Center Stage
Page 36

There had been a bit of a sting, knowing she was facing forty. John had greatly eased that. She knew the surprise party was all Regan’s doing, but the ring…oh, the ring.
She looked down at her finger. Even in the dark of her car, the sapphire sparkled up at her. Certainly there wasn’t a happier forty-year-old in the world.
John was parked in front of the house when she pulled up. That meant he was still looking out for her. She was very sure that the worst was behind them. The theater was nearing completion, and no matter what John said, she was sure it would be done before July.
Every entrance and exit had been rekeyed and redesigned, so no vagrants were going to be keeping house there. The outside was scheduled to be painted the next week, and John had contacted the city to have the lights fixed on the street. But this is how it would be now—forever.
She liked the way it felt, knowing he’d always be protective over her.
He was at her car before she climbed out.
“Hovering, Forrester?”
“Never going to be too careful.”
“Remember,” she patted her purse, “I’m protected.”
He rubbed his cheek, and she could hear the scratch of his whiskers against his hand. “Don’t get too confident, okay? My rules still apply, for now. You don’t go to the theater unless I’m there.”
“Right.” She chuckled and shut the car door, but he quickly caught her arm and turned her toward him.
“I’m not kidding, Arianna. You don’t go unless I tell you to be there. I’m not messing around with this. Whoever was calling you and following you is still out there.”
His grip had become tight, though she knew he didn’t mean to hurt her. “Okay. Okay. I promise not to come down unless you tell me to.”
He let go of her and even took a step back. Obviously he realized how tight he’d been holding her.
She gave a nod toward the house. “C’mon, worry wart, you owe me a bubble bath.”
Lavender had eased her mind. Bubbles had added to the ambiance of the moment. Leaning up against John in the warm water had been the relaxation she’d been looking for hours earlier. Only now, she had the knowledge of her surprise, and in her mind, she was making a list of all the things she’d be taking to her office tomorrow.
“Now that we are getting closer to having the theater finished, I suppose I should make sure my business licenses are in order and the sales tax license, too.”
John moved her hair from her shoulder and drizzled water over her neck. “Sales tax? You have to have sales tax for a play ticket?”
She laughed. “You nearly pay sales tax for anything anymore. There is even tax on the Junior Mints.”
“And yet I had to call the city and tell them three of the street lights in front of the theater were out. Nice.”
She leaned in against him. “And I thank you very much.”
“You know, when the theater is all done, I have to go back to building other buildings. My time with you will be over.”
“Just our time working. Our time will never be over.”
He lifted her hand out of the water, and her sapphire dripped with soap. “You didn’t take this off?”
“You don’t take off a wedding ring. So I didn’t see any reason to take it off.”
John gave a low hum which resonated through his chest and against her back. “I guess the only part about not being married is that you’ll never have my last name.”
Arianna considered it. That was always one of the reasons to never get married. Giving up her identity wasn’t part of her game plan. But there would be some great pride in being a Forrester.
“You’re right.” She wiggled her toes in the water. “Arianna Forrester. It doesn’t sound bad, does it?”
“I rather like it.” He brushed his hands down her arms and back up. “Arianna Keller-Forrester.”
“That’s not bad either.”
“Of course, there is nothing wrong with Arianna Keller.”
She sighed as she turned her head to look up at him. “No, there isn’t anything wrong with that either.”
“You’re getting sentimental in your old age.” He touched her face. “I was waiting for a fight when I made that comment about my last name.”
Arianna rested her head against his shoulder and interlaced their fingers. “I know, it’s just…”
“Not what you’ve ever wanted.”
“There was never a right last name before.”
This time John shifted to look at her. “And you’re saying that I have the right last name?”
She chuckled. “It’s not just the name. It’s you.”
“I tell you what. Let’s make a pact, and we can sign it in bubbles.” He grinned. “If ever you change your mind about wanting one of those pieces of paper which states that we have made a commitment to each other, and you’d rather have the name Forrester or even Keller-Forrester, I will never argue.”
Arianna pursed her lips. “Is that a marriage proposal?”
“It’s a proposal to accept a proposal, should you need a proposal. Or something like that.”
She turned around and straddled him, sending water over the sides of the tub. “I’m not going to marry you.”
“And I’m not going to ask.”
“But I really do like that name of yours.”
“It’s yours for the keeping.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that. And while you’re thinking about it, you’d better get some towels and clean this up. If it gets under the tile…”
“You’ll fix it.”
That comment had him moving swiftly and dunking her into the tub.
She was in love. Even as she spit bubbles from her mouth, she was contemplating the name Arianna Forrester.
Chapter Nineteen
Arianna hadn’t anticipated that John wouldn’t be at the theater when she arrived the next morning with a box full of personal belongings for her new office.
He hadn’t told her to come and she was earlier than usual, and now she knew she was in trouble.
She greeted the site workers as she passed them on her way to her office. Her arms were loaded down with a big box and her Starbucks. Finally, as she reached her office door, one of the plumbers ran to her aid.