My Step-Dad's Brother(48)

“But not forever,” she pointed out gently. “Just until he figured out a way to protect his company, his father’s legacy. Your child’s future.”

“Well, crap,” I mumbled. “When you put it that way, I guess I can understand it a little better.”

“And from everything you told me, it sounds like he’s crazy about you.”

“Do you really think so?” I cried.

“Yeah, Jade. I really do.”



The night had been a rousing success. Almost all of my paintings had a sold sign underneath them. The prices listed by the gallery owner had been astronomical, and I couldn’t believe how much I’d earned with my art. All in one night. I should have been over the moon happy, but all I could think about was the conversation I was about to have with Lucas. He’d hired a limousine for us again, but the ride home from the gallery was so different from the one back from L’étang. The only contact between the two of us was his hand clenched around mine as we rode in silence.

The last five days had passed much as our first few living together had, except I wasn’t home as much because I was busy working on the final touches for my show. Lucas woke me up every morning with a cup of my tea and a couple slices of dry toast. He had lunch delivered to me each day, and dinner waiting at home at night. Not a single night had passed without us making love, and I’d slept soundly in his arms afterward. It was all perfect—except for my ultimatum hanging over us like a dark cloud.

Lucas took me at my word, and we hadn’t spoken of it. I hadn’t told him I loved him again, and he hadn’t shared with me how he felt. I had no idea what he had decided, and the suspense was killing me. By the time the limo pulled into the drive, my stomach was twisted in knots. I didn’t notice the driver had parked in front of the garage instead of the front door until Lucas helped me from the car. Lights flickered in the windows of the second story apartment. Lucas helped me up the stairs and I gasped when he swung the door open and I realized it was candles causing the glow.

Rose petals were scattered on the floor, and when I glanced up at the skylights, I saw twinkling stars in the night sky. The stage had definitely been set for romance, but I couldn’t figure out why we were here instead of in the main house. As though Lucas had read my mind, he flipped the light switch on the wall and my question was answered.

“A studio?” I gasped, twirling around the room and gawking at all the equipment he’d had brought in. “You turned the apartment into a studio for me?”

“I did,” he confirmed, dropping down to one knee in front of me. “My wife is an artist. She needed a studio so she can share her incredible talent with the world. It’s why I had my assistant working on it since the morning after I found out about the pregnancy.”

The morning after... he’d been working on this since before my ultimatum. I didn’t realize how important it was to me until this very moment.

“I’m not your wife yet.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flawless diamond ring. “In my heart you are, Jade. I haven’t been able to forget about you since the moment we met. If I hadn’t allowed past experiences to cloud my better judgment, I never would have let you go and you’d already have my ring on your finger. I love you,” he paused to look down at the ring, moving it to the tip of my finger. “And I want the world to know you’re mine. Will you marry me?”

The studio, gorgeous diamond ring, and proposal, it was more than I’d ever dreamt about how this conversation would go. It looked like Lucas had used every minute I’d given him to set out to prove how he felt about me. There was only one possible answer I could give. “Yes.”





Epilogue


Lucas


“Well, Mr. and Mrs. St. James, it looks like a girl this time,” the doctor informed us with a smile before wiping Jade’s stomach and lowering the hem of her maternity top. “Do you have a name picked out?”

“Ruby!”

Shit. My hand wasn’t fast enough to cover the mouth of my three-year-old son before he shouted the name. He twisted in my arms and beamed at me before his face fell and his own two chubby, little hands slapped over his mouth.

“I forgot, Daddy,” he muffled through his fingers.

I winked at him and kissed the tip of his nose, “It’s okay buddy. You did great.” It was my own fault for trusting a toddler with a secret.

“Her name is what?” Jade asked, raising a quizzical brow in my direction. Her tone clearly indicated she wasn’t happy.

I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably, weighing my options on how to handle this situation. I wasn’t budging on my baby girl’s name, so I decided to go with standing firm.