Page 40 of The Texan's Baby Proposal

“Half an hour,” she said and walked with him to their rooms, leaving him to go into her suite and close the door.

When they returned from their visit, she knew he would bring up moving in with him again before the evening was over. Had her decision changed since this morning in Downly? She’d better make up her mind once and for all and stick with it. Vacillating wasn’t helping anyone. “No” was the safe and smart thing to tell him. Did she want to risk her heart for sex with Marc or did she want to play it safe as she had promised herself she would do?

No pressure. Only her future was at stake.

Eight

Marc laughed as he went to his room. He was having fun with Lara, but he was serious when he urged her to move in with him. He wanted her in his bed, in his arms at night. He wanted to hold her and make love and have her with him. He had surprised himself when he blurted out the invitation to move in with him.

He hadn’t given it thought ahead of time—something so unlike himself that he had been shocked. She was changing him, changing his life. He had a feeling she wasn’t trying to do so, it was just happening with her around.

He also had a feeling that he was a small part of her life, not the focus, which was something that usually didn’t happen to him with his women friends. Lara had plans for her life, goals. She was more interested in adding Doctor to her name than Mrs. And he’d best remember that, he reminded himself. Despite his physical attraction to her, she was not the woman for him with her drive to tie her life to her work.

But the sex...

The sex he’d had with Lara had been the best he’d ever experienced. Another shocker. She was intensely responsive and she had an enthusiasm for lovemaking that made everything more exciting and sexy.

He realized he better change his train of thought because he had to get ready to go see his grandparents, and thinking about sex with Lara wasn’t the way to do it.

In twenty minutes, dressed in gray slacks and a charcoal sport coat, he went down to the great room to wait for Lara. He stood when he heard her heels and she swept into the room, taking his breath away.

“Oh, you do know how to dress for my grandparents,” he said, looking at her bright blue dress. The neckline was high, which would please his grandmother. The hemline was high, too, which would please his grandpa. She wore the necklace he had given her, and high-heeled blue pumps, and her hair fell freely around her face.

“You look stunning,” he said quietly.

“Thank you. You look very nice yourself.”

He pulled on the cuffs of his white dress shirt, the gold cufflinks catching glints of sunlight. Then he took her arm and led her down the hall. “They’re looking forward to seeing us. I talked to Grandma. She repeated how glad they are to be home. She thanked me for getting them home.”

“I’m glad, Marc. Does it worry you that our marriage won’t be permanent like he wants?”

“No, because he shouldn’t tell me to get a wife and get married in one month. He wasn’t himself and he wasn’t thinking it through. I know he always thinks he knows what’s best for me, but I’m a grown man and I can make my own choices. Anyway, you and I have worked things out, and we’ll be happy and he’s happy. And, once again, this is nice of you to come with me to see them.”

“Oh, sure. That’s a small thing.”

“Maybe, but I just want you to know I appreciate it.”

He held the door as she stepped into his pickup, and he couldn’t help but glance down at her endless legs.

When they arrived at his grandparents’ place, they greeted his grandmother first. When Marc held her shoulders lightly and kissed her cheek, she felt so frail, it made his heart lurch.

“Would Grandpa like to see both of us or just me?”

“Both of you, of course,” his grandmother answered. “Come with me and we’ll say hello. He’ll want to see your beautiful bride,” she said, smiling at Lara who smiled in return.

“Thank you, Mrs. Ruiz.”

After greeting the nurse on duty, they stepped into a room with the sound of a monitor beeping, keeping track of Marc’s grandfather’s vital signs.

“Hi, Grandpa,” Marc said, taking Lara’s arm and moving to the bed.

“Marc and his bride are here to see you, Papa,” Grandma said, and he waved his hand.

“Get a chair.”

“I have a chair. Lara, would you like to sit here?” Marc asked.

She said hello to his grandfather and sat in the chair near the bed. Marc stood behind her.

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