An Act of Persuasion(103)
“Although effective,” he drawled.
“You shouldn’t have kept that information from me. That still stands. But it wasn’t the reason I told you to go.”
“Why are you so scared?”
“Because I didn’t think anyone would ever love me. Which is baggage I didn’t even know I had. I loved you so much that it completely freaked me out.”
“I love you.”
She lifted her head and kissed his chin. “Really? Truly?”
“Madly. Deeply.”
“I don’t know,” she said, settling her head back against his shoulder. “If a man really loves a woman who, oh, by the way, happens to be the mother of his only child, you would think he might propose marriage.”
Ben could feel his blood pressure elevate until he felt more than heard her laughing against his body. Nothing she loved better than to ruffle him. She would spend the rest of her life trying to do that, and he would love that, too.
“Anna?”
“Yes, Ben.”
“Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
“Geesh. You just moved in with me and already we’re talking about marriage?”
“Anna?”
“Yes, Ben.”
“You are not funny.”
This time he heard her laugh. “Okay. Because I love you. And because you obviously have plans to never leave my side again, I guess I will marry you.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you falling asleep after we’ve just declared our love?”
He was. It felt so good, too. As though he’d never truly known what it was to sleep as a man completely satisfied with his life. “Anna. I can feel it now. I’m finally cured.”
She brushed his neck with her lips. “Me, too.”
EPILOGUE
THE MEETING HAD been arranged. Ben made the call to Jennifer, explained who he was and asked if she would be interested in meeting with her daughter. Anna had listened to the conversation over the speaker phone and, in the silence between when Ben had finally asked if she would like to meet her daughter and Jennifer’s answer, Anna thought her heart was going to burst.
Then Jennifer, in a shaky voice clearly filled with emotion, had asked if Anna knew what she’d done.
Ben explained that Anna was aware of the circumstances of her incarceration and that she still wanted to meet. In the interest of keeping the visit short and giving Anna an easy out if she felt she needed it, Ben had suggested they meet at the coffee shop next to the Big Foods store where Jennifer worked. This would define the boundaries of the encounter, ensuring it would last no longer than half an hour, which was the length of Jennifer’s lunch break.
Now Anna sat in the coffee shop, Kelly asleep in her stroller beside her, wondering if she hadn’t made a mistake. There was no reason Anna needed to meet this woman. Their family tie had been broken years ago. Given what she’d done to her father, Anna had every reason to go the rest of her life without ever acknowledging the woman who gave birth to her.
“Calm down.”
Ben placed two cups of steaming tea on the small table. Winter had hit the East Coast full force this past weekend. Not only was the ground covered with a couple inches of snow, but it also felt as though the temperature had dropped again.
“I shouldn’t have brought the baby out. It’s too cold. What if it starts snowing? We shouldn’t be on the road. We should have rescheduled.”
Ben pointed to the sleeping child. “She’s wearing fifteen layers of clothing. She would be comfortably warm in the Arctic right now. There is no prediction for snow in the forecast. You’re only nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Anna lied, even as her leg jiggled under the table. “I mean, she’s probably more nervous to see me than I am her, right? Do you think I’ll remember what she looks like?”
“I don’t know. Six is young, but maybe not too young.”
“Right.”
The door to the shop opened, but a man walked in rubbing his hands as if to reinforce Anna’s concern that she’d brought her seven-week-old baby out in horrible, freezing conditions. Was this an indication she was a bad mother?
“Do you want me to distract you?”
That probably wouldn’t happen, but she liked that he made the offer. “Go for it.”
“I’ve decided it’s time for us to consummate our marriage.”