Page 63 of The Boss's Baby Affair

Nodding, she agreed, “Exactly.”

There was a long pause.

“You’re going to marry me,” he said with such a lack of fanfare that for a second Candace thought she’d misheard. But the leap of her heart, coupled with the determined resolve in his eyes, told her that she’d heard right.

“Nick…” She sat forward on the edge of the love seat, and searched for the right words.

This was exactly what she didn’t need. She might love Nick until it hurt. But she wasn’t marrying him, because she wasn’t prepared to confine him in a trap he would come to resent.

Sex would never be enough…

If there was one thing Candace was certain of by now, it was that Nick had an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. He’d done everything in his power to save Henry and Bertha’s garden center because they’d offered a young rebel a job; he’d been prepared to do everything in his power to help Jilly have the baby she desperately desired, even though he’d never loved her.

Now Candace couldn’t rid herself of the memory of the expression on Nick’s face when he’d all but promised her mother he would take care of her, too.

“You can’t just say things like that,” she said at last.

“I’m not just saying it…we’re getting married.”

“Why? So that you can take care of me?”

His eyes grew slumberous. “Among other things.”

“I don’t need you to take care of me!”

Candace wasn’t going to allow him to distract her. Sex would never be enough. Not without love. And she wasn’t about to fool herself that her love would be enough for both of them. Nick had been down that road once before, and it had brought nothing but unhappiness to everyone concerned.

Finally, she had no choice but to tell him the truth. “I have no intention of trapping you into a loveless marriage.”

“You’re not Jilly.” Nick got to his feet and came around the glass coffee table to sit beside her. “You wouldn’t be trapping me. I want to marry you. Trust me to know the difference.”

He was too close.

Help!

If she said yes, all her problems would be solved. It would be so easy to throw herself into his arms and accept his proposal. She’d be able to live with her daughter; she’d have Nick at her side, her partner by day, her lover by night.

It was too tempting.

Fear that he’d talk her into a marriage she wanted so badly made her say, “You’re only doing this because my mother said I needed to be taken care of.”

He took her hand.

“Not true.” Nick tugged her toward him. “I’ve already asked you to marry me once, so I certainly didn’t need Catherine to come up with the idea.”

She let him draw her closer, inch by breathtaking inch. “I hadn’t forgotten. But last time you asked me for Jennie’s sake…because you love your daughter.”

“Clearly I’ve been doing it all wrong.” Nick had maneuvered her right next to him, now he bent his head and kissed her. Her lips parted. But instead of deepening the kiss, he murmured, “What I should have been saying was that you need to marry me for my sake.”

Candace was too scared to breathe. “What do you mean?”

Then he kissed her. This time it was deep and dark and sexy, none of the light butterfly wings that he’d been tormenting her with for the past few seconds.

When he’d finished, he raised his head and his eyes met hers. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

His expression was gentle, and Candace could feel her throat tightening with emotion.

But she didn’t dare hope…so she waited.

“I love you.”

It felt like her birthday and Christmas had come at the same time. Candace closed her eyes and offered a prayer of thanks.

When she opened them again, he was still gazing down at her, his expression quizzical. “If you marry me, we would be a family. You, me and Jennie. Then there’s Catherine and my sister and her family.” He smiled at her. “That’s more family than I ever dreamed of having.”

“Oh, Nick. I love you, too.”

“So you will marry me?” Uncertainty flickered in his eyes, and then it was gone. “I’m not going to allow you to say no again.”

“I have no intention of saying no.” Candace found herself smiling. “All those noes…it sounds ridiculous. So I’ll just have to say yes.”

He punched the air. “Yes!”

That made Candace burst out laughing, but she stopped abruptly as he kissed her again. Her arms crept up around his neck, and she leaned into him.

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