“What happened tonight to make up your mind? One minute, I hear you’ve got to go to some damned dinner, and the next, you’re here.”
Victoria wasn’t sure she could explain. “I was about to say something to those two interns, when it all became clear to me that I was in the wrong place. All my self-doubt just vanished. I realized I’d rather risk everything for a chance at happiness with you than waste another moment of my life there. I deserve to be happy, to live the life that I want. That life is here in Scarlet with you. I am a daredevil, after all.”
He chuckled, kissed her hair. “Yes, you are. So you just left everything?”
“Yeah. I figured we could work that out. I’ll need to break my lease and get movers to bring all my stuff here.”
“Does that mean my climbing gear has to move out of the closet?”
“I’m afraid so, babe.”
“I suppose you’ll want some kind of secret drawer for your panties.” His tone of voice—so serious—made her laugh.
“Absolutely.” God, she loved him. “I also need to hire someone to drive my car out here.”
He gave a low whistle. “That will be expensive.”
“You forgot something.” She lifted her head and looked up at him, unable to keep the smile off her face. “I’m rich.”
He laughed, flipped her onto her back. “That was my goal the whole time, you know—to marry a woman with money.”
“You’re such a liar.” Wait. “Did you just ask me to marry you?”
“What do you say we pick up Lexi and Taylor tomorrow morning early and drive to Vegas to get hitched?”
The vows Lexi and Austin had said to each other came back to her. “I, Victoria Christine Woodley, take you, Eric whatever-your-middle-name-is Hawke—”
He gave a little laugh. “Matthew.”
“—Eric Matthew Hawke, to be my husband in a marriage of equals.”
Eric joined her now, the two of them saying the words together.
“I commit to you all that I own and all that I am—body, heart, and soul. I promise that you will be the source of my pleasure—and my solace in times of pain. I promise to share your dreams and your fears, to comfort you and shield you from harm, and to show you respect, love, and devotion through all the joys and struggles of our lives together. Most of all, I promise to be your faithful and true friend, honoring you above all others, from this moment until my dying breath.”
His gaze went soft. “Is that a ‘yes’?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
He kissed her, pulling back when she broke into giggles. “What’s so funny?”
“Won’t Lexi and Austin be surprised?”
Epilogue
Eric parkedtheir new SUV and the two of them climbed out, Vic feeling more than a little nervous. They walked hand-in-hand toward the terminal, a cold November wind blowing in from the northwest.
“If he says another word about you signing a postnuptial agreement, I’m going to ask him to leave. He and James can spend Thanksgiving somewhere else.”
Her father hadn’t reacted well to the news of their marriage. First, he’d asked her if she was pregnant, then he’d immediately suggested an annulment. He’d even consulted an attorney on her behalf about drawing up a postnup to make sure that Eric couldn’t get his hands on her money.
And now her father and brother were coming to stay in Scarlet—for a week.
“Cut him some slack. He’s your dad. He’s just trying to look out for you.”
“He all but accused you of marrying me for money.” She’d been furious and had almost hung up on him.
Eric gave her the look he saved for moments when he thought she was being too emotional. “If I had a beautiful daughter who was independently wealthy and stood to inherit a fortune—and one day I just might—I’d probably have those same worries, particularly if she married some small-town guy out of the blue.”