Roses For Sophie (32 page)

A reporter headed toward them. Searching the corridor frantically, and seeing nowhere to have the private conversation they needed, Logan was relieved when his lawyer's clerk ushered them into a room close by.

Once the door was closed behind them, the clerk said, ‘You can wait in here until court resumes, or at least for twenty minutes or so. I'll let the media pack think you'll be here until three o'clock.'

‘Thanks.'

When the clerk left, Logan searched Sophie's eyes. He noted the shadows underneath them that spoke of the sleepless nights she must've had. ‘Did you mean what you said?'

‘I was under oath.' She smiled. ‘Of course I meant it!'

That was it. He couldn't resist kissing her for a second longer. Holding her against him where she belonged, he poured his heart, soul, and all of his passion into his kisses. As she melted against him and responded, he knew a deep sense of rightness in their being together. When he finally came up for air, he confessed, ‘God, Sophie. I've been such an idiot.'

‘You have,' she agreed breathlessly. ‘I've been in hell being away from you.'

‘Yet you wouldn't let me near you,' he groaned. ‘Thank God for Daphne and Melissa. I was pinning everything on the return of the diamond mine and signing over the share options into your name.'

Her face filled with exasperation. ‘You really are an idiot, Logan. That wasn't what convinced me.'

‘It wasn't?'

‘Absolutely not.' She shook her head in denial. ‘Those documents may have been meant to provide me with proof that you weren't after control of Carlisle, but they still didn't prove that you wanted me.' Her voice softened and she dipped her hand into her shoulder bag, withdrawing the flower he'd sent. ‘It was the single red rose that did that.'

He smiled. ‘So you know the meaning of that rose?'

‘I think every woman on the planet knows that red roses are for romantic love and the deeper the colour red, the deeper the love.'

‘Ah, but did you notice that the red rose is also thornless?'

Tilting her head to one side she said, ‘I have no idea what that symbolises.'

‘The red thornless rose symbolises love at first sight.'

‘Are you telling me —?'

‘Yes.' His arms tightened around her. ‘I think we've established that I haven't been very good in expressing myself in our relationship to date. I couldn't when I was so busy deceiving myself about my feelings, but I realise now I truly was a goner from our very first date.'

‘Is your communication always going to be this complicated?' Her tone was exasperated.

He merely laughed, and was then treated to a severe look as he took her bag and the rose and set them both down on a nearby table.

‘Logan, are you finally going to admit out loud that you love me just as much as I love you?'

‘Yes,' he told her seriously. ‘Truly, madly and deeply.'

‘Say the words, Logan. I need to hear them.'

‘Sophie Jackson,' he said solemnly, as he took her hands in his, ‘I love you with all that I am. You mean more to me than anything I possess and if you'll only let me, I intend to spend the rest of my life proving that to you.'

Her lower lip trembled a little as her eyes became awash with tears. ‘That sounds wonderful.'

‘I never believed I'd be capable of loving anyone the way I love you.' The kiss he pressed to her forehead sealed that admission.

‘Just as well,' she sniffed, ‘because I meant what I said about your playboy days being over.'

‘Absolutely. We're married, sweetheart, and I mean to honour every word of our wedding vows.'

One lacquered fingernail jabbed against his chest in accusation as she questioned, ‘But you just didn't know it at the time?'

‘I knew it deep down, but I still hid from it. I thought I needed to defend myself against what I felt for you because I seriously didn't want to fall in love. I didn't want to leave myself vulnerable to such depth of emotion.' He shook his head and his lips tightened in self-disgust. ‘I thought love would make me weak.'

She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss against his lips. ‘Our love will make each other stronger.'

‘I understand that now. You're the most important part of my world, and I need to know that I have your forgiveness.'

Her smile was tremulous. ‘Logan, you're not the only one here who needs to apologise. I've always known that you're a man of integrity, yet I still cut you out of my life the moment we reached our first test, and I didn't even give you a chance to talk to me properly.'

