his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘I do. Why don’t you go first and tell me what you’ve been thinking?’
‘All right, then. I will.’ Folding her arms, she moved restlessly across the black and white tiled floor and back again. ‘Something happened when you dropped me back home on Sunday. You were going to stay for coffee, but then you suddenly changed your mind. Personally, I don’t believe your urgent departure had anything to do with work or having to return your phone messages. Something about being in my home made you uncomfortable. What was it, Drake? Did you suddenly fear I’d make some sort of demand on you that you didn’t want or perhaps didn’t feel ready to meet? Or maybe it was that you wished you hadn’t shown me where you’d grown up because it made you feel too vulnerable?’
Wincing, Drake pushed his fingers through his hair and nodded slowly. ‘I didn’t fear you making demands on me, Layla. But you’re right … I did have reservations about showing you my old home … at least the first time. The second time we went back I was less tense, because I wanted to tell you that I’d changed my mind about tearing the houses down … that I had decided to renovate instead. But when we came back here and I saw that you’d grown up in a much better part of town than I had … and in such a beautiful home … the home you share with a brother who clearly means the world to you and who clearly adores you too … I wondered what I could possibly offer you that would be an incentive for you to exchange all that simply to be with me?’
Sweeping her fringe back off her face, Layla knew her expression was genuinely stunned. ‘You seriously don’t know what you could offer me that would be an incentive to stay with you?’
His heartbeat accelerated, making it hard for him to articulate his feelings. He drew in a deep breath to steady himself. ‘Let’s look at the facts, shall we? You have a lovely home here—a home full of warm family memories that you understandably returned to when things turned sour for you in London. You’d probably never consider living in the city again, and even though I came back here to help with the town’s regeneration and improve it I’m sure you can understand why it’s not a place I would personally ever want to live in again.’
‘Going back to what you were saying before. Are you telling me that you want me to stay with you, Drake? I mean … as in living with you?’
His mouth drying, he moved across the room to stand in front of her. ‘Yes … that’s exactly what I’m saying, Layla.’
Her soft cheeks flushed rosily. ‘Why? Why do you want me to live with you?’
The blood in Drake’s veins thundered hotly in embarrassment when he realised she didn’t know. Instead of telling her how he felt, as he’d planned to do, he’d somehow lulled himself into believing she would intuit everything. Grimacing, he silently made a vow that he would never let fear and doubt stop him from confessing his true feelings to this woman ever again.
He touched his palm to her cheek and held it there, loving the sensation of her warm satin skin. ‘I want you to live with me because I’m crazy about you … crazy to the point of feeling like you’ve put me under some kind of spell. Even when I’m supposed to be working I can’t stop thinking about you. What I’m trying to tell you is that I love you, Layla. I love you more than I ever dreamed it was possible to love anyone, and I don’t want to blow my one chance at real happiness by letting you go. If you can’t live in London, and I can’t live here, then we’re just going to have to come up with some mutually agreeable compromise.’
Her beautiful dark eyes danced teasingly. ‘What makes you think I’d never consider living in London with you?’
Frowning, Drake rested his hands either side of her svelte hips and couldn’t resist the compelling urge to bring her closer into his body. ‘That low-life of a boss of yours must have hurt you badly with what he did. I perfectly understand why the memory of such a painful experience might put you off the idea of living there. I also understand why it means a lot to you to live here. For one thing, apart from the happy memories of your childhood, your brother’s here. Not only that, you’ve got a job working for him. I doubt that you’d agree to resign to come and live with me, would you?’
‘You seem to think you know a lot about what I want and don’t want, don’t you? Will you give me the chance to tell you what I want myself?’
‘Of course.’
Emitting a soft breath, Layla smiled. ‘First of all, I love you too, Drake … I didn’t know it at the time, but maybe it happened when your incredible grey eyes looked back into mine that very first time? I never dreamt I’d fall for someone so hard and so fast, and at first it scared me. It scared me a lot. But the truth is I’d live anywhere you wanted me to just so long as I could be with you. And as for Marc—I’m sure I can persuade him to rent out my flat to help him make some extra money to pay off his debts, and also to give the café some much needed redecoration.’
‘What about your job there?’
‘I was thinking I’d keep it until the town project comes to an end. I don’t mean I’ll stay living here, if you want me to move in with you sooner, but when the regeneration is complete I’ll get a job somewhere local to wherever we’re living.’ Pausing, she reached up to gently push some hair back from his forehead. ‘There’s one more thing I want to tell you. When I lost my life savings I didn’t really lose anything of value … at least not in the sense of true value. Even though I was upset and demoralised by it at the time, after I moved back here I started to realise I should be grateful for what I had … not mourn what I’d lost. And for me it’s always been the people I love that I value the most.’
Capturing her hand, Drake brought it up to his lips and planted a warm lingering kiss in the centre of her palm. ‘You are one incredible woman—you know that?’
‘No, I’m not. It’s you who’s incredible. To come back here and help bring hope and new life to the community by improving the town after your sad experiences growing up here … well, it’s beyond brave in my book. Why did you decide to take the commission, by the way? You’ve never told me.’
He thought hard for a moment, wanting to be absolutely truthful. ‘I suppose subconsciously I was looking to reinvent my relationship with the place … to bury my regrets and turn my memories into much more positive ones. When I was first contacted about working on the regeneration my instinct was not to touch it with a bargepole. But I forced myself to think more deeply about it, and in the end I decided to take it on for the very reasons I just explained. Seeing as that decision brought me to you, Layla, I’m guaranteed the good memories I always secretly craved. I never thought for one moment that I’d find the most beautiful girl in the world living here, and that I’d instantly fall in love with her, but I did … I did. It really is a dream come true.’
‘I’m just ordinary, Drake … hardly the most beautiful girl in the world.’
‘Sweetheart, you’re going to have to learn to take compliments if you’re going to be with me, because I plan to shower you with them every day throughout our long and happy marriage.’ He smiled.
This astounding announcement put Layla’s mind into a dizzying spin and made her heart clamour wildly. ‘You want to marry me?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Just as soon as it can be arranged—and I won’t be slow to pull a few favours from the official powers-that-be to help me achieve that, I promise you.’
‘There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you.’
‘What’s
