convinced you you’re wrong about that.”
She had to chuckle at that, since her body was still buzzing from his careful attention to detail. “I mean, what you want is family. You just found out about the girls and you want them in your life, I understand that. But this isn’t about me.”
He took a breath and blew it out before saying quietly, “The first time I saw you, you were about seven years old, I think.”
“What?”
“My parents took me to dinner at Claire’s restaurant and I saw you at another table with Brad and your folks….”
She scooted out from under his touch and braced her back against the headboard. “I don’t see what any of this has to do with—”
“I remember,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “because I was ten years old and didn’t much like girls. But then I saw you. Your long blond hair was pulled back by a pink headband and you were wearing a white dress with ruffles. You looked like a pretty doll sitting there with your hands folded in your lap.”
A pretty doll. Funny, Sadie told herself, that was how she’d felt most of her life. Not that her parents hadn’t loved her, but she had never really been allowed to be a child. She was always in a dress. Always told to sit up straight. Always expected to be perfect.
Which was why she’d made sure her daughters owned more pairs of play pants than they did dresses. At least until Rick came long.
“And I remember the waitress hurrying past your table and she spilled a Coke. It dropped onto your lap and I can still see your reaction in my mind.”
“Oh, God,” she whispered, “I remember that.”
She hadn’t thought about it in years. Now that she had though, the day came back in a rush of memories that had her cringing inside.
Rick sat up beside her, tucked a pillow behind her back and then took her hand in his. “You didn’t shout or scream in surprise. You just sat there, your white, lacy lap filled with dark brown cola and you cried.” His thumb moved back and forth across her hand. “Big, silent tears, while your mom rushed to clean you up and the waitress babbled apologies. Your dad didn’t even look at you, he just took Brad and led him outside.”
“He never did like scenes,” Sadie whispered.
They were having Sunday dinner at Claire’s because her father considered it good business to frequent local establishments. He always said, they were the Price family and it was up to them to set an example for others. He said that it was important that people think well of them so they were always to be on their best behavior.
When they got home that night, her father had made a point of telling her that she had comported herself well by not throwing a hissy fit in the diner. He said it was all the waitress’s fault, but that everyone in town would be talking about what a perfect lady Sadie was.
A lady.
At seven.
It had been a stifling way to grow up, Sadie thought now.
“You were still a beauty at sixteen,” he said, leaning down now to plant a kiss on her forehead.
Relieved to have a change of subject, Sadie laughed. “Oh, please. You never knew I was alive when we were teenagers.”
“That right?” He dropped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him. “I was playing basketball with some guys one day at the park when you walked by with Abby and a couple of other girls. Don’t remember who they were, because my memory’s all about you. Your hair was long and you had it pulled back into a ponytail. You were wearing white pants and a red top and you were smiling at something. And I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”
“You’re making that up.”
“I called your name and threw the basketball to you. You were surprised, but you caught it. Then you looked at me like you didn’t have a clue what to do next and you just set the damn thing down on the grass and walked away.”
Her heart softened at his words as she realized that he had noticed her all those years ago. And she wondered what might have happened between them if she’d had enough courage back then to actually talk to him.
“Oh, God, I remember that, too.” She laughed a little uneasily. “I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to throw it back to you, but I was afraid I’d do it wrong and look foolish in front of everyone. So I didn’t do it at all. It’s the Price way,” she told him softly. “Always worry about what people will think.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, “wasn’t my point.”
“What is the point then, Rick?” Yes, knowing that he noticed her was lovely, but talking about the past didn’t change the future.
“You were always the unattainable, beautiful Sadie Price,” he told her.
“I was,” she said softly, shaking her head at the swarm of memories his words had created. “My parents put me on a shelf and kept me there until I was old enough to marry the ‘right’ man. Of course, he turned out to be all wrong.”
“Maybe,” he answered, “what you need to do is marry the ‘wrong’ man who might turn out to be just right.”
She looked at him. “You just don’t give up, do you?”
“I’m a marine, darlin’. We never surrender.”
“God, why are you so stubborn?”
“When I see something I want, I go get it.”
“Why me?”
“Hell, have you seen you? You’re beautiful. Smart. Sexy as hell. And, oh, yeah. The mother of my children.”
“There it is again,” she said, pushing out of his arms. Sliding to the edge of the bed, she got up and walked to the window overlooking the front yard. Then she turned and speared him with a hard look. “That’s the real reason for your pursuit. For your proposals.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t want to be the next duty you pick up and shoulder because you think it’s the right thing to do. I want to be wanted for me.”
Now he pushed off the bed and stalked to her side. “I just proved to you that I do want you.”
“Rick, we’re arguing in circles,” Sadie said, laying both hands on his bare chest. “We don’t agree. We’re not going to agree. So can we just at least drop it?”
He sighed, then pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. “We can do that. I don’t want to waste what we’ve got fighting over what we don’t. So yeah, we can drop it. For now.”
She closed her eyes as she laid her head on his chest. That wasn’t a concession, she knew. Rick wasn’t the kind of man who would give up and walk away from what he perceived as his duty.
But for tonight at least,
