"Are you asking me to- "
"Marry me, Zoe." He hoped it helped that he was already on bended knee.
"Yes!" She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, knocking him to the floor. Her body snuggled into his, the fit perfect and right.
Since driving her to the airport over two weeks ago, he'd been holding his breath. Now he was breathing easy and damn it felt good. She felt good.
She straddled him with her knees, her flirty skirt hiked high, only a thin scrap of lace covering her underneath. She kissed him senseless, her tongue tangling with his, her hands in his hair, tugging on his scalp, without ever coming up for air.
"Mr. Baldwin- " Nadine said, stepping into his office. "Oh my gosh! I knocked, but…Oh my gosh!" she said again and started to back out of the room.
"Hold my calls," he said as she quickly slammed the door shut behind her.
He glanced at Zoe.
Her cheeks were a deep red, but she laughed aloud. "The look on Nadine's face was priceless," Zoe said.
"She won't forget to knock loudly anytime soon, that's for sure." Ryan grinned, happier than he ever remembered being and he had the woman lying on top of him to thank. "Know what I want to do now?" he asked her.
"What would that be?"
His hips jerked upward, making his plan perfectly clear. And in case Zoe wasn't sure what he meant, Ryan leaned up and whispered his intentions in her ear.
Epilogue
"WHEN YOU SAID YOU WANTED to make little Baldwin babies, I didn't think you meant right that minute!" Zoe whispered as she covered her still-flat stomach with her hand.
Once she'd left Ryan in Boston, she'd gone off the pill because of a series of headaches she'd attributed to the birth control. In reality, it had been nerves, stress, and stupidity for leaving Ryan that had caused the pain. Regardless, she'd completely forgotten about birth control after he'd proposed. It was that intense, passionate, Mediterranean blood of hers, she thought, with pleasure this time.
"I didn't hear you complaining," Ryan replied. "In fact I distinctly remember you screaming with pleasure. If I hadn't covered your mouth with mine, Nadine would have come running back in and then where would we be?"
Zoe chuckled.
"Shh!" Ari glanced over her shoulder and reprimanded them in her most professorial tone. "We're in church and the wedding's supposed to start any minute."
They were all at Connor's wedding to his fiancée, Maria, two people who'd worked hard to come to this point in their lives. Zoe still recalled how they'd fought their feelings at first. And look how well things had worked out for them, too.
Zoe grinned, but, duly chastised by her twin, she settled down. Her hand remained on her stomach while Ryan placed his warm palm over hers.
Seconds later, Maria and Connor's wedding processional began. Sam, dressed in a gorgeous burgundy dress, walked down the aisle looking older than her fourteen years.
Ryan sucked in a breath and Zoe knew he was seeing shades of his sister in his beautiful niece. But he could rest easy knowing Sam would have a happier life than Faith had had.
Next came Joe, Maria's son, followed by Connor, the groom. A glowing Maria walked down the aisle with Quinn by her side.
The lump in Zoe's throat grew larger as she remembered her own wedding a few weeks ago. As intimate a family affair as she could manage by Costas standards, the day had been filled with magic moments.
Including the spectacle caught on video camera, when Spank the monkey had attempted to dance with Ryan's mother. After both Vivian and Grandma Edna turned her down, Spank mooned them both. Zoe still cringed at the memory. It had taken Zoe a long time to calm the monkey down while Ryan had seen to his grandmother with the smelling salts she kept on her at all times.
Zoe held in laughter, then cried happy tears as Maria and Connor said I do. Later that afternoon, after the reception at Paradeisos, the couple left on their honeymoon.
Ryan glanced at Zoe and she couldn't mistake the love in his eyes. "Want to tell Ari and Quinn?" he asked, like the proud, expectant father he was.
They'd kept the news of her pregnancy quiet up until now, not wanting to spoil the wedding. But after today's trip to the doctor, no way could she remain silent any longer. "I didn't want to upstage the bride and groom, but now that they're gone- "
"I thought Maria and Connor would never leave," Ari said, coming up to Zoe, dragging Quinn along with her.
"Hey," Quinn said to Ryan who shook the other man's hand.
Zoe couldn't help but notice that the hard-edged ex-cop had developed a grudging respect for Ryan, especially since he'd let the Costases' adoption of Sam go through.
"We have news," Ari said, excitedly.
"So do we." Zoe laughed. "You first."
"No you," Ari said.
Zoe shook her head. "No you."
Quinn rolled his eyes. "Women," he muttered.
"We're having twins," both Quinn and Ryan said at the exact same time and loudly enough to be heard over the music, chatter and the sisters' bickering.
All the talking in the room seemed to come to a halt.
"Our babies are having babies!" Elena said, her voice cracking.
She strode forward with Nicholas, their gazes encompassing both daughters. Elena kissed first Zoe's cheek, then Ari's, then repeated the gesture kissing Ari first and next Zoe again.
"Aah, that Costas sperm is potent!" Nicholas slapped each man on the back.
"Don't you think someone ought to explain the facts of life to him?" Ryan asked.
Zoe laughed. "And ruin the moment where he takes all the credit?"
Quinn shook his head. "Unbelievable," he said, but his joy and pride were evident.
As Zoe glanced around the diner where she'd practically grown up, she took in the faces of the people she loved most and decided at that moment, she was the luckiest woman on the face of the earth.
About the Author
Carly Phillips started her writing career with the Harlequin Temptation line in 1999 with Brazen and she's never strayed far from home! Carly has since published more than 15 books and hit the New York Times bestseller list with her famous "Reading with Ripa" pick, the first romance ever chosen for a nationally televised book club, The Bachelor, and its sequel, The Playboy.
Carly lives in Purchase, New York, with her husband, two daughters and frisky soft-coated Wheaten terrier, who acts like their third child. When she's not spending time with her family, Carly is busy writing, promoting and playing online! To learn more about this quickly rising star of romance, you can write her at: P.O. Box 483, Purchase, NY 10577.
