All the guests filed into the reception. Sandy checked all the tables to ensure everything was in order and all was going smoothly. Then she checked where they'd set up a photo booth and cleared the aisle. As she was down on her knees to get the film, she saw black shoes under the table. She sat up and gazed at the man who made her heart soar. He held out his hand to help her stand. "Wyatt."
People were starting to dance. She watched them. "Can we go back to your room?"
He had never been that forward about sex before. She bit her lip as she tried to decide if she would or wouldn't. Part of her wanted to say yes. Another part wanted to dance first. She swallowed and asked, "Why?"
"We can go anywhere." His face had a tint of a blush. So he saw the implication too. She relaxed her arms and legs as he said, "I want to talk where we won't get interrupted."
Talk. Yes. They had to do that. She reached out and took his arm. "Quiet is good, and my room is best. Let's go."
Neither one of them said anything as they slipped outside and walked to the elevator. No one had seen them leave, and the halls were light on traffic. As they made it to her room, she fished out her key and opened it. She went in first, and he followed. She went to the seat near the balcony and stared at him. Whatever was going on, he was serious. She patted the cushioned chair next to her and said, "Wyatt, we're here. So let's talk."
He came toward her but didn't sit in the chair. He pushed the small table out of the way and knelt down as he took her hand. "Sandy, you have always been the one in my heart. When I married Jessica at the courthouse, I tried to be a good husband, but the truth is I was and am still in love with you. I wish I had been different, and I don't have any right…"
Her heart hammered. She reached out and brushed her hand on his cheek, which was unusually smooth, as he'd shaved for the wedding. "Stop."
He pressed his lips together and blushed again. "I said too much?"
She held his shoulder so he didn't get up as she asked, "You love me still?"
He took her hand off him, held both of them, and then squeezed. "Yes."
Then she finally knew what her heart was missing. Wyatt was the man she'd wanted and dreamed about all her life, and nothing stood in their way now. She took his hands near her heart as a huge smile grew on her face.
"That's good, because, Wyatt, I've been in love with you my whole life, and I don't want to go another minute. If you need to get married as soon as you can, then I agree."
His face darkened as he took his hand away. "I don't want to marry you…"
"You don't?" Her lips parted and she couldn't close them.
He pressed his hand on her chin. A tremble washed through her before she met his warm gaze. "Let me finish my sentence. I don't want to marry you for any other reason than love, and I don't have a ring yet."
Oh. A ring was holding him back. Seriously? Her eyes watered as her pulse raced. "Yet? So you want to ask me?"
"Waking up every day with the girl who makes my heart stir…yes." He swallowed. "Could you handle being a stepmother?"
Laughing might not be good at the moment, but she felt the bubbles of a giggle inside her. She held it in. "She doesn't have any other mother beside me, so we'll drop the step."
He stood up. "Let me get a ring. Give me an hour, and then we'll dance at Penny and Jay's reception."
She jumped out of her seat and placed her hand on his shoulder. She wanted to go and be with him. "You're buying on the ship?"
He nodded. "That's the fastest way I know."
"I don't want to go to the reception by myself." She offered her arm. "We could go together and I could mention which one I want. Then we can return and tell everyone together."
He kissed both her cheeks. She ran her hand through his hair. He then lowered his lips to hers and her body stirred. Together they were right. Her heart knew it.
He ended the kiss and glanced at the door as he adjusted his pants. "Let's go, then."
"Now?" she asked, though she knew if they kissed like that again, it would be game over for the night. Part of her wanted nothing more than to lie in his arms, right here, right now.
His hand went to her spine to lead her out as he said in a deeper, sexier tone. "When I take your clothes off, I want to enjoy the evening and not have to return to the party."
Agreed. His daughter was at the reception, with her grandparents. Charlotte would have to know. Sandy adjusted her dress to ensure it was straight. "Fair enough. Lead the way."
At the elevator, they went to the main floor. Then they ducked into the diamond store. Wyatt quickly explained their engagement, and the saleslady brought out five rings. Sandy pressed her lips together as she perused the options. Wyatt said, "Which one do you want?"
Every one of them would cut through metal if she tried. She pointed to one inside the glass that caught her eye and waved the huge diamonds off. "None of these. Can I see that one?"
The sales clerk began her pitch. "This diamond has a modern cut, so you can see the clarity—"
Sandy refused to wait for the entire sales line. "I like that it's simple. I don't want a rock on my finger where I could take out a child's eye if I wear it around the house."
The saleslady asked, "Do you want to see anything else?"
"No, I like this one." Sandy handed the ring to Wyatt.
The saleslady rang it up. Wyatt must have seen the price tag, as he said, "Are you sure? There are other, more expensive—"
"It's not about the price. It's about what I said. Let's go. I want to tell everyone." She slipped the ring on her finger and pointed to the door.
He signed his name on the receipt, and they were done. Then they walked toward the reception. At the door, he opened it and took her hand. A warmness enveloped her as she asked, "No more secrets?"
"Absolutely not." He kissed her hand and then said, as the bride and groom finished their dance, "If we told more people, or even just Penny, she might have been the voice of reason for one or both of us."
She winked at him. They were together now. This was all she wanted. A lightness entered her step as she said, "Let's not think about the past. We have the rest of our lives."
He directed them toward the table. "I can't wait to tell Charlotte."
His daughter. Soon she'd be a mom, and with Wyatt, she'd help raise Charlotte as her very own. If she sold her business and worked for Victoria, she'd have enough money to ensure her new daughter had a proper trust fund, too.