Harlequin Presents: Once Upon A Temptation June 2020--Box Set 1 of 2
hand and kissed her knuckles.“My past was still damaging my life. All you did was point that out to me.” He drew her into his front. “I’m grateful, Scarlett. I feel…lighter. When Locke was born, I swore to him that I would be a better father to him than I had. I’m following through on that. It feels good.”
She couldn’t help the tears wetting her lashes. At least they were happy ones. Ecstatic ones. “Can I ask you something?”
“Put on some clothes?” he guessed.
“That seems like a waste of time when we only have a short while before our busy day. No, I was wondering if you, Javiero Rodriguez, would consent to marry me?”
His mouth twitched and the harsh lines in his face softened. His brutish, marred features were handsome and brimming with love, and she grew light-headed.
“Yes, Scarlett Walker,” he said in a voice that sounded deeply moved. “I love you with all my heart. I would be honored to join with you in matrimony. Later.” His smoldering smile widened. “Right now, go back to the part about the time we don’t want to waste…”
EPILOGUE
Two years later…
“WHAT’S WRONG?” ASKED JAVIERO.
Scarlett paused in removing her earring, dragging her gaze from the view of the Eiffel Tower. “Hmm? Nothing.”
“You’ve been quiet all evening. Was it something your mum said?”
“No, things are okay there.” Not fantastic, but not terrible. Ellie had gone to America and Scarlett’s father was ordered by the court to attend addiction classes as part of his release agreement. Her mother went to meetings for families of alcoholics at the same time. At least it gave her a network of people who understood her situation and kept an eye out for early signs of trouble.
“Val, then? Did you fire him?”
She grinned. “No, I said he could take maternity leave.”
“Ruthless.” He smiled, too.
She turned so he could unclasp her necklace. “And I said we’d talk more tomorrow. It was Kiara’s night. I didn’t want to get into it at the gallery.”
“That was quite a crush, wasn’t it? I knew Kiara was talented, but when you see her body of work assembled like that, it’s astonishing. I’m really annoyed I didn’t win more bids. How is she managing with a new baby and all the work that went into preparing, though? Is that why Val wants time off?”
Scarlett turned to take the necklace and saw he was genuinely concerned. She nearly melted into a puddle of liquid sugar at his feet, he was so sweet. She set aside the necklace.
“She’s good. Really good. Val admitted he’s motivated by pure selfishness, wanting to spend more time with Rafael, which is understandable.” Val had missed his daughter’s first two years. “But I didn’t want to let him go permanently.”
“No? I told him I didn’t think you’d have a problem with firing both of us.” He snapped off his cuff links.
“He ran it by you first?”
“Of course. He didn’t want to leave you in the lurch if you weren’t ready.”
“Men,” she tsked, secretly thrilled at the working relationship they’d developed, one that had spilled into a social one. A familial one.
“We weren’t conspiring. He brought it up because you’re sticking your nose in more than usual, checking up on us.” He tilted his head in what would have been a stern look, but held a little too much indulgence to be taken seriously. “We would both rather pull back and let you take the wheel than be micromanaged.”
“But I like bossing you two around.” She tugged at his bow tie to unravel it. “It’s delicious payback after all those years when you obstructed me at every turn.”
“The heady drug of a power trip has hit her veins, ladies and gentlemen. We’re not above mutiny, you know.”
“You’re going to take Val’s side against me?” She splayed an appalled hand on her chest.
“You’ve got me there. I couldn’t do it.” He sighed in mock despair.
She grinned as she worked her way down his buttons, revealing a strip of tawny skin sprinkled lightly with hair.
“Really,” he said with hands coming to rest heavily on her hips. “Before we get distracted, are you sure you’re not ready to fire both of us? I thought you only wanted to wean off the pills and see if you still had symptoms.”
That had been three months ago and she had been feeling really good ever since.
“I thought I was ready, too.” She tugged his tuxedo shirt from his waistband and exposed more of his wide, powerful chest, then smoothed her hands over his sides, loving the warm silk of his skin against her palms. “The five-year plan we’ve made has me very excited for all the new challenges. I was ready to go full steam ahead at work, but earlier today…”
He tilted up her chin so he could see her expression.
“A setback?” His real eye was troubled, the matching false one pretty to look at, though not the place she sent her attention when they were having a serious discussion. “What happened?”
She clasped her hands around the open edges of his shirt and sheepishly admitted, “I held Rafael.”
His frown held for a second longer before comprehension dawned. He grew infinitely more tender. His heavy hands drew her closer.
“You were bitten by the baby bug.”
As her head came to rest on his chest, she heard the hard, uneven thump of his heart.
“It feels like I fell into a hill of them and I’m itching all over. And I know it took me a long time to find an even keel after Locke. And I know Val ought to have a lighter load while they have a new baby in the house so Kiara doesn’t risk becoming overwrought like I was. And I know my chances of suffering postpartum depression again are high if I have another baby, and still… I really want one,” she confessed in a whisper, afraid to look at him. “What do you think?”
“I think our son is the most amazing little person I could have imagined.” His arms