Page 80 of Take My Hand

I burst out laughing, and when Sam’s mouth dropped open, Louise joined in.

“You stupid bugger,” she said, giggling. “As if. Those kids adore you, for some reason I can’t fathom.”

Sam turned to me. “Ignore my stupid wife. It’s her they think is a knob head.”

The laughter around the table was loud, and it just added to the warmth I’d been feeling for weeks. I had an incredible daughter, fantastic friends and a gorgeous woman who seemed to think I was worth the effort.

As if thinking about Maya conjured her up, my phone shrilled out with her name flashing.

Louise almost dived across the table to get a look at my phone, while Sam bounced in his seat.

“It’s her,” he gasped, pointing at my phone. “Louise, it’s her.”

“Answer it, answer it.”

I shook my head, picked up my phone and stood up. “You two are fucking weird. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Trying not to look like I was rushing, I walked into the hallway and answered the call.

“Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hiya,” she sounded breathless and happy. At least, I hoped she did, and I hoped it was because she was talking to me.

“I wasn’t expecting you to call me.” I glanced at clock on the wall, next to a large family photograph, where they were all dressed in white and laughing.

“I have ten minutes before a meeting, so what better way to spend it than speaking to you.”

I blew out a breath, wondering how the hell I’d been so lucky. If I’d have skipped the stag do, or we’d left that bar a few minutes earlier… I didn’t even want to think about it.

“I’m glad you did.” I leaned against the wall. “I’ve missed you.”

“I spoke to you last night.” She giggled, and I loved the sound of it, loved the warmth it spread through me.

“Still missed you.” I sighed, knowing I probably sounded like a stupid idiot, but I didn’t care. “So how can I help you, Miss Mackenzie?”

“How do you know I want something?”

“I don’t, just guessing. So, do you? Want something?”

She paused and let out a shaky breath. “Yes, but that’s not something I think we should talk about now. Maybe leave that until the weekend.”

Instantly my dick went hard at the prospect, at the idea of what the possibilities were. “Yeah, perhaps we should.” I readjusted myself and leaned forward to look through the doorway to check that Louise and Sam weren’t listening. I heard her hiss at him to be quiet, so I moved further down the hall towards the kitchen, where I could be alone, except for their cat, Dennis. “How’s your day been so far?”

“Great. We got a new contract, but that wasn’t why I called you.”

“Why did you, then? And please don’t say for phone sex because I’m currently in my best friend’s kitchen, watching their cat lick its own arse.”

She laughed again and then whispered, “It wasn’t for that, seeing as I’m in the office kitchen, currently watching Jamie from accounts shovel a huge plate of noodles into his mouth.”

“Wow, sounds delightful.”

“It is. Very sloppy and extremely nauseating.” She giggled. “What I really called you for is to ask you something.”

If she asked me to marry her, I knew I’d actually think about it. When I thought aboutthat,I blinked, wondering what the hell was going on in my head.

“Go on, then.”

She took a breath and then said, “You know it’s Charlie’s wedding next Friday?”

---