late for what, he wasn’t sure, but the sense of urgency wouldn’t be denied.
He dialed Mitch’s number, hoping and praying the college kid had another exam coming up. Or at the very least, wasn’t already out partying on a Saturday night.
And if Mitch wasn’t home, he’d call every babysitter he knew until he found someone who would come over. Because he desperately needed to see Molly again.
She deserved to know the truth.
He loved her!
Molly was reading in bed, finding it difficult to focus on the murder mystery while trying not to think about Dan. When her apartment buzzer sounded, she started badly. With a frown she pulled on her robe over her pajamas and went over to the intercom. “Who is it?”
“It’s Dan—will you please let me come up?”
Dan? What on earth was he doing here? She glanced helplessly over her shoulder at her messy apartment, but pushed the intercom button again. “Uh, sure. Come on up.” She pushed the middle button, which unlocked the door, and then ran her fingers through her tousled hair.
She probably looked awful in her ratty robe and no makeup, but there wasn’t time to make herself look presentable. Besides, why should she care what she looked like? She’d spent the last two hours trying to forget about Dan and Josh, convinced she’d done the right thing by walking away. Giving them the time they needed. That they deserved.
So why was he here?
He rapped on her apartment door, startling her from her thoughts. Full of apprehension, she opened the door. “Hi, is Josh okay?”
“He was still sleeping when I left.” Dan stepped inside, forcing her back a few steps, and then closed the door behind him. “Thanks for letting me come up. I really need to talk to you.”
She glanced at him uncertainly. “Dan, I’m not sure there’s anything more to say—” she began.
“I love you,” he interrupted.
She blinked, opened her mouth and then closed it again. Was she dreaming? She must be because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Somehow she managed to find her voice. “Excuse me?”
“I love you.” He took a step toward her, and she instinctively took a step back. “I love you, Molly Shriver. I know you think I need to concentrate on my relationship with my son, and I will. But I don’t want to lose you, either.”
Her knees went weak and she tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. She desperately wanted to believe him, but what if she was wrong? “I don’t understand.”
“Then I can’t be saying it right,” he muttered, and before she realized what he was about to do he pulled her into his arms and slanted his mouth over hers in a hot, deep kiss.
She melted against him, wanting to be in his arms more than she wanted to breathe. When he lifted his head a few moments later, she swallowed a protest.
“I love you, Molly,” he said again, for the fourth time. And, heaven help her, she was actually starting to believe him. No one, not even James, had ever looked so serious and sincere when saying those three little words. Dan’s love beamed from his heart up to his eyes. “You’ve brought sunshine and joy back into my life. I know I don’t deserve you, but I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”
The conviction in his voice and the expression of hope on his face shook her to the core. Here was this dear man who’d never had anyone love him offering his heart to her. She felt awed and humbled to be on the receiving end of such a gift. “Oh, Dan—you haven’t lost me. I was only going to give you and Josh some time to be together, that’s all.” She realized that by walking out on him she’d done the same thing as his ex-wife. She couldn’t prevent her eyes from filling with happy tears. “I love you, too, Dan. So much that it scares me.”
“You do?” He looked almost afraid to believe her. “My career is time-consuming, but I want you to know that I plan to put my family first. You and Josh will always come first.”
“I know your patients need you, Dan. Josh and I will always support you, no matter what, because we love you.”
“Molly …” His voice broke and he swept her into his arms again, burying his face in her hair. “I love you so much.”
Before she could say anything more he picked her up, strode into her bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.
The next week passed in a blur as the work that had stacked up while Dan had been away now teetered over him like a potential avalanche. He didn’t get nearly enough time to sneak over to share lunch with Molly or to get home in time to share dinner with Josh.
Thankfully, he wasn’t on call the following weekend and was determined to make up for lost time with Molly and Josh by inviting her over for dinner on Friday night.
He was grateful to Gemma, who’d made a beautiful pan of lasagna, which meant all he had to do was to toss a salad together and open a bottle of wine.
He was nervous because he’d purchased an engagement ring and was planning to ask Molly to marry him. Tonight. Which was probably rushing it.
He should wait. But he didn’t want to. He wanted the whole world to know she belonged to him.
When the door buzzer went, his heart leaped into his throat. “I’ll get it,” Josh shouted, as he hurled his wheelchair toward the door.
“Hi, Josh. Hi, Dan,” Molly said, as she stepped into the living room.
Conscious of Josh’s keen gaze, Dan gave her a quick kiss, despite how badly he wanted to linger. “Hi, Molly.”
“Something smells delicious.” Her warm gaze, full of love, settled his nerves. “What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Nothing. I have everything ready to go.”
As they wandered into the kitchen, she asked his son about his day, listening intently as Josh described how he’d managed to pull a B on his latest math test. As Dan poured the wine and then started the salad, he found he enjoyed listening to them.
“Mitch helped me a lot,” Josh said. “Some of the mistakes I made were stupid.”
“Well, don’t beat yourself up over them,” she chided. “Just remember next time to go slowly and double-check your work.”
As they sat down for dinner, Dan was struck by how much they already seemed like a family. His love for Molly overwhelmed him.
When they’d finished the meal, he took the dirty dishes into the kitchen, leaving Molly and Josh alone. When he returned a few minutes later he stopped in the doorway when he heard Molly talking to his son. “Josh, I have something very important to ask you.”
“You do?” Josh’s eyes widened, as if sensing the seriousness in her tone. Dan stood stock-still, just out of sight, wondering what she was about to say.
“Yes.” Molly actually looked nervous as she took Josh’s hand in hers. “Josh, I love you. And I love your dad. I want to
