Chapter 48

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May 20, 2007

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "It's open," Rachel called.

Kevin stepped into the room and smiled. "Almost ready?"

"Almost." She nodded and smiled up at him in the vanity mirror. She finished applying her lipstick while he leaned against the wall, watching her.

"Do you know how sexy that is? I love watching you do that." His voice was a warm caress, and Rachel's face flushed. He crossed the room and stood behind her as she sat in front of the mirror. His hands massaged her shoulders and then slid down her arms. "We'd better get going," he whispered. "Or we'll never get out of the bedroom." He bent down and kissed her gently on the back of the neck, then pulled away from her reluctantly. "Dinner first-then dessert," he smiled.

Rachel stood up and turned around once, letting Kevin get a good look at the dress she was wearing. She smiled up at him. "You like?"

He pulled her into his arms. "I like," he whispered kissing the tip of her nose. "I wouldn't have bought, if I didn't like." He grinned, remembering the shopping trip earlier that afternoon. Having bought, he knew what was underneath the dress too.

As they walked out into the living room of the suite, Nick looked up from his seat on the sofa and whistled. "Good thing you're just going downstairs to the dining room, Rachel," he grinned. "If you went outside looking like that, you'd probably melt the snowcaps and start an avalanche." Kevin grinned at Nick and Rachel blushed.

"Thank you Nick-I think," she replied. "And thank you for taking care of Jemma and Aaron this evening."

"No problem-we're gonna give my Playstation a workout. Right guys?" Aaron nodded and smiled up at Kevin and Rachel. Jemma was too engrossed in the game to do more than nod.

"Please-do not turn my children into video game addicts," Kevin begged.

"Oh, just get out of here, will you please?" Nick groaned.

Aaron walked over to Rachel. "You look pretty, Rachel," he said shyly.

"Thank you honey." Rachel smiled as she knelt down and gave him a hug. "You be a good boy for Uncle Nick-okay?"

Aaron nodded. "Are you gonna tuck me in tonight, Rachel?" he asked quietly.

"Would it be all right if Uncle Nick tucks you in tonight, and I'll say good night when I get back?"

Kevin joined them. "I promise I'll bring Rachel back to say good night, Aaron." He smiled. "We'll both come see you. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." "Jemma," Kevin called. She looked up finally and smiled. "You behave yourself," he said. "No gloating when you beat Uncle Nick on the Playstation."

Nick looked up in disbelief. "Hah!!" Kevin just grinned.

"What's 'gloating', Daddy?" she asked as she jumped up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Never mind, Jemma," Nick grumped. "You won't have to worry about it anyway. Will the two of you just go? It's just two or three hours-not a week in Aspen. Leave!!"

Rachel kissed Jemma and stood up and Kevin put his arm around her waist. As they headed toward the door Nick took his parting shot. "Have fun, kids! Don't stay out too late!"

"I know where you sleep and which bus is yours, Nick," Kevin shot back as he closed the door behind them.

Rachel stopped as they came to the elevators to the lobby, but Kevin tightened his arm around her waist and kept moving down the hallway. She looked up at him with a grin. "Where are we going, Kevin?"

"Just down here." He gestured toward the express elevator to the parking garage.

"I thought we were going to the restaurant downstairs," she said.

"Nope," he said mysteriously.

"But the kids...? Nick thinks..."

He smiled down at her. "Nick knows where we're going. I just didn't want the kids to think we were running away. I have my cell phone if they need to reach us."

* * *

When they walked into Castle Marne, they were escorted to a corner table. Rachel looked around and smiled. No one would be interrupting them here. The dining room was small and the mood was elegant and understated. Kevin watched as she sighed with pleasure.

"You like it?" he asked. She nodded. "I thought you might. It just seemed to be the right setting for you."

"You've been here before?" she smiled.

"Last year when we were here on tour," he said quietly. "Once I knew you were coming out here, I thought of it."

"Once you knew I was coming out here...?" she asked in surprise. "If you knew what you wanted then, why didn't you say something on the phone?"

"Because I didn't know for sure how you felt. You seemed so withdrawn when I talked to you. And I wasn't sure whether it was because I had acted like a jerk or if you had really changed your mind." He smiled at her apologetically. "I just couldn't ask you that over the phone. I needed to see you to know for sure." He hesitated. "I needed to be able to touch you." His hand closed over hers on the table.

The waiter arrived and took their order for dinner. Kevin looked up at him, as he turned to leave them. "Put a half-hour hold on that order, please." He smiled tenderly at Rachel. "I want to show the lady the view from the terrace."

"Of course, sir. Very good. Half an hour. Shall I bring your drinks to you there?" Kevin shook his head and the waiter picked up the menus and walked away.

Kevin stood up and held out his hand. Rachel smiled as she looked up at him. "What are you up to?"

"Shhh. Just come," he whispered. He led her to a curtain-draped doorway and ushered her through it. They came out onto a small stone terrace that looked out over the valley below the house. The sun was just setting behind the mountains on the far side of the valley, throwing a red glow onto the peaks surrounding them as the shadows lengthened. Rachel gasped. Kevin bit his lip and grinned.

"Kevin! This is beautiful!" she breathed.

He nodded. "Yeah. It is-now." He pulled her close to him and smiled down into her eyes. "Now that you're here." He looked at her intently. "I can't lose you again, Rachel," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kevin," she said softly.

He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers as they watched the sun dip lower behind the mountains. "Will you marry me, Rachel Daniