“What if I want to marry for love?” she volleyed back.
Ethan jerked back. “Have you ever been in love?”
Harper seemed to roll the question through her head before she answered. “No.”
“Can you think of a valid reason, other than love, not to marry me?”
She stared at him and smoothed a hand over her abdomen. “Well, we’ve only known each other just over a month. I’m not sure how stable our future can be since you started our fling based on a bikini.”
“A move I don’t regret, by the way.”
She rolled her eyes as she went on. “I don’t know where we’d live or how I’d carry on Two Sisters Design if I had to move.”
“I’d never ask you to give up your life or your dreams,” he told her. “Neither of us will have to give up anything. We can work together, we can live in your home or buy a new place. I’m flexible since I travel so much anyway, so our home can be anywhere that’s good for your business.”
“I can’t believe I’m seriously considering this,” she muttered.
“I can’t believe you’re taking so long to agree to what would be a perfect solution.”
Harper moved farther away, which wasn’t far since the room was so small. She continued to stare at him, and he could only imagine the war she was waging with herself. There wasn’t a doubt in Ethan’s mind that she’d agree. He needed her to agree. He liked things neat and tidy when it came to business, and whether he liked it or not, Harper was part of this scheme. Never in his life did he drop an innocent into his plans, but fate had other ideas for both of them now.
Trying to keep Harper safe from harm was impossible, but he planned on doing his best to protect her as much as he could. He wanted to be there for her once she found out the monster her father was. There was no way she could know already. Someone like Harper wouldn’t associate with the likes of Robert Anderson if she didn’t have to—her indignation on his behalf when he’d told her about his stepfather had made that clear.
And since she hadn’t even connected with her biological father until she was in her early twenties, it was understandable that she didn’t know him well enough to see past his respectable veneer. Ethan hated to be the one to have to reveal what a bastard Robert was.
It was best she found out now, though. Robert didn’t deserve Harper, and he sure as hell didn’t deserve a relationship with his grandchild.
“All right,” Harper finally said. “I’ll marry you.”
Ethan released a sigh of relief. Everything was falling into place, and he was one more step closer to obtaining everything he wanted...and more.
Eleven
Harper’s belly continued to roll, and she wasn’t sure if it was morning sickness that had moved into the evening hours or if she was still reeling from agreeing to Ethan’s marriage proposal yesterday.
Either way, she was out of her element with both new chapters in her life.
And her father was due here soon. Would he even take interest in the fact he was going to be a grandfather or have a son-in-law? He’d barely grasped the whole fatherhood role, so she highly doubted he’d be very interested in donning the other two hats.
Harper eased into the bright blue floor-length gown and wondered how much longer until her waistline expanded. She never thought she’d be excited about getting larger, but she was. She wanted to see that round belly, wanted to embrace the magical gift that only a woman could experience.
The shimmering material caught the light as she turned side to side in the mirror. This dress was going to make Ethan’s eyes bug out of his head. Another magical spell women possessed. Men thought they were so tough, so strong, but in reality, a woman could render them speechless with such simple things...like a killer dress. Or a red bikini.
Tonight Mirage was hosting a mock casino night, and she wanted to go mingle with the guests, maybe even get a feel for what some of them thought about the resort. You could learn quite a bit just from small talk with people, and if she simply acted like any other guest, she might just discover the likes and dislikes the others felt toward Mirage.
While her plan for renovations was pretty well set, she could adjust if necessary...especially with that generous added budget.
She’d spent last night in his penthouse...their first night since agreeing to stay together. They were starting this new life since she’d agreed to marry him.
The words still felt so foreign running through her mind. But she didn’t regret telling Ethan yes. Marriages were built on much less than what they had, as he’d pointed out.
Harper grabbed her small gold clutch from the dresser and slid her room key and red lip gloss inside. With a snap of the closure, she tucked the accessory beneath her arm and headed for the door.
The second she opened it, Harper let out a squeal and jumped back.
“Sorry.” Ethan stood there, fist raised and ready to knock.
“Perfect timing.”