I turned and nearly dropped the phone.
Adrian Alaric stood beside his seat in First Class, grinning a goofy, I just played hooky and got caught smile. He had no luggage. No carry-on. I was surprised he even had a ticket.
He thrust his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
Oh, he was in so much trouble.
“Mags…” I took a deep breath. “Nothing to worry about. Adrian will be a training camp tomorrow.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m going to deliver him there personally.” I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. “Right after we celebrate the good news.”
I ended the call but caught the attention of my fellow flight crew. Gladys was a grizzled veteran but a romantic at heart. She cast a glance toward Adrian, and she threatened to run me over with the drink cart if I didn’t take the empty seat next to him.
“Is he why you’re quitting?” She peeked through her fringed bangs to get a better look at the athlete.
“He is.” I let her in on a little secret. “Well, him…and the baby.”
“Finally!” Gladys shoved me down the aisle. “And here we thought you switched airlines! Wait until the girls hear that you found yourself a man! We never thought you’d settle down—I’m so happy for you. Consider yourself officially off-duty.”
That was all the courage I needed.
Adrian had saved me a seat in First Class—ticket and all. I kicked off my heels before sitting.
“I heard you played hooky today,” I said.
The dark flint in his eyes struck hard, brightening with a spark of pure mischief. He must’ve been traveling all day just to reach San Francisco in time for my flight. His beard went untrimmed, and his black T-shirt had wrinkled in the few places which weren’t stretched taut over his muscles.
He looked tired. Resolved. Utterly remorseful.
“I think you’ll forgive me for skipping training camp today…” Adrian’s eyes danced as he studied my face. “I have a proposition for you.”
A lovely excitement swelled within me. I grinned.
“Yes.”
Adrian tilted his head. “I didn’t tell you the proposition yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. The answer’s yes.”
“How do you know I’m not asking you to do something awful?”
“Then you better be careful about what you ask me. I will say yes to anything you suggest right now.”
His dirty mind rivaled mine. “That could be very dangerous for you.”
“The riskier the better,” I said.
He picked his words carefully. “What if you hate what I’m about to suggest?”
Impossible. “I trust you.”
“And if I lead you astray?”
“How can I get lost if I’m at your side?”
Adrian rubbed his chin, if only to hide his smile. “What if I plan to take advantage of you?”
“I liked it the first time…and the second…and the third…”
His deep, rumbly laugh untwisted the knot of confusion and worry in my stomach. It was everything I needed, soothing the apprehension and calamity that had plagued this whole week.
“What if I ask you to marry me?” He whispered the words, a beautiful secret for just the two of us.
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“You should let me talk.”
“Why? The answer is yes.”
“But you’re not even listening.”
I grinned. “Adrian Alaric, we’ve been together for twenty-five years, ever since we were kids. I’ve already figured out everything there is to know about you. What you’re thinking. What you’re feeling. What you want.”
“If you knew all the answers, where were you last week when I had no idea what the hell I was doing?”
I hated that he’d been so lost. “Well, I was panicking.”
“Why?”
“Because for as well as I know you, I don’t know myself at all.”
“Got a fix for that.” His voice darkened like rich cholate, and he teased me with promise. “I’ve learned a couple things about you over the years.”
My turn to grin. “Oh, I have my secrets yet.”
“Well, if there are any surprises left, I can’t wait to find them out.” Adrian reached for me, brushing his hand against my cheek. “I love you, Clover.”
It was every bit as lovely hearing it as it was imagining it.
“Say it again,” I said. It might’ve been a command. Might’ve been me begging. At least, with Adrian, it didn’t matter.
“I love you—even though we shouldn’t be this foolish. It’s a bad idea. Stupid and reckless.”
I scrunched my nose. “That’s one hell of a proposition, but you should’ve stopped at the will you marry me part.”
“I wanted to protect our friendship. I wanted to protect you.”
“You always did.”
“I tried to push you away.”
“Why?”
The crinkles in the corner of his eyes returned, and a new set of worry wrinkles burrowed in his forehead. That wouldn’t do. This man had no reason to fear my love for him. It was real. Solid.
He was everything I’d ever wanted in life, and it’d been right in front of me the entire time.
“I thought it was the honorable thing to do,” he said. “If I couldn’t give you what you needed, I couldn’t stand in the way of you finding it with someone else.”
“Adrian—”
“But I want to be that man.” He quieted as the plane’s lights dimmed and we prepared for takeoff. “I want to be the one who gives you everything you could desire. I want to be the man who shares your bed, your life, your perfect future.” He took my hand, kissing my fingers. “And I know, right now, it doesn’t look like that will happen. But I’m in love with you. I want to marry you. I want to give you that happiness.”
He made it too easy.
I snuggled closer to him. “So marry me. What are you waiting for?”
“A baby.”
“Adrian—”
“It’s what we both want,” he said. “And I’m not done trying yet. Forget what I said before. We’ll try it all. Doctors and fertility drugs. Adoption. I won’t stop until we have a baby—until we are a family.”
I pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him with a smile. “Can I just say yes now?”
“Are you sure you mean it?”
“It’s about time you make an honest woman out of me.”
He hesitated, confused. “What are you talking about?”
My big surprise would be a hell of a lot better than him skipping work and flying across the country to slip into my passenger list.
“If you had answered your phone this week, you would’ve already known…” I said.
“Known what?”
I tisked. “And to think. All that celebratory sex we didn’t have.”
“Clover.”
“I’ve been dying to tell you, but you’ve been interrupting me, concocting these beautiful marriage proposals that I don’t even need. Not when all you had to do was ask.”