Edgar served them dinner in the dining room with more panache than usual, encouraging Chloe’s appetite by describing in detail the courses Elaine had prepared and informing Max he’d taken the liberty of opening a bottle of his finest wine, which Max instantly approved as entirely appropriate.
Amazingly, Chloe completely relaxed over dinner, basking in the flow of benevolence towards her and the caring implicit in everything Max said and did. The food was superb, the wine divine, and she felt beautifully pampered as though she was very special to everyone at Hill House. And Max’s eyes kept telling she was. Which fed the hope that he really meant this to be her home, as well as his.
Not a refuge.
A real home.
For always.
After dinner, he suggested they stroll down to the children’s house to check out Eric’s flower pots. Daylight saving was still in force so it was only twilight, not too dark to see. She happily agreed, linking her arm with his, loving the feeling of being close to this very special man, wanting the complete sense of intimacy with him.
Max also seemed content to simply have her at his side, remaining silent as they walked around the pool patio. It was a beautiful evening. Stars were appearing in the violet sky. The air was scented with the jasmine that covered some of the pergola. With the northern side of the city lighting up beyond the harbour, it was like looking at a sparkling fairyland over the water.
She smiled to herself, remembering how nervous and wary she’d felt in Max’s presence when she’d first come here, disturbed by the sexual magnetism of the man, fearful of his motives for taking her into his protection. He truly cared about her, cared for the person she was and the person she wanted to be. No-one could have looked after her as well as he had, keeping her safe, leading her into thinking for herself, making decisions, acting on them.
She hugged his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder as they descended the flight of steps to the children’s terrace. ‘Thank you for being the man you are, Max,’ she said.
‘I’m no longer who I was,’ he answered in a wry tone. ‘I should be thanking you for the woman you are, Chloe. You’ve changed the way I’ve viewed life, made me aware there’s far more to be had than what I’d aimed for…settled for…’
‘Like what?’ she asked, curious to know and understand the effect she’d had on him.
He was slow to reply, and when he did it was as though he was musing to himself, thinking back through the distance of years. ‘I guess I learnt emotional detachment from a very early age…the art of a survivor, looking out for myself, not letting other people get to me deeply enough to hurt, not being dependent on anyone for anything. I made myself self-sufficient. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the company of many people-men and women-but I never let the connection turn into a need for it, because that would have given them a kind of power over me, influencing what I considered the successful operation of my life.’
‘Well, no-one could argue with how successful that’s been, Max,’ she said, her heart catapulting wildly around her chest at the hope he was leading up to saying it was different with her, that the connection between them was so deep, he couldn’t bear to live without it.
‘Successful as far as ambition and material gain are concerned,’ he said mockingly. ‘So successful I was blinded to what I was missing.’
They reached the bottom of the steps and started along the path to the children’s house. Chloe wanted to ask what he was missing but Max kept talking and it was more important to listen than to interrupt.
‘Even when my instincts were sliding past my mental shield, whispering thoughts that were alien to my usual thinking, I reasoned them away as foolish fantasies.’ He shook his head. ‘They weren’t foolish. Deep down in my heart they were the truth of what I wanted with you, Chloe.’
He stopped her on the doorstep, turned her to face him, his expression gravely intent, his eyes searing hers with a blaze of need. He lifted a hand to her cheek, cupping her face as though it was infinitely precious to him. ‘You are my Mary.’
Mary? Confusion rolled through Chloe’s mind. He’d spoken that name before, when he’d returned to the hotel suite after severing the agency ties with her mother…those few moments of electric stillness as he’d looked at her…then dismissing his use of the name, saying she reminded him of someone.
Anguish twisted through her heart. Had he lost a Mary? She didn’t want to be linked to some other woman who’d been dear to him. She needed to be wanted for herself.
‘That’s not my name, Max,’ she whispered hoarsely, her throat having gone completely dry.
‘It’s my name for you. Chloe doesn’t suit you. I renamed you Mary in my mind even before there was any chance of our coming together. Not Chloe Rollins. Mary Hart.’
‘Hart?’ She was so stunned, it was all she could do to mutter, ‘But that’s your name.’
‘Yes. And I’m asking you to take it. Be my wife. Share the rest of your life with me,’ he said with a passionate intensity that completely rocked her. ‘I know we can’t marry until after your divorce but I can’t wait another day for us to be together, live together.’ He sucked in a deep breath and the words she most yearned to hear burst from his lips. ‘I love you, Chloe. I love everything about you. And I want nothing more than for you to be yourself with me.’
‘Oh, Max!’ The words spilled from her lips on a breath of pure bliss. She wound her arms around his neck, her eyes shining with all the love that didn’t have to be hidden anymore. ‘I want to be with you, too. All the days of my life. I had to force myself to leave here because I thought there’d be a time limit on our relationship and I had to prepare myself for a separation, even though I knew I’d never love anyone as much as I do you.’
‘I hated the separation. We’ll never be separated again,’ he declared vehemently. ‘We’ll give each other all we’ve missed out on in the lives we’ve had up until now. We’ll make the best of all possible futures together, Chloe.’
And he sealed that promise to her in a kiss that made her believe it, the whole indomitable power of the man pouring through her-filling her heart, her mind, her body and soul with absolute trust in him, making her certain that they did belong with each other and always would.
They would have a wonderful future together.