‘You were judging me on the basis of your past experience.' He understood why she'd reacted as she had, just the same way he knew that withdrawing behind an icy facade had been her mechanism for protecting herself.

‘I know the way I acted was wrong of me and unfair to you,' she said. ‘I should never have believed you'd act against me when you'd been caring and supportive of me in so many ways.' She snuggled against his chest. ‘I've believed for so long that anyone who is interested in me is only interested in my wealth or position, that I just automatically reacted and believed I'd been duped again.'

‘My darling.' His hands soothed across the taut muscles of her shoulders. ‘I'm going to do everything I can to make you see and believe in the woman I'm in love with so that you'll never doubt my feelings or your own worthiness.'

‘And I'm going to make you appreciate how wonderful love is, Logan.'

‘I'm appreciating it. Believe me, the feeling I had when I thought I'd lost you was one I never want to know again. I hope to hell that I never do anything that will make you want to push me away.'

‘You'd better not!' Her tone was severe but one of her hands squeezed his arm in a gesture of reassurance. ‘If we have an issue, I'm going to be talking to you about it. No more jumping to conclusions and running away.' She angled her head a little so she could look up at him. ‘We're going to make this work.'

‘We will.'

‘I know it won't be easy when we both have large corporations to run, but as long as we make time for each other, we can do it.'

‘I promise.' He hugged her tight, resting his chin against the top of her head and breathing in the fresh scent of her hair. ‘So, you've decided you want to continue as MD?'

‘Yes.' She shifted away from him a little so she could meet his eyes. ‘The company's in a vulnerable state right now. I want to steer it through this period and after that…' She shrugged. ‘I'm not sure whether I want to be in a top corporate role long-term. The only thing I'm sure about is that I want to be with you for the rest of my life.'

‘Whatever you decide, I'll support.'

Her sigh was one of pure satisfaction. ‘I love you.' The touch of her lips against his was only fleeting. ‘I'd like you to take Grandfather's seat on the board of directors.'

He pulled back a little from her. ‘Are you sure?'

‘Completely. I want us to be able to share as much as we can of life.'

‘I accept.' He'd make the time for it. Being on the board would be a great way for him to be able to support her, be more involved with her business dealings and give him greater understanding of what she was facing in her corporate role. ‘This time away from the office has made me realise I can delegate a whole lot more and the wheels won't fall off. That's important, because Charlotte will need me and we both need to have the time for our relationship.'

‘From a financial viewpoint, neither of us would ever have to work another day in our lives if we didn't want to,' she agreed, ‘so as soon as I steady the Carlisle Mining ship, I'll look at ways I can delegate more responsibility as well.'

Lowering his head, Logan claimed her mouth in a kiss full of unbridled emotion. ‘Honey, I can't wait to make love to you again, but as that's not possible right now, how about we flee the press, go to a cosy little bar I know of that's close by and plan our wedding?'

‘We're already married!'

‘Your grandfather was right. I think we need to be married again. This time we'll make our vows with both of us knowing we mean them.'

‘You really are romantic!'

‘Don't tell anyone.' He brushed his lips over hers and realised it was a mistake. Kissing Sophie simply wasn't enough. They needed to get out of this secluded spot and into public fast. When he made love to her again, it would be a declaration and a celebration of their feelings for and commitment to each other.

Two weeks later…

The waves rolled onto the shore in a rush then seemed to take their time to wash back to sea. Overhead a seagull squawked.

‘Will you, Logan Jackson, take Sophie Eloise Hamilton as your wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others keep her as long as you both shall live?'

‘I will.'

Her gaze never wavered from Logan's as Sophie made her vows with just as much conviction.

Finally, the words she'd longed to hear — ‘You may kiss the bride!'

Sand shifted beneath her bare toes as she stretched up to kiss him. His lips tasted of salt from the sea breeze, and being in his arms was her own personal nirvana.

