Living on the Edge
Page 19
“Thank you.”
“Feeling okay?”
“I’m fine. Eating, sleeping, all the usual bodily functions.”
“Good.”
She was also finally showing. Her tummy was round, her body lush…or almost lush. How she wanted to share this with Tanner. She wanted him to be a part of her life, of their child’s life. But if he didn’t want that…
“Is he being stubborn or does he really not care?” she asked.
“Dammit, Madison.”
“I want to know. This is hard for me, Angel. I miss him. My feelings aren’t going away. You and I both know that—why can’t he?”
“You know the rules,” he reminded her.
“Screw the rules. I love him. If he were here right now, I’d tell him that. I’d tell him that I miss him in my life. That he’s the best man I’ve ever known.”
“He’d tell you you need to get out more.”
“Maybe.” She smiled. “How are you?”
“What?”
“We always talk about me and Tanner. What’s going on with you? Are you seeing anyone?”
“I’m not talking about my personal life with you.”
“Why not? I’m a good listener and I can give you the female perspective.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Always the tough guy,” she teased. “Come on. Who is she? A model? I can see you with a model. Or maybe a schoolteacher. A single mom?”
He growled, which made her laugh.
“Come on, Angel. Humor me. We have another three months to go.”
“You’re really going to hang on that long?”
“Yes. After six months I’ll stop calling, but I won’t stop loving him.”
“Swear?”
She heard the word, but it hadn’t come from the telephone. Instead the sound had come from the doorway of her bedroom.
Madison let the phone drop onto the comforter as she turned and saw Tanner standing in the darkness. She couldn’t see the details of his features, but she recognized him.
Too stunned to speak, she could only watch as he crossed to the bed and picked up the phone. He turned it off before tossing it back on the mattress, then crouching in front of her.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low and thick.
The light from her nightstand illuminated his features. He was gaunt, with circles under his eyes. He looked as if he’d been to hell and lived to tell the tale.
“What happened?” she asked as she touched his cheek. “Were you sick?”
“I missed you. I took every dangerous assignment I could and still I couldn’t forget you. You’re a part of me—under my skin, in my bones. I breathe you.” He took her hand in his and squeezed her fingers. “Madison, are you telling the truth? Do you really love me? Because if you don’t, I can’t make it. You’re my world. This is killing me.”
She leaned forward and pulled him close. Then he was on the bed and they were kissing as if they had a lifetime to make up for.
“Of course I love you,” she whispered as she pressed her mouth against his lips, his cheeks, his chin. “I’ve been calling every week, trying to tell you.”
“I know. Angel taped the calls and forwarded them to me. I couldn’t stand listening to them and I couldn’t stop playing them over and over. I needed it all to be true, even as I told myself it couldn’t be.”
“Stubborn man,” she said contentedly. “Do you believe me now?”
“I have to. I need to be with you.” He touched her face. “You got rid of the scar.”
“It seemed the right thing to do. There’s still a faint mark, but I don’t need the reminder anymore.”
He stared into her eyes. “I love you, Madison. I don’t deserve you and you can do a hell of a lot better than me, but I still love you. Marry me. I’ll spend the rest of my life taking care of you. I love you with every part of myself. For always.”
The happiness filling her was as tangible as the blood in her body. “How do you feel about children?” she asked.
He blinked at her. “I like kids. I want to have kids with you.”
“Good.”
She took his hand and slid it under the thick comforter to her stomach. He moved over the roundness of her belly, then stared at her.
“You’re pregnant?”
She nodded. “I wanted to tell you before, but you weren’t taking my calls.”
He swore under his breath. “That’s what you had to tell me a few weeks ago. The thing you said was important.”
“Exactly. I didn’t want to have that first emotional exchange with Angel. I mean I like the guy and all, but he’s not my type. I seem to be a one-man woman. You’re stuck with me, big guy. Guess you’re going to have to get used to it.”
Tanner didn’t know what combination of events had brought him to this moment or why Madison cared about him. But here he was with her, with a baby on the way and a future filled with promise.
He began to laugh. She joined in and they clung to each other.
“I’m happy about the baby,” he said.
She grinned. “I got that. I’m happy, too. Now we just need a dog.”
“And a house.”
“Good idea,” she said.
“I need a less dangerous job.”
“I agree.”
He kissed her, then smiled. “I proposed.”
“Yes, you did.”
“You didn’t answer.”
“Oh. Sorry. I meant to.” She pulled him close. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Living happily ever after.”
“Do you think that’s likely?”
He stared into her eyes and saw all the happy days ahead. “Absolutely.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4553-6
LIVING ON THE EDGE
Copyright © 2005 by Susan Macias Redmond
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 editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
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.
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**Desert Rogues
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‡‡Lone Star Canyon
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*Hometown Heartbreakers
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**Desert Rogues
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*Hometown Heartbreakers
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†Triple Trouble
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‡Brides of Bradley House
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