was nothing objectionable, or even questionable in Gillian’s past. Her parents hadn’t stayed together and neither had been interested in raising her, but they’d entered into a short businesslike marriage prior to her birth and hadn’t filed for divorce until a year after.
“I may as well hang up now, your mind is clearly in the clouds again, child,” Nana said over the phone line.
Gillian shoved her blond hair behind her ear and adjusted the phone. “I’m sorry, Nana. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know. You get to thinking about Maks and the rest of your brain shuts off, especially the part attached to your ears.”
“It’s not that bad.”
Her grandmother’s snort said the older woman did not agree. “You make that boy tell you that he loves you before you agree to be his wife.”
“He’s hardly a boy, Nana.” Gillian had made the same protest before, but to little effect.
“I’m seventy-five years old, Gillian. He’s a boy to me.”
“Some people never say those words,” Gillian pointed out, returning to the subject she knew her grandmother considered most important.
“Some people have less sense than God gave a gnat then.”
“Rich doesn’t say it, but he loves me.” Even as she said the words, Gillian knew she wasn’t actually certain that they were true.
Her father wasn’t an affectionate or demonstrative man. Rich Harris had made little more than a moderate effort to be part of her life, but he’d also been the one to make sure she had two people to raise her who loved and cared for her. The two dear people who had raised him.
“Your daddy is an idiot, no matter what those Pulitzer Prize people say.”
Gillian laughed, knowing her grandmother didn’t mean the words. Nana was hugely proud of her world famous son and still held out the hope that one day he would take on the role of Gillian’s father.
That ship had sailed a long time ago, but Gillian would never say so to the older woman.
She owed too much to Nana to hurt her in any way. “Don’t you let him hear you say that. He’ll take back the motor home.”
“I’d like to see him try. I still have a wooden spoon and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Gillian couldn’t help more laughter at that. Nana’d had the same fabled wooden spoon all the years of her growing up, too, but her backside had never felt the flat side of it.
“I swear, I don’t know what makes that boy of mine think like he does.”
“He’s fine, Nana. His dreams didn’t include having a family. That doesn’t make him bad.”
“Well, he has a daughter, whether he dreamed you up or not.”
“I know.” She’d spent her whole life knowing that while she had not been precisely wanted, both her parents had given her the gift of life and that was as far as the sacrifice was ever going to go.
“I don’t like to see you settling,” Nana said in that tone Gillian hated.
It was the I-worry-about-you-child-I-really-do tone and it came five minutes before Nana decided she needed to give up whatever adventure she and Papa were on to fly back to Seattle and check in on her granddaughter.
“I’m fine, Nana. Better than fine.” She was on the verge of getting engaged to the man she loved with her whole heart. “I don’t need the words.”
And she didn’t. She needed the actions. She needed Maks to put her first, to treat her like she mattered and he did that. His life was both high-profile and extremely busy, but Maks didn’t cancel dates, he didn’t show up late, and he didn’t dismiss her interests or her career as a studio photographer.
“Hmmph.”
That sound was almost as concerning as the older woman’s tone earlier. It implied that Nana would be having a talk with Maks.
Gillian sighed. The man would have to be strong enough to withstand a talking-to, or ten, if they were going to be married.
“Are you and Papa enjoying Vegas?” she asked, hoping to turn to the topic.
“He lost money at the blackjack tables, but I won on the slots.” The glee in her grandmother’s tone brought a smile to Gillian’s face.
“Is Rich still meeting you two for dinner next week?”
“He hasn’t texted us to cancel.” Nana’s lack of fondness for texting came through in the way she said the word.
“Good.”
“I suppose we’ll have good news to tell him.”
“I think so.” The doorbell rang. “That’s him, I’ve got to go.”
“You call us tomorrow, you hear?”
“Yes, Nana.” With news.
Smiling, Gillian rushed to answer the door summons. her gaze fell on the manila envelope with the results from her latest physical. She hadn’t read it yet, but didn’t expect anything surprising.
Gillian had her physical yearly, something her father had insisted on since she’d nearly died from appendicitis at the age of sixteen. She chose to see it as proof of affection he never gave voice to.
Maks looked serious and devastatingly attractive in his black Armani suit as Gillian pulled the door open.
She smiled up at all six feet four inches of muscular male towering confidently in her doorway. “You’re early.”
“And yet you are ready. You are no ordinary woman, Gillian Harris.” He didn’t return her smile, but his espresso-brown eyes traveled down her body like a caress.
He always did that, making her feel like all the super models in the world wouldn’t take his attention from her decidedly normal blond hair, blue eyes, average height and curves.
She stepped back to let him in. “Nana didn’t stand for tardiness.”
“And here I believed you were so eager to see me, you could not wait to get dressed,” he teased.
She grinned up at him. “That, too.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, his lips brushing hers in polite greeting. She returned the kiss, letting her mouth open just slightly because she liked the feel of their breath mingling.
He made an inarticulate sound and deepened the kiss, pulling her body flush to his as he maneuvered them back into her apartment. As so often happened when they kissed, time stopped moving for her and the only thing her consciousness registered was the feel of his lips on hers and his hard body so close.
When he pulled back, they were both breathing a little heavily.
His