It had been a perfect day with Daphne, Sue, Melissa, Amanda, Jake and Charlotte all making the trip to Vanuatu with them, and joining a couple of dozen of Logan's friends. Daphne had walked arm in arm with Sophie, and given her hand to Logan. Logan's friend, Hunter, had been his Best Man, and Jake had also been asked to be a groomsman. Sophie's ex-husband was happy to act in the role now that Logan wasn't afraid to let the whole world see just how much he loved Sophie. Charlotte, now legally Logan's responsibility, made a beautiful and excited little Flower Girl.

The happy atmosphere at their luncheon was wonderful, and later, as the sun was setting, Logan and Sophie walked together hand-in-hand along the beach toward their honeymoon hut.

‘Grandfather would be so happy.' Sophie sighed. ‘Everything has worked out for us.'

Logan gave her hand a squeeze. ‘I'm sure if it's at all possible, he was at the ceremony with us.'

‘My only regret is Felix. I wish I could've saved him from himself.'

‘Your cousin was never your responsibility and he's the only one who can save himself. Just hope that he might re-think his life while he's serving his time, but don't let him intrude on your thoughts now and spoil this day, sweetheart.'

‘You're right.' She squeezed his hand. ‘Am I right in thinking there was a buzz of awareness between Melissa and Hunter?'

‘Good God, I hope not.' He stopped in his tracks. ‘We'd better go back and make sure.'

‘Logan!' She tugged at his hand, urging him to continue to their honeymoon hut. ‘I'm sorry I mentioned it.'

The frown on his forehead wasn't easing. ‘I'd love to see Melissa find someone to love, but Hunter definitely isn't the guy for her. He's the love-them-and-leave-them type, and I don't want her getting involved with him.'

‘Darling, I know you take your responsibilities seriously, but Melissa's a big girl now, and Hunter's one of your closest friends.'

‘Mm.' He didn't sound convinced.

Removing her hand from his, she reached up with her arms and drew his head down toward hers to deliver a scorching, hungry kiss.

‘If that was designed to make me forget my brotherly responsibilities and direct my focus to my husbandly duties, it worked.'

The smile she gave him was confident, driven by the knowledge that she wielded her own form of feminine power over her handsome husband. ‘It's been a magical and memorable day and I'm rather hoping you'll make it an even more magical and memorable night.'

‘That you can count on!'

He was right. The second she opened the door to their honeymoon hut, she saw an entire room full of roses. All of them were red.

‘Oh! Look at them! They smell divine.' She threw her arms around him and hugged him with all her strength. ‘All the roses have been beautiful, but you've outdone yourself this time. I've never seen so many red roses!'

‘One thousand and one to be precise, sweetheart.'

‘They're amazing!' She twirled around the room, looking at all of them. ‘Are you about to tell me the significance of that number?'

His hands rested upon her shoulders. ‘The number represents a faithful love that will live on forever.'

It was the perfect gesture and the ideal symbolic message for a day that had already been so romantic. ‘That's what you've got from me, Logan. I will always be faithful to you.'

Her husband sneezed and Sophie laughed. ‘Too many in one room for you?'

The deep masculine rumble of laughter vibrated right through her heart. ‘I hadn't stopped to think how overpowering they'd be
en masse
!'

‘Should we call housekeeping to remove some of them?'

‘Absolutely not! I might not order this many again, but I will always bring you red roses, Sophie, because they are the true symbol of my feelings for you.'

‘Oh Logan, I love you so much.'

‘They say actions speak louder than words,' he told her with a wicked smile.

Without another word, she accepted his challenge and proceeded to show him just how much she loved him.

Thanks for reading
Roses for Sophie
. I hope you enjoyed this book, which was a follow-on story from
Echoes of the Heart
.

If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage (
http://www.alyssajmontgomery.com
), follow me on twitter @Alyssaromance, or like my Facebook page (
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