Risk of a Lifetime (Mills & Boon Medical) (20 page)

He laughed softly. ‘Would you let me do this properly?’

She smiled at him lovingly. ‘Only if you get on with it. I’m dying of suspense.’

He tutted, took her hand again and looked up into her eyes.

‘Annie Brooks, you’ve brought light and hope and joy into my life, and I love you. I can’t give you children, or at least not in the easy way, and maybe not at all, but I can and will give you my love, my heart, my soul, for as long as I’m alive. Will you do me the honour of consenting to be my wife?’

She was going to tease him again, but her eyes were suddenly glazed with tears, and she bit her lip. ‘Yes,’ she said breathlessly, on a tiny sob of joy. ‘Oh, yes, my love, of course I will. Of course I’ll marry you.’

The ring was a perfect fit.

She glanced down at it, stroking it with a gentle finger. ‘Where did this come from? It’s beautiful.’

‘It’s Marnie’s ring. My grandfather gave it to her fifty-six years ago when he asked her to marry him. She’s worn it every day ever since, and she wanted you to have it. She said it was the right thing to do, and she hopes it’ll bring us as much happiness as it brought them.’

‘Oh, bless her heart.’ She pressed her lips to it and tried to fight back the tears, but they fell anyway, and he gathered her up against his heart and held her tight.

‘Oh, sorry, I feel such an idiot. Fancy crying—’

‘Don’t worry. I nearly cried when she gave it to me. So did she.’

He sat her down again, picked up the champagne bottle and popped the cork deftly. Vapour flowed softly over the beautiful crystal flutes as he poured the champagne, and he put the bottle back in the ice and handed one to her.

‘To Marnie and Ned, an inspiration, and to us.’

‘To Marnie and Ned, and to us,’ she said, and she touched her glass to his.

* * * * *

ISBN: 978 1 472 04529 4

RISK OF A LIFETIME

© 2014 Caroline Anderson

Published in Great Britain 2014
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

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