Hold Me (Fool's Gold #16)(79)

He and Destiny followed the path for a quarter mile before it branched out in two directions. He pointed to the left. There was no way of knowing which way Cassidy had chosen, but that was part of the fun.

The underbrush was thick, the air sweet with flowers and a light breeze. It was already warm and would get hotter as the day progressed.

Funny how a year ago he’d been lying in a hospital in New Zealand, drugged and broken, talking to Mayor Marsha about taking a job in a place he’d never heard of, and now he was here. A lot had changed. He’d given up skiing for good and while some days he had regrets, most of the time he was able to deal with what had happened. Had it been his choice? No. But he’d managed to move on. Sure he still wanted to battle the mountain, but he never would. He could accept that and live happily, or he could be bitter forever. The choice was his.

Somehow in the past couple of months, he’d started moving toward the former. Maybe it was time healing or maybe it was Destiny. Being around her made him feel better about everything.

It wasn’t love. He wasn’t willing to reduce what they had to empty words. Instead, he found himself wanting to be there for her. To take care of her. He knew she felt the same way. Destiny believed in action. Look at how she’d stepped up with Starr. They didn’t need love. They had each other and mutual respect. Even more important, they were going to have a child.

“We’d do well together.”

Destiny swung around to face him, nearly tripping as she turned. He reached out and steadied her.

“This is us not talking about it?” she asked.

“I changed my mind.”

“You don’t have to marry me,” she told him.

“I want to.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re having a baby. We’re both traditional enough to want to be part of a family. We could make that happen.”

He had no idea what she was thinking. She didn’t look away, and she didn’t say no.

“I have Starr.”

“I know. She’s part of the deal. Having us get married will give her a sense of stability. You won’t have to do everything yourself. You can depend on me, Destiny.”

Her mouth twisted. “You’re not going to try to convince me you love me?”

“No. I will tell you that we have a lot in common. I understand why you keep your passions buried, and I’m okay with that. But when you have to let loose and throw a few plates, I’m good at ducking.”

“I would never throw a plate.”

“You talked about it.”

“Not the same as doing it.” She drew in a breath. “You’re going to want sex, aren’t you?”

He did his best not to smile. “Yes, I am.”

“A lot?”

“It depends on your definition of a lot.”

She nodded, as if she’d expected the answer. “I’m not going to like it, but you can do it whenever you want. I won’t say no.”

Now he did smile. “Thank you for that.”

She had no idea what she was getting into, he thought humorously. Giving him as much access as he wanted. Once they were married, he would make sure she found out what all the fuss was about. Based on what he’d seen so far, Destiny was hiding more passion than even she was aware of. Unleashed, she would be unstoppable. And he couldn’t wait to get in the way.

“If you still want to marry me,” she said with a sigh, “then I’m saying yes. For the baby and for Starr.”

“Good. Sooner is probably better than later. Say toward the end of this week?”

She nodded. “Then we should probably get back to finding Cassidy.”

He pointed to the path. “I’m right here behind you.”

* * *

DESTINY HADN’T EXPECTED that a wedding could be pulled together in less than forty-eight hours, but it turned out it could. The fact that there were no guests helped. As did holding it in Mayor Marsha’s office in City Hall, with only the bride, groom, Shelby and Starr attending. Bailey, the mayor’s assistant, and Shelby were the witnesses. Before Destiny could catch her breath, she was married.

When Mayor Marsha smiled and said, “You may now kiss your bride,” Destiny realized she felt nothing. She was totally numb—both emotionally and physically. Kipling’s lips barely registered. After, when everyone congratulated her, she was pretty sure she smiled and said the right things, but it was all happening from a great distance.

The next couple of hours passed in a blur. Shelby was going to stay with Starr for the night while Destiny and Kipling had a mini honeymoon at Ronan’s Lodge. Destiny was aware of packing her overnight duffel and hugging her sister. There was a short drive to the lodge and the business of checking in. Then she was standing in the middle of a pretty hotel suite wondering what on earth she’d been thinking. About all of it.

The living room of the suite was bright and nicely decorated. A happy combination of sophisticated and comfortable. Beyond the open door, she could see into the bedroom. Technically, all she could see was the bed, but that was enough. Because she knew what was coming next.

The price of her one moral misstep gleamed on her left hand. A simple gold band. One Kipling had surprised her with during the ceremony. Because she hadn’t thought about rings. Or much else. In fact, since saying yes to his proposal, she hadn’t thought much at all.