“Did he know about his offspring?”
“Every one of them,” she confirmed, nodding.
The frown on his handsome face left no doubt that Zach didn’t approve of what her father had done. Not in the least. “Did he offer to help these women raise his children?”
“No.”
“What the hell was he thinking?” Zach shook his head disgustedly. “How can a man just walk away from his kids and never be there for them or at the very least, see that their basic needs are met?”
“I don’t know.” She took a bite of her vegetables. “Apparently, being an irresponsible liar who preyed on women unfortunate enough to fall in love with him was one of my father’s biggest character flaws.”
Rising from his seat, Zach came around the table to her side, then, straddling the bench, took her into his arms. “I give you my word that I’ll always be there for you and our children.”
“You’re going to be a great dad,” she observed.
He nodded. “Or die trying.” His warm smile caused her to tingle all over. “And I know you’re going to be the best mom any kid could ever have.”
“I’m going to do my best,” she vowed, returning his smile.
A sudden gust of wind threatened to sweep their lunch off the table and, looking up, Arielle realized it was going to start raining soon. “I’m pretty sure we’re about to get wet.”
“We’d better pack up the picnic and head back to the truck,” he responded, getting to his feet.
“Good idea.” She hurried to help him gather up everything and put it back into the insulated backpack. “I may start waddling like a duck soon, but I just don’t seem to have the same fondness for getting wet.”
Laughing, Zach caught her hand in his and hurried her toward the parking lot. “Besides not wanting you to get wet, we need to get back to the house, anyway.”
“Why?”
“I have a couple of things I need to take care of for this evening and you need a nap.”
When he helped her into the passenger seat, his grin sent shivers of anticipation through her and she knew he was up to something. She waited until he rounded the front of the SUV, then slid into the driver’s seat before asking, “What do you have up your sleeve this time?”
There was enough wattage in his wide smile to light the entire city of Dallas. “You’ll have to wait and see. But trust me, darlin’. You’re going to love it.”
“Oh, Zach, I absolutely love this,” Arielle said as she closed her eyes and savored the last cold bite of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Seated across from her in the restaurant at his Dallas resort, she could hear the smile in his voice. “I thought you might. That’s why I had it flown up here from the ice cream shop on the River Walk in San Antonio.”
Opening her eyes, she sputtered. “I can’t believe you did that. I wouldn’t have known the difference if you’d had the kitchen staff open a carton from the local grocery store.”
“But I would. Besides, I promised I’d get that ice cream for you.” The tender look in his dark green gaze stole her breath as he reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “And unless there’s a damned good reason, I always keep my promises, darlin’.”
“Always?” she asked, knowing he was referring to something far more important than ice cream.
Nodding, he continued to hold her hand as he rose to his feet. “Come with me, Arielle.”
“Where are we going?” she asked as they walked out of the restaurant and into the hotel lobby.
“Somewhere a little more private,” he explained, whispering close to her ear. When they reached the doors of the indoor courtyard, he smiled. “Close your eyes.”
“You’re certainly being mysterious about this.”
He leaned down to brush his lips over hers. “Just another little surprise. Now, close your eyes.”
When she did as he requested, he opened the French doors to the courtyard and guided her inside. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell they were standing in complete darkness. “Zach?”
She heard what might be the sound of a switch being flipped on. “You can look now, darlin’.”
Opening her eyes, Arielle’s breath caught at the sight of tiny white lights tastefully threaded throughout the foliage surrounding the room. Even the fountain had been adorned with special lighting that made the bubbling water appear to be a cascade of sparkling diamonds.
“Zach, it’s beautiful,” she declared, walking to the edge of the terrace. “How did you get this done so quickly?”
“Darlin’, you can accomplish just about anything if you’re willing to pay the price.”
He took hold of her elbow and they descended the stone steps. He escorted her to one of the patio tables covered with a pristine linen cloth. “I thought you might like to see what this will look like for those intimate gatherings we talked about last night.”
“It’s perfect,” she mused, sitting down in the seat he held for her. “It looks like something Cinderella might have seen when she arrived for Prince Charming’s ball.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he noted, lowering himself into the chair next to her.
As she took in the elegance of the little courtyard, intuition told her they were there for more than her approval on the room’s transformation. Turning to face him, she caught him watching her closely.
“Zach, what’s going on?”
His smile sent a warm rush flowing through her veins. “Do you love me, Arielle?”
“Zach, I thought we agreed—”
“Just answer the question, darlin’.”
Her heart skipped several beats and time stilled as she stared back at him. She could tell him no, but they both knew it would be a lie.
“Yes,” she finally answered, surprised at how steady her voice sounded, considering her body had started to quiver uncontrollably.
His smile caused her heart to pound hard against her ribs. He removed a small black velvet box from his suit jacket. Placing it on the table, he removed the ring she’d thought the vendor in the marketplace had stolen. “Arielle Garnier, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he asked, taking her left hand in his.
“You agreed not to insist on our getting married,” she stalled.
He shook his head. “I’m not insisting that we get married, darlin’. I’m asking you to marry me.”