finally Riley said, “Let’s go back outside.”

      They refilled their glasses and went out onto the porch and sat down again. The night was getting lovelier by the minute.

      Blaine reached over and took Riley’s hand. “I know it’s a big decision. We’ve got a lot to think over. For one thing, we’ve both been married before. And … well, we’re not getting any younger.”

      Riley silently thought …

      All the more reason to make a commitment.

      Blaine continued, “Maybe we should start by listing all the reasons why this might not be a good idea.”

      Riley laughed and said, “Oh, Blaine—do we have to?”

      But she knew perfectly well he was right.

      And I might as well be the one to start, she decided.

      She took a long, slow breath and said, “To begin with, we’ve got more than each other to think about. We’re already both parents, with three teenagers between us. If we get married we’ll also be stepparents—me to your girl, you to my two girls. That’s quite a commitment right there.”

      “I know,” Blaine said. “But I love the idea of being a father to April and Jilly.”

      Riley’s throat tightened with emotion at the sincerity in his voice.

      “I feel the same way about Crystal,” she said. Then with a chuckle she added, “My girls have already got a cat and a dog. I hope that’s OK.”

      Blaine said, “That’s fine. I won’t even ask for a pet deposit.”

      Their laughter rang musically through the night air.

      Then Riley said, “OK, it’s your turn.”

      Blaine sighed deeply and said, “Well, we’ve both got exes.”

      Echoing his sigh, Riley said, “That we do.”

      She shuddered as she remembered her only encounter with Blaine’s ex-wife, Phoebe. The woman had been physically attacking poor Crystal in a drunken rage until Riley pulled her off.

      Blaine had told Riley that his marriage to Phoebe had been a mistake of his youth, before he’d had any idea that she was bipolar and a danger to herself and others.

      Seeming to guess Riley’s thoughts, Blaine said …

      “I never hear from Phoebe anymore. She’s living with her sister, Drew. I do communicate with Drew from time to time. She says Phoebe is in recovery and doing better, but she doesn’t give any thought to Crystal and me anymore. I’m sure she’s out of our lives for good.”

      Riley swallowed hard and said …

      “I wish I could say the same for Ryan.”

      Blaine squeezed Riley’s hand and said, “Well, he is April’s father. He’s going to want to keep being part of your lives. Jilly’s too. I can understand that.”

      “You’re being too fair to him,” Riley said.

      “Really? Why?”

      Riley thought

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