Page 67 of The Heart Surgeon's Secret Son

“She only said what I was already thinking,” Kimberly admitted, dizzy at all the pain that touched their lives because of actions taken so long ago. “I don’t blame her for what happened.”

“You blame me?”

“No.” But that wasn’t entirely true, so she backed up. “I do, but mostly I blame us both, Daniel.” Sadness at what might have been but would never be swept through her, leaving her bone-weary and her knees liquid. “We didn’t believe in each other enough to trust our hearts. That’s what ended our relationship.”

“And now?”

“Now?” She shrugged, pulling her hands free from Daniel’s because she couldn’t bear touching him. Not when he didn’t love her. “I won’t interfere with you spending time with Ryan. I’ll miss him while he’s with you, but I’ll encourage him to spend his summers in Boston.”

Daniel’s forehead wrinkled, and he refused to let her pull her hands away. “Why in Boston?”

Biting her lower lip, she fought the urge to demand he quit torturing her with his tender touch. “Because it’s where you live.”

He shook his head. “Ryan won’t be spending his summers in Boston.”

Did he expect Ryan to move with him immediately and to spend his summers in Atlanta? How would she bear being away from him so long?

“I turned my notice in the day after I spoke with Ryan. I’ve spent the last month tying up loose ends on the CRT and fulfilling my obligations to the university and the hospital.”

Kimberly’s stomach flip-flopped. “Why?”

“Because my heart’s in Atlanta.”

“Ryan?”

He nodded, lifting her hand to gently stroke across his cheek. “And you.”

“Me?” Dare she hope?

He kissed her fingers, closed his eyes, and his throat worked.

She could dare. Hope surged through her heart.

“I want to start over, Kimberly. To finish what we started fifteen years ago.”

“You want to date me?”

; “I want to marry you.”

Daniel waited for Kimberly to say something. Her face had gone pale and her lower lip quivered. Had he rushed things?

No, fifteen years too many had already passed with them being apart. He didn’t want to waste another second of their lives being apart. After spending a weekend of torment, bouncing between anger, hatred, guilt, and love, he’d known what he wanted.

Kimberly. His son. A family, as he should have had and fought for when he’d been too young and stupid to do so.

Her big green eyes stared at him, making him weak-kneed, so he took her hand in his.

“Marry me, Kimberly. Let’s give Ryan a family.”

“You want to get married because of Ryan?” Her voice squeaked and her eyes shone brightly, as if more tears might fall at any moment.

“If that’s the only reason you’ll agree then yes, because of Ryan.” He wanted her in his life. If Ryan was the catalyst, then so be it. With time, he’d win her heart. After all, healing hearts was his specialty and no one mattered more than Kimberly.

She didn’t say anything, just closed her eyes, and he could feel the tension building in her body as she worked up the words to deny him.

He couldn’t let that happen. Not without telling her how he felt.