Even worse, she still loved him, liar that he was.
“Sage.” His hand tightened on hers. “The test is to get David’s father off our backs, once and for all.”
“No. He can’t still think—”
“It’s partly my fault. I’m supposed to be one hell of an attorney but I got so caught up in us that I forget to contact him. He reached Addison and told her he won’t accept the truth without proof.”
“Oh, Caleb—”
“I know. I made a huge mistake.”
Sage could feel the pain lifting from her heart, but Caleb had one last thing to explain.
“And—and I heard what you told her about the wedding. That you weren’t crazy, that no, you hadn’t married me …”
“Right.” Caleb looked at the ceiling, as if he might find help there, but all he saw was an old-fashioned, slowly revolving fan. “Addison thought we might have eloped. I have to admit, the thought occurred to me. I mean, there’s not a man alive wants to put on a monkey suit …” He shook his head. “But I’m not a complete fool. My sisters, probably Addison, too, would skin me alive if we denied them all that stuff. The music. The flowers. You in a long white gown, me all gussied up …”
Sage was staring at him. He couldn’t read anything in her eyes.
“Honey,” he said gruffly, “I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes. The biggest one was not telling you how much I love you right away. See, I wanted the perfect time and place.”
“Like we have now,” Sage said, and—Thank you, God—she was smiling.
“Sage. Tell me you love me, too. Tell me that I wasn’t imagining what I saw in your eyes, tasted in your kisses.”
“I love you,” Sage said quietly.
“Or tell me there’s at least a chance you’ll come to—” Caleb blinked. “You love me?”
“Of course.” She smiled through her tears. “I’ll always love you, Sir Knight.”
Caleb got to his feet. Went to her side of the booth, dug in his pocket and dropped to his knees, right on that wet, messy floor.
“Sage,” he said.
She caught her breath. There was a little red box in his hand.
“Honey.” Caleb opened the box. The fire of a thousand suns flashed inside it. “Will you marry me? For the only reason that matters, sweetheart. For love.”
Sage laughed. She cried. She bent down to him, clasped his face, pressed her lips to his.
“What she means,” the waitress said, “is yes.”
Caleb rose to his feet and drew Sage up and into his arms.
The waitress was holding their check and smiling; her eyes—eyes that had surely seen everything the city could offer—glinted with suspicious dampness.
Gently, Caleb took the check from her hand and put it on the table. Then he took a handful of bills from his pocket, clasped her hand and folded her fingers around them.
“Thank you,” he said.
She gaped at the bills. Then she ran after them as they headed for the door.
“Wait,” she said. “Mister! This is way, way too much for—”
Caleb turned toward her.
“If I hadn’t been such a fool, if we’d gone into a coffee shop right away and asked someone just like you for advice …” He cleared his throat. “Trust me,” he said huskily. “It isn’t anywhere near enough.”
The rain had stopped. It was night, impossible for there to be a rainbow, but under the streetlights, Sage’s engagement ring cast a rainbow of its own.
The very first taxi they saw stopped to pick them up.
When they reached their suite. Caleb kissed Sage, then said, “One last thing.” He held her hand while he hit a button on his cell phone. “Addison? It’s Caleb. I need a favor. Get Jake in the room. He is? Travis, too? Great. Okay, put us on speaker phone.” Speaker phone, Caleb thought with a quick laugh, his new best friend. “I have some news—and then, if one of you would call Em and Jaimie and Lissa …” He listened, shook his head in happy disbelief. “Perfect,” he told Sage. “My sisters, even the General are there, for the weekend.”
“Caleb,” Sage whispered, “what are you doing?”
He kissed her. “Here we go, honey,” he said, and took one last deep breath. “Everybody? I’m coming home. With the woman I love. And, guys? We’re pregnant.”
There was a second of surprised silence. Then, cheers and applause sounded tinnily through the phone.
But Caleb and Sage weren’t listening.
She was weeping, he was smiling, and they were wrapped in each other’s arms.
All the 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 the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
First published in Great Britain 2012
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited.
Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road,
Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Sandra Marton 2012
eISBN: 978-1-408-97474-2
Table of Contents
Excerpt
About the Author
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Copyright
The Ruthless Caleb Wilde Page 17