problems with me. I won't be with a man who doesn't love me enough to
stay. To make a promise to me to grow old with me and to be a father to
my child. And I won't spend my life having an affair with you and then
having to explain to my daughter why you didn't love and respect me
enough to marry me."
She stepped toward the door.
"Don't." He shut his eyes, fought down panic. "Don't turn away from me,
Grace."
"I'm not doing the turning away. Don't you see, Ethan? You've been doing
the turning away all along."
"I've ended up right back where I started. Looking at you. Needing you.
I'm never going to be able to stop now. I made so many promises to
myself about you. I keep breaking them. I let her put her hands on this,
too," he said slowly. "I let her put her mark on what we have. I want to
clear that mark away, if you give me the chance."
He lifted his shoulders. "I've been doing some thinking."
She nearly smiled. "Well, there's news."
"Do you want to hear what I'm thinking now?" Following instinct,
listening to his heart, he started up the stairs. "I'm thinking it's
always been you, Grace, and only you. It's always going to be you, and
only you. I can't help it if I want to take care of you. It doesn't mean
I think you're weak. It's only because you're precious to me."
"Ethan." He would make her give in. She knew it. "Don't."
"And I'm thinking I'm not going to be able to give you the chance to
live without me after all."
He took her hands, holding them when she tried to tug them free. And
keeping his eyes on hers, he drew her out and down the steps to catch
the last gilded light of the setting sun.
"I'll never let you down," he told her. "I'll never stop needing you to
stand beside me. You make me happy, Grace. I haven't valued that enough,
but I will from now on. I love you."
He touched his lips to her brow when she trembled. "The sun's setting.
You said that was the best time for daydreams. Maybe it's the best time
to pick the dream you want to hold on to. I want to hold on to this one.
I need you to look at me," he said softly and lifted her face to his.
"Will you marry me?"
Joy and hope blossomed within her. "Ethan--"
"Don't answer yet." But he'd seen the answer, and overcome with
gratitude, he brought her hands to his lips. "Will you give Aubrey to
me, let me give her my name? Let me be her father?"
Tears began to swim in her eyes. She willed them back. She wanted to see
him clearly as he stood watching her with his face so serious, lit by
the last quiet light of the day. "You know--"
"Not yet," he murmured and this time touched his lips to hers. "There's
one more. Will you have my children, Grace?"
He saw the tears she'd been struggling to hold back spill over and
wondered that he could ever have thought to deny them both that joy,
that right, that promise.
"Make a life with me, one that comes from love, one that I can watch
grow in you. Only a fool would believe that what comes from what we have