“That covers a lot of territory, Lily. Think you can be a little more specific?”
“I can be a lot more specific.” She closed her eyes, felt the words solidify. And she knew. She’d always known. “I love you.” It was the first time in her life she’d said the words, and the rightness of them brought tears to her eyes.
For an instant, he looked shocked, and she felt a moment of panic when he didn’t respond. “You’re right,” she said quickly. “This isn’t a good time—”
She started to turn away, but he stopped her by taking her shoulders and turning her to face him. “I love you, too,” he said. “I always have. I just…didn’t think I’d ever hear you say it.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“I understand.” He let out a breath that wasn’t quite steady. “That’s enough.”
She smiled, even though tears blurred her vision. “Everything is going to work out.”
“It always does when it’s meant to be.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Maybe we can discuss this in more detail once the chopper picks us up.”
“Chopper?”
“Friend of mine.”
“He just happened to be in the area?”
“Something like that.” Taking her hand, Robert started toward the staircase that led to the roof. “Let’s go.”
Lily followed, keenly aware of how tightly he was holding her hand, that her precious son was pressed snugly and safely against her abdomen. They moved quickly through utter darkness. Robert took her through a narrow door, then to a spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever. At the top, a heavy wooden door blocked their path.
“The roof?” she asked.
Robert nodded. “Stand back.”
She moved away. A single, powerful kick and the door swung wide, banging hard against the brick wall behind it. Lily stepped onto the roof, and the cool breath of the night embraced her. The rain had stopped at some point and a three-quarter moon peeked like a shy child through jagged clouds. In the distance, she could hear the whop-whop-whop of a helicopter’s rotors. And she knew in her heart that this man had kept his promise. Everything was, indeed, going to be all right. The knowledge sent a starburst of joy straight to her heart.
A few feet away, Robert braced a large timber against the door, then turned to face her. “Chopper should be here any minute.”
“I’m not even going to ask how you arranged it,” Lily said.
He looked sheepish for a moment. “I have a confession to make.”
“You’re not going to shock me, are you, Robert?”
“Probably.” Crossing to her, he put his arms around her shoulders and smiled. “I’m not here on a humanitarian mission.”
“I got that impression once or twice.” Her gaze met his. “Why then?”
“I’m an agent with a secret arm of the CIA called ARIES.”
If it hadn’t been for all the amazing things she’d seen this man do in the last hours, she never would have believed it. But she did now and she owed him her life for it. “One of the good guys,” she said quietly.
“Think you can live with that?” He glanced down at the child between them. “Think Jack can live with that?”
Lily blinked back tears, but felt them squeeze between her lashes anyway. She knew now was a silly time to get sentimental, but she couldn’t seem to help it. “I’ve got something I need to get off my chest, too,” she said.
He arched a brow. “You’re not going to shock me, are you?”
She choked out a laugh. “Probably.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Would you like to get married?” she blurted.
“Any particular reason?”
“You mean aside from the fact that I’m crazy in love with you?” She smiled. “I need a father for my son.”
He kissed her on the mouth, then leaned forward and kissed his son’s forehead. “Maybe we could discuss this in more detail over dinner tomorrow. I took the liberty of making reservations.”
She cocked her head. “But don’t we need to go into hiding? DeBruzkya’s men—”
“The Rouge in Marseilles. Great seafood. Open air. Right on the water. Great place for a guy to propose to the woman he loves.”
Because her emotions were choking her, Lily could only stand there and wonder how it was that she’d ever let this man go. “I’ve already proposed.”
“I’m a traditionalist. I’d like the chance to get down on one knee and propose good and proper.” He pulled back just enough to make eye contact. “Besides, we’re in no hurry, are we? We’ve got the rest of our lives.”
“I love the sound of that.”
He took her hand. “Honey, we’ve got forever if that’s what you want.”
“That’s exactly what I want,” she whispered. “Forever. With you.”
“You got it,” he said and lowered his mouth to hers.
Epilogue