Chapter 49

Alone, Adam waited. The gold carriage clock next to the Oscar on the mantle ticked away the minutes, but Adam could barely hear it over the deafening thump of his heart. Sweat formed along his hairline and trickled down the back of his neck. He wiped his forehead. What’s taking her so long?

Footsteps on the stairs.

Slow, deliberate footsteps—as if the stepper was taking great care. Or that they were dragging out the moment. Chloë’s feet came into view through the balustrade on the stairs. They were in a pair of pale blue court shoes, with a heel too tall and slim to be worn down the steep staircase in this old terraced house.

She must have been holding her dress up at the front so as not to tread on it, because he couldn’t see it, even though it trailed on the stairs behind her.

Adam looked out of the window. He wanted to get his first proper sight of her when she entered the room, not a side-on view through the doorway.

He waited.

His heart pounded—he could feel it in his ears.

His cheeks felt hot.

Sweat dripped down his back.

She coughed.

He turned to look at her.

She was a sight to behold. The dress was the same pale blue as her shoes and shimmered as it moved and caught the light. A classic cut halter-neck, straight up and down with a slit on one side that revealed her stocking-clad leg, it hung invitingly from her every curve. Her dark brown hair was straight and shiny.

Adam shook his head to clear it and smiled.

“How do I look?” she asked.

He gulped down the saliva that had filled his mouth. “Wonderful.”

“Really? I didn’t think ... I mean, you’ve seen me with professional hair and make-up. I did this—” She waved a hand up to her hair. “—myself. Well, Cassie helped.” She smiled. Not the confident, movie-star smile she possessed, but a sweet, almost innocent smile. The same smile she’d given him all those months ago in the library—unsure, nervous, excited, and surprised all at once.

“Chloë, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking better.”

“But—”

“It’s more natural. I know it’s you standing in front of me now—not some dolled up superstar. Just you—Chloë Goodman. The woman I love. And who loves me. At least, that what she’s telling the whole world on her DVD.”

Her smile widened. “You saw it? I meant every word, Adam. I know I was horrid to you but—”

He held up a hand to silence her. “Not now. We’ll talk about it some other time. Maybe later tonight. Maybe tomorrow, or next week, or next month. We’ve got all the time in the world if we need it. But right now, let’s just go and have the time of our lives at this ball. Let me take you and show you off to the whole town. Let me be proud to call you mine. Then let me bring you home and love you like I’ve never loved you before.”

She moved forward, sidestepping the coffee table, until she was close enough to put her hand on his cheek. A gentle pull brought his face towards hers for a tender kiss. “I like the sound of that,” she whispered.

She turned to leave but he grabbed her hand and spun her around. “Wait. I have something for you.”

“What?”

He took the small box from the coffee table where he’d left it and removed the lid. Chloë gasped when she saw the orchid inside. She held her hand to her chest and the question in her eyes was, For me?

He nodded and she reached out to take it. She lifted the flower to get a good look, then held out her left arm.

“Would you do the honours?”

“My pleasure.”

After he’d strapped the corsage to her wrist, he kissed her hand and let her lead him from the house. The limo waited for them with the door open. Adam held Chloë’s hand as she climbed inside, before getting in himself.

Eddie had already cracked open a bottle of champagne and held a full glass in one hand, and a half-full one in the other. Cassie had already given one of her two glasses to Chloë by the time Adam sat down and Josh shut the door.