Holy moly, he’s serious about this, she thought, hurrying back to the cot. She was glad she’d spruced up this little room, but it still lacked a certain romantic ambience.
The thought disappeared when David…ah, Paul, returned, his arms filled with two dozen peach-colored roses, a beautifully wrapped dress box under his arm and a heart-shaped box from Ethel M chocolates in the other hand. “I wanted to make sure I covered all bases,” he said hurrying to where she was sitting. “God, I hope the chocolates didn’t melt. I forgot this was Vegas.”
She pressed the candy to her chest and blinked back tears. No boy had ever given her chocolates. The gesture was sappy and sweet and it nearly broke her heart. “Thank you. I love chocolate—even slightly melted.”
Next came the dress package. Big. The designer imprint subtly hidden in the bow and wrapping paper. “Dav—I mean Paul, you shouldn’t have.”
“I bought it online, but from a local store so you can exchange it if it doesn’t fit. If it does fit, I thought you might wear it tonight. I have reservations at this great little restaurant I’ve never tried. It’s called Romantique.”
Her heart broke a little more, but in a way that felt good.
He presented the flowers with a flourish, not giving her time to open the box. That was for later, she realized. After he’d done what he came here to do.
The fresh, heady smell from the flowers brought tears to her eyes. She buried her face in them, trying to keep from crying.
“Liz,” he said, lowering to one knee in front of her, “I know this is asking a lot. In some ways, we’re practically strangers, but in the ways that count, we’re connected more deeply than even science could explain. I honestly believe you’re the reason I moved to Vegas, although I knew nothing about you at the time. You shaped my life even before I met you. I realize I’m not the half of your prophecy you wanted, but—”
“No,” Liz cried, unable to stop herself. “That’s not true. Prisha saved me when I was lost in the shadows. She gave me a reason to let go of my demons and start living again, so I would return home….”
“To save me.” He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. “Are you sure you’re not terribly disappointed that you’ve wound up with me and not Prisha?”
She slowly shook her head from side to side as she thought about his question. “I miss her, but I can’t be sad about what’s happening in her life. The surgery was a success, and she’s reunited with her family. Her real mother.”
“You’re an amazing woman, Elizabeth Radonovic. I have a feeling our life together is going to be overflowing with kids—ones we have and ones we find. You are going to marry me, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Of course. And not to be crude, but is that a ring in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?”
He rocked back on his heels, laughing. “It’s a ring. And I’ve never been gladder to see anyone in my life.” The innuendo came through loud and clear, and Liz felt her body respond. The woman in her had come alive under his nurturing touch, and she couldn’t wait to feel those juices flowing again.
He moved to the cot beside her and set her gifts on the floor at their feet. From his pocket, he pulled a small blue-velvet ring box. “I took some flack from my ex about buying this without any input from you, but I told her you were far too modest to pick out a ring worthy of your beauty.”
Liz felt her cheeks heat up. “I honestly never felt beautiful until you came along. When you have three gorgeous sisters, it’s less work to stay in the background.”
He touched her hair, her cheek, her lips. “Not anymore. Not unless that’s your choice. Because, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the star of the show.”
He opened the box.
Liz gasped. “Oh, my.”
The pear-shaped diamond was the largest she’d ever seen up close. The setting was an inventive mix of yellow and white gold. Her fingers shook as she took it out of its satin niche. “This is for me? Really?”
He took the ring from her and slid it onto her third finger. “One of a kind. Just for you. Now kiss me before I turn into a pumpkin.”
She laughed. “You really have your fairy tales mixed up, but that’s okay. We have time to work on that before we have kids.”
She threw her arms around his neck with such force, they fell sideways onto the cot. The narrow metal legs groaned, but Liz ignored the warning. She thought she heard Paul mumble something like “Not really,” but she ignored that, too. She was in love. The man she loved had just proposed and given her the biggest diamond she’d ever seen. This was one part of her prophecy nobody could have foreseen, right?
Right.
She reared back and looked down at the besotted expression on Paul’s face. “How did you know where to find me?”
He shook his head slightly. “I called your house, but when nobody answered, I called your mother.”
“No wonder she volunteered to pick up Lydia and Reezira from school.”
He gave her a curious look then asked, “Can we kiss again? I’ve been thinking about this way too often and in all the wrong places.”
She wiggled her hips and grinned. “I can tell. You’re ready to party, but…um, are we prepared for the consequences? I think not.”
He let out a low growl, not unlike the sound his cat made when he was hungry and said, “Speak for yourself. My suitcase is in the car. It’s well stocked for any emergency, but all kidding aside, the only thing that would make me happier than saying ‘I do’ to you, is finding out we’re going to have a baby.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I love you, Liz. I want our life together to be filled with kids. In fact, I talked to a lady that your friend at the ashram put me in touch with and she knows a woman who is definitely planning to place her baby up for adoption. My ex-wife’s husband still has connections in the State Department and he said he’d be happy to pull a few strings, any time you say the word.”
She closed her eyes and let her kiss be her answer. She’d be ready soon, but first she needed to mourn Prisha a little longer. And celebrate her engagement. And get her new business on track. But soon. Soon she and this wonderful man would travel abroad to meet their new baby, a child of light and hope. And they’d bring their baby home to a diverse, complex community that bloomed on the desert much like the cactus—resilient, occasionally brilliant and elemental to the world at large.
ISBN: 978-1-4603-6981-4
BRINGING BABY HOME
Copyright © 2006 by Debra K. Salonen.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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*Sisters of the Silver Dollar
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