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‘Because of your father’

‘Yes, and every ti work ahead of ain It made me want to protect myself But I don’t care about any of that now I’ve had tio and I don’t want to Ever If you want to go to London then I’ll go with you’

Not expecting hi like that for her, Ruby stared up at him ‘You’d really do that for me?’

‘Ruby, don’t you know by now that I’d do anything for you?’ His eyes were full of love and heat as he looked at her ‘I love you ht it was possible to love anyone That day at the beach house when I asked you to marry me—’

‘You were trying to get a rise out of me’

‘I was’ A wry sed at his lips ‘A little, but as soon as I said it part of me kneas also serious I want you, Ruby I want to be theand last thing at night, I want to be the one who makes you happier than you ever have been before and I want you beside et home from work you’ll be there, and I have to believe that you want that too or I’ll go mad’

Ruby bit her lip, hardly daring to trust that any of this was real ‘Oh, Sam, I do I do want that too, but—’

‘You’re scared’ He gently set that you have little faith in men and that I’m partly responsible for that, but letto you that men do keep their promises That I keep mine’

‘That wasn’t just your fault, Saht when you said I use work as a crutch Work has always been my safety net It was my vehicle to independence and self-sufficiency and it could never surpriseto move on when I least expected it’

‘You don’t need a safety net with me, Ruby, because I’ll never want to move on from you’

‘Oh, Sam, I love you so er, Ruby threw her arht here two years ago because I could never forget you no matter how hard I tried’

Saainst her ‘And thank God for that because I couldn’t forget you either Now, about London—’

‘I don’t really want to move to London,’ she interrupted