here.
‘You could even have the spare room, if you’d rather. We could divide off one end of it to make a nursery, and you and the baby could share it. Or you could have Josh’s rooms and be even more separate, if you would rather.’
‘What do you want?’ she asked. ‘Apart from the baby?’
‘You,’ he said after a long pause. ‘I want you, Cait. I love you. I was going to ask you to marry me tonight, when I came back from Italy. I’d got a ring and everything. Then you started talking about going away, and I suddenly wasn’t sure if you would want me.’
His voice cracked slightly, and Cait felt a great well of love building up inside her.’ Owen, of course I want you!’ she said raggedly. ‘I don’t care about my course! It’s boring. I just thought—I don’t know, I’d thought about it for such a long time, and there it was. I was only doing it because I’d been planning it for years, but I don’t want to go away. I don’t want to do anything except have your baby and live here with you. I just didn’t think you’d want me.’
‘Not want you?’ he said, stunned. ‘Cait, how could I not want you? You’re warm and funny and brave and beautiful—what is there about you not to want?’
‘I can’t cook,’ she said, laughing tearfully. ‘And I’m a lousy housewife.’
‘That’s fine. So am I. I have a housekeeper for that very reason.’
‘And I’m an unmarried mother, and in your position in the community—’
‘What position?’ he said, his voice disgusted. ‘People don’t care about that sort of thing any more. Anyway, if I have anything to say about it you won’t be an unmarried mother for very much longer.’
He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a little ring, diamonds and sapphires in a very old setting,the light sparkling off the stones and dazzling her through her tears. ‘I got it from Gilda next door. I told her it was for you. I didn’t tell her why, but I think she guessed.’
Cait remembered Gilda that morning, staring at her hand and mumbling something about a dress. ‘That’s what she was on about,’ she said slowly. ‘I saw her this morning. She obviously expected that I’d be wearing it, but I wasn’t. I was crying over a list of pros and cons—well, pros, actually. There was only one con, and I don’t think it applies.’
‘What was it?’ he asked.
She took a deep breath. ‘I thought you’d hate me, after a while. I’d be in your house, untidying everything, the baby would be screaming, you’d be tired and fed up with us all, and I thought you’d start to wonder why on earth you’d agreed to it. But maybe you won’t.’
‘Not a chance,’ he said, taking her hand and slipping the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, a tiny bit on the loose side if anything, but that was probably as well as she was pregnant and her fingers might swell.
‘You haven’t actually asked me to marry you yet,’ she reminded him. ‘Not properly. Not for the right reasons.’
‘I haven’t? How remiss.’
He slid off the sofa onto his knees, took her hand in his and stared deep into her eyes. ‘I love you, Cait,’ he said carefully, every word clear so she couldn’t possibly mistake it. ‘I think I’ve loved you since I found you crying over your steering-wheel in the car park the day we took the kids to uni. I don’t know if you love me. I hope you do, or that you’ll learn to, because I know I’ll love you till the day I die. Marry me, Cait. Let’s be a family—a real family, all five of us. God knows, we all deserve it.’
Owen reached out a hand and brushed the tearsfrom her cheeks with his knuckles. ‘Marry me, my darling. Please?’
She nodded, unable to speak, and then she swallowed hard and took a steadying breath. ‘Of course I’ll marry you—and of course I love you, you idiot!’ she said, and then she was in his arms, wrapped hard against his chest, her mascara ruining the front of his beautiful cashmere
‘You could even have the spare room, if you’d rather. We could divide off one end of it to make a nursery, and you and the baby could share it. Or you could have Josh’s rooms and be even more separate, if you would rather.’
‘What do you want?’ she asked. ‘Apart from the baby?’
‘You,’ he said after a long pause. ‘I want you, Cait. I love you. I was going to ask you to marry me tonight, when I came back from Italy. I’d got a ring and everything. Then you started talking about going away, and I suddenly wasn’t sure if you would want me.’
His voice cracked slightly, and Cait felt a great well of love building up inside her.’ Owen, of course I want you!’ she said raggedly. ‘I don’t care about my course! It’s boring. I just thought—I don’t know, I’d thought about it for such a long time, and there it was. I was only doing it because I’d been planning it for years, but I don’t want to go away. I don’t want to do anything except have your baby and live here with you. I just didn’t think you’d want me.’
‘Not want you?’ he said, stunned. ‘Cait, how could I not want you? You’re warm and funny and brave and beautiful—what is there about you not to want?’
‘I can’t cook,’ she said, laughing tearfully. ‘And I’m a lousy housewife.’
‘That’s fine. So am I. I have a housekeeper for that very reason.’
‘And I’m an unmarried mother, and in your position in the community—’
‘What position?’ he said, his voice disgusted. ‘People don’t care about that sort of thing any more. Anyway, if I have anything to say about it you won’t be an unmarried mother for very much longer.’
He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a little ring, diamonds and sapphires in a very old setting,the light sparkling off the stones and dazzling her through her tears. ‘I got it from Gilda next door. I told her it was for you. I didn’t tell her why, but I think she guessed.’
Cait remembered Gilda that morning, staring at her hand and mumbling something about a dress. ‘That’s what she was on about,’ she said slowly. ‘I saw her this morning. She obviously expected that I’d be wearing it, but I wasn’t. I was crying over a list of pros and cons—well, pros, actually. There was only one con, and I don’t think it applies.’
‘What was it?’ he asked.
She took a deep breath. ‘I thought you’d hate me, after a while. I’d be in your house, untidying everything, the baby would be screaming, you’d be tired and fed up with us all, and I thought you’d start to wonder why on earth you’d agreed to it. But maybe you won’t.’
‘Not a chance,’ he said, taking her hand and slipping the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, a tiny bit on the loose side if anything, but that was probably as well as she was pregnant and her fingers might swell.
‘You haven’t actually asked me to marry you yet,’ she reminded him. ‘Not properly. Not for the right reasons.’
‘I haven’t? How remiss.’
He slid off the sofa onto his knees, took her hand in his and stared deep into her eyes. ‘I love you, Cait,’ he said carefully, every word clear so she couldn’t possibly mistake it. ‘I think I’ve loved you since I found you crying over your steering-wheel in the car park the day we took the kids to uni. I don’t know if you love me. I hope you do, or that you’ll learn to, because I know I’ll love you till the day I die. Marry me, Cait. Let’s be a family—a real family, all five of us. God knows, we all deserve it.’
Owen reached out a hand and brushed the tearsfrom her cheeks with his knuckles. ‘Marry me, my darling. Please?’
She nodded, unable to speak, and then she swallowed hard and took a steadying breath. ‘Of course I’ll marry you—and of course I love you, you idiot!’ she said, and then she was in his arms, wrapped hard against his chest, her mascara ruining the front of his beautiful cashmere
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