“Hello, Emma. You look beautiful.”
Her hand was up at her throat. She didn’t know how it got there. “Dylan?”
He smiled, eyes twinkling, and walked over to her. She nibbled on her lip, trying to make sense of all this, and when he took her hand and held on to it, as if for dear life, she was beginning to see, beginning to hope that she knew what all this meant.
“I’ve been a fool,” he said.
Oh, God, yes. Not the fool part, but that, too. He was here for her. “Why do you say that?”
“Come,” he said, pivoting around and guiding her with their hands still clasped to a table set for two overlooking Moonlight Beach. Roses and gardenias at the center of the table released an amazing sweet aroma. A chilled bottle of sparkling water sat in a champagne bucket, along with two flutes. The crystal glassware and fine bone china reflected the candlelight, added sparkle and a heavenly aura to the room. Right now, that’s exactly how she felt: out of this world.
“As you might’ve guessed, there is no appointment for you to keep tonight. Just dinner with me.”
She blinked and blinked and blinked. “You arranged all this?”
He nodded, but his smile seemed shaky and unsure, not the usual confident Dylan smile. “I know the owner.”
Zane Williams. Of course. He’d attended their fateful wedding. “And I wanted to do something for you that was as special as you are, Emma.”
“I’m not that special,” she whispered.
“To me, you are. To me, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted and it’s taken me nearly losing you to that maniac to figure it out. When I thought you were in danger, I panicked and my thick head finally cleared. I was willing to do anything to keep you safe.”
“Jeff told me you were ready to risk your life for me.”
“Jeff, huh? Well, it’s true. The thought of you getting hurt made me realize that my life, all of my success, everything I have now, would mean nothing if you weren’t right there beside me. You and the baby. God, I’ve been so selfish, Emma. I only thought of what I’d lost when I found out you were carrying Roy’s baby. But I never stopped to realize what I’d be gaining. Until I almost lost you.”
“I was never in any real danger.”
“Not that night, no. But if Renee hadn’t called to warn me, things might’ve turned out differently. He threatened your life. He probably wouldn’t have stopped until... I can’t think about it.”
“Well, I’m thankful to Renee for putting the pieces together.”
Dylan nodded. “I owe her for that. And the best way to repay her isn’t by sending her money. A friend of mine has a job waiting for her, as a personal secretary. She’s going back to work and she’s happy about it. The job pays well and she’ll be able to hold her head up high again and support her family.”
“Dylan, that’s wonderful. You’re giving her a second chance.”
He nodded. “I hope so.”
“You’re a good man, Dylan.”
“Good enough for you to give me a second chance?”
“Maybe,” she said softly. “After the attempt on your life, I came to the hospital and made Brooke promise not to tell you. I wanted to see you so badly, but I didn’t want my being there to upset you, so I stayed outside your room until I found out you were going to be okay.”
“I wanted to see you. I’d hoped you would come.”
“I didn’t think it would be wise.”
“Emma. I’m sorry for how I’ve behaved. I’m sorry about everything. I should’ve stopped you from walking out on me. I let you leave my house pregnant and alone to face an unknown future. I hope you can forgive me for being obtuse and selfish.”
“I think I already have, Dylan. I couldn’t hold a grudge when your life was in danger. And I’ve made mistakes, too. I shouldn’t have lost my head and gotten so drunk that night that I didn’t realize what was happening. I told you the baby was yours. It was only natural for you to be disappointed to find out the truth. I’m sorry you were hurt. Truly.”
“Apology accepted. Now it’s time for us to put those mistakes in the past and look to the future.” Dylan went down on one knee then, and her out-of-this-world experience got real, really quickly. “Emma, I want to do this right this time. I love you with all of my heart. I love the child you’re carrying, my best friend’s baby, and it’s my hope that we raise the baby together and—”
“Wait!” She put up her hand and the hope on Dylan’s face waned. It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard him the first time or that she wanted him to stop, but she’d waited a long time for those words. They were worth repeating. “Can you say that again?”
“The I-love-you-with-my-whole-heart part?”
“That’s the one.”
“I do, Emma, I love you,” he declared. “I didn’t think I’d ever let myself love again. After Renee, it was just easier to have casual relationships with women. No risk, no injury. I guess it was a way of protecting myself from ever feeling that kind of pain again. I’m not making excuses, but for me, falling in love wasn’t an option, mentally and emotionally. I wanted no part of it. Everything changed, though, when you became part of my life. Suddenly, everything I’ve ever wanted was right in front of me. It took a blackout and a baby to make me see it. It was a strange journey to be on, but I can’t imagine my life without you and the baby in it. You’re my family, and I see a wonderful future ahead for us. So, sweetheart, will you please come back home...to me? Be my wife, mother of our child. I propose for us to stay married and love each other until the end of time. Could you do that?”
Tears of joy streamed down her face. Dylan’s proposal was everything she’d ever wanted. She loved him beyond belief. How could she look at that man, see the truth in his humble blue eyes and not love him? “I can. I will. I love you, Dylan. And I want a life with you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
On bended knee, he caressed her growing belly and placed a sweet kiss there. The outpouring of his love was evident in the reverent way he spoke about the baby, spoke of his love for her. She believed in his love now, believed in their future.
Then he rose to his full height, his gaze clouded with tears. “I love you, Emma. And our child. The best I can do is promise to share my life with you and try to make every day happy for our family. Is that enough?”
“More than enough,” she whispered.
She was drawn into the circle of his arms and he bent his head to claim her mouth in a deep, lingering kiss. By the time he was through, her mind was spinning and only one fulfilling, delicious thought entered her head.
She’d finally claimed dibs on Dylan McKay. And quite fantastically, he’d also claimed dibs on her.
And that would be no darn secret anymore.
*