hugged. If she touched him, she’d begin to cry, and probably never let go. So, no hugs.
“I’m so glad you came.”
“Well, you did say it was an emergency. Even though I don’t see any obvious pools of blood or amputated limbs.”
He grinned. “I recently learned the word emergency has a broader definition than we’re used to. It came in really handy today, for example. I needed you here.”
“Why?”
“Well, because I have something to say to you. And because it’s one of our special places. How many times have we crawled around on the submarine?”
There it was. He’d brought her here to say goodbye. A sweet touch to do it at a place where they’d shared so many good times, but goodbye nonetheless. “Just enough, I guess.”
“Not nearly.” His smile faded away, and an odd intensity smoldered to life in his eyes. “I can’t ever get enough of you.”
It hurt more than she thought. His voice, low and husky, saying something so incredibly sweet, had tears burning, ready to drop. “Kyle, don’t.”
“You’re right. I’m going about this all wrong. I need to start with an apology. Caitlin, I’m sorry. Sorry I kissed you—”
She cut him off by putting a finger to his lips. “Please, just don’t say it.” She couldn’t let him sully her memory of their one perfect kiss with his regret.
Kyle twisted away from her touch. “I’m sorry I kissed you and then stopped. I’m sorry I let my father ruin the best kiss of my entire life. I’m sorry I ruined the night.”
Did he really say what she thought he said? It didn’t make sense. “I understand,” she said in a whisper.
“Funny, because I don’t understand. I can’t understand how I missed seeing that side of you for all these years. What I really can’t get is how I didn’t realize I was head over heels in love with you.”
“What?” It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t declare his love and then go off and marry another woman, would he?
“I’ve been an idiot. A jackass. A blind jerk who took for granted the most wonderful woman in the world. That’s why I asked you to meet me here.”
“I still don’t understand.” For a woman with a freshly minted master’s degree, it was shocking how her vocabulary had dwindled to so few words.
“A very wise person once told me a Christmas proposal would be romantic.” He looked at his watch, then looked at the ceiling. Moments later, soft flakes of snow began to fall. Kyle reached behind to the Christmas tree. He pulled a red-and-green braided ribbon off the bottom bough and dropped to one knee.
“Caitlin McIntyre, you are my entire world. I love you. I can’t be happy without you by my side. I used my highly scientific brain to deduce the best way to keep you there is to make you my wife.” He held up the ribbon braid so she could see the diamond ring dangling from its length. “Will you marry me?”
Caitlin swallowed hard, fighting to speak while still holding back the deluge of tears threatening to unleash. How could he put her in such a difficult position? There could only be one answer. “No.”
He blinked rapidly several times. “Okay, I get it. Just so you know, I plan on groveling for several months straight, as penance for asking you to help me propose to another woman. I’ll do the dishes. I’ll do the laundry. I’ll rub your feet. I’ll apologize till I’m blue in the face. And did I mention I’ve been an idiotic jerk?”
She laced her fingers together to keep from reaching out, from touching him one last time. God, he was adorable and sweet and so, so hard to resist. But she loved him too much to let him make this big a mistake. “Kyle, I can’t marry you. I can’t let you destroy your family ties, or your career. You have to marry Monica.”
“Actually, I don’t. Dad’s orders.”
“I...don’t understand?”
A cocky grin lifted the sides of the lips she now knew to be firm and talented. “I crashed the board meeting this morning. Told them
“I’m so glad you came.”
“Well, you did say it was an emergency. Even though I don’t see any obvious pools of blood or amputated limbs.”
He grinned. “I recently learned the word emergency has a broader definition than we’re used to. It came in really handy today, for example. I needed you here.”
“Why?”
“Well, because I have something to say to you. And because it’s one of our special places. How many times have we crawled around on the submarine?”
There it was. He’d brought her here to say goodbye. A sweet touch to do it at a place where they’d shared so many good times, but goodbye nonetheless. “Just enough, I guess.”
“Not nearly.” His smile faded away, and an odd intensity smoldered to life in his eyes. “I can’t ever get enough of you.”
It hurt more than she thought. His voice, low and husky, saying something so incredibly sweet, had tears burning, ready to drop. “Kyle, don’t.”
“You’re right. I’m going about this all wrong. I need to start with an apology. Caitlin, I’m sorry. Sorry I kissed you—”
She cut him off by putting a finger to his lips. “Please, just don’t say it.” She couldn’t let him sully her memory of their one perfect kiss with his regret.
Kyle twisted away from her touch. “I’m sorry I kissed you and then stopped. I’m sorry I let my father ruin the best kiss of my entire life. I’m sorry I ruined the night.”
Did he really say what she thought he said? It didn’t make sense. “I understand,” she said in a whisper.
“Funny, because I don’t understand. I can’t understand how I missed seeing that side of you for all these years. What I really can’t get is how I didn’t realize I was head over heels in love with you.”
“What?” It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t declare his love and then go off and marry another woman, would he?
“I’ve been an idiot. A jackass. A blind jerk who took for granted the most wonderful woman in the world. That’s why I asked you to meet me here.”
“I still don’t understand.” For a woman with a freshly minted master’s degree, it was shocking how her vocabulary had dwindled to so few words.
“A very wise person once told me a Christmas proposal would be romantic.” He looked at his watch, then looked at the ceiling. Moments later, soft flakes of snow began to fall. Kyle reached behind to the Christmas tree. He pulled a red-and-green braided ribbon off the bottom bough and dropped to one knee.
“Caitlin McIntyre, you are my entire world. I love you. I can’t be happy without you by my side. I used my highly scientific brain to deduce the best way to keep you there is to make you my wife.” He held up the ribbon braid so she could see the diamond ring dangling from its length. “Will you marry me?”
Caitlin swallowed hard, fighting to speak while still holding back the deluge of tears threatening to unleash. How could he put her in such a difficult position? There could only be one answer. “No.”
He blinked rapidly several times. “Okay, I get it. Just so you know, I plan on groveling for several months straight, as penance for asking you to help me propose to another woman. I’ll do the dishes. I’ll do the laundry. I’ll rub your feet. I’ll apologize till I’m blue in the face. And did I mention I’ve been an idiotic jerk?”
She laced her fingers together to keep from reaching out, from touching him one last time. God, he was adorable and sweet and so, so hard to resist. But she loved him too much to let him make this big a mistake. “Kyle, I can’t marry you. I can’t let you destroy your family ties, or your career. You have to marry Monica.”
“Actually, I don’t. Dad’s orders.”
“I...don’t understand?”
A cocky grin lifted the sides of the lips she now knew to be firm and talented. “I crashed the board meeting this morning. Told them
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