The Family Plan (28 page)

“Well, of course I need to think about it. You’re talking about a decision that affects the rest of our lives. And not just our lives, there’s Isabelle to consider, too.”

“True. Isabelle and I come as a package. I certainly understand why that would make the answer a bit more difficult for you.”

“It’s not that I consider Isabelle a problem,” she assured him, endearingly earnest. “You know I’m crazy about her. She’s a very special child.”

Her description pleased him. “I’ve always thought so.”

“But she’s still a child, and a very young one at that. She’s going to require a lot more parenting.”

“And you’re not sure you’re ready for that responsibility.” He nodded. “I went through all this same deliberation before I brought her home with me.”

“It isn’t that, exactly. It’s just, well, what do I know about raising children? How do I know I would be a good parent?”

His smile felt crooked when he reached out to smooth her tousled hair. “Again, you aren’t asking yourself any questions I didn’t wrestle with. Come on, Caitlin, you know how little prepared I was to take in a child. But I think I’ve done okay so far.”

“You’ve done a
great
job so far,” she assured him. “It’s just—”

“Overwhelming,” he supplied when she hesitated. “And damned scary.”

“Well, yes.”

“I know.” He touched her cheek. “Quite a deal I’m offering here, hmm? A chance to take on a ready-made family with a guy who barely has a clue what he’s doing as a parent. You’ve got this great opportunity in L.A., and while I would never try to get in your way there, I can’t promise family obligations wouldn’t sometimes crop up. I can certainly understand why you’d need time to decide if you want to make those sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices?” She turned to face him fully then, her eyes warm as she gazed up at him. “Nathan, you have given me so much I’ll never be able to repay you. You made me a partner straight out of law school! It would take me seven or eight years, at the least, to even be considered for a partnership in most firms. You’ve encouraged me in everything I’ve ever taken on, no matter how challenging, and you’ve trusted me to make decisions that have a significant effect on the firm you started with your own hard work. And now you’ve even offered to walk away from everything you have here to move all the way across the country to help me pursue a job I don’t even know if I’d have a chance of getting.”

She rested a hand on his arm. “You’ve offered me so much. I just need a little time to digest everything.”

He leaned over to kiss her gently. “It isn’t easy having all your lifelong plans turned upside down, is it?”

“It’s just a matter of reevaluating,” she said with a faint smile.

“Take all the time you need.”

He only prayed that she would give him the answer he so desperately wanted to hear.

It was an odd experience, sitting at Lenore McCloud’s dining room table for Thanksgiving dinner, surrounded by Nathan’s unconventional family. Caitlin watched them all surreptitiously as she ate, trying to get to know these people who would be so much a part of the rest of her life, even though she still hadn’t given Nathan an answer to his marriage proposal. Nor had he pressed her for one, though she knew he was growing impatient.

The meal could have been awkward with so many complicated emotions seething just beneath the surface. But Nathan and Isabelle kept the conversation moving, gamely assisted by Lenore, who asked questions and implicitly demanded answers from all her offspring. She had pretty much ordered Gideon and Deborah to attend and to be on their best behavior, and it said something about her influence over them that they were both there.

Caitlin supposed they were even making an effort to be gracious, though Gideon’s conversation consisted primarily of monosyllables and Deborah’s smiles were so obviously strained. They were both polite toward Caitlin and had followed their mother’s lead in accepting Isabelle at the table, though Gideon had little to say to the child and Deborah spoke rather awkwardly to the little girl.

Glancing from Isabelle to Lenore to Gideon to Deborah and, finally, to Nathan, Caitlin contemplated the complex dynamics of blood ties. Because, regardless of their flaws and their problems, these disparate individuals were a family and that meant something important to each of them.

She had discovered that it meant something important to her, too.

She was still looking at Nathan when he glanced away from Isabelle to smile warmly at her. He looked content, she thought. This was where he was happiest—surrounded by the people he loved. And she felt an answering contentment flood through her own veins.

Leaning closer to him, she murmured for his ears only. “The answer is yes.”

Seemingly attuned to her thoughts, he didn’t have to ask the question. His expression changed rapidly from surprise to delight. Taking no heed of their surroundings or their audience, he leaned over to kiss her.

“Nate? Why are you kissing Miss Caitlin at the table?”

He laughed against Caitlin’s lips, then straightened to look into her eyes. “We’re going to have to find another name for Isabelle to call you from now on,” he murmured. “I really doubt that you want to answer to ‘Miss Caitlin’ for the rest of your life.”

The rest of her life. Oddly enough, the phrase didn’t frighten her in the least.

“Nathan?” Lenore had been watching the byplay with an intensely curious expression. “Are you and Caitlin—”

“Engaged?” He flashed an exultant grin at his mother and siblings. “As a matter of fact, we are.”

Lenore blinked. “When did this happen?”

He and Caitlin shared a quick, smiling glance. “Quite recently, actually,” he replied, making Caitlin laugh.

During the discussion that followed the announcement, Caitlin sensed mixed reactions to the news from the various members of Nathan’s family, though Lenore seemed pleased. Caitlin didn’t let any hesitation from Gideon or Deborah bother her; the happiness in Nathan’s eyes more than made up for the doubts of his siblings.

She had followed her father’s advice, after all, she thought. She had a thriving career and the love of a very special man—and she wasn’t letting either of them slip away from her.

She had no doubt that her parents would both be thrilled. After all, this was exactly what they had always planned for the daughter they had both loved so deeply. She would forever be grateful to them for teaching her how to recognize a tremendous opportunity when it came her way.

ISBN: 978-1-4592-3687-5

THE FAMILY PLAN

Copyright © 2003 by Gina Wilkins

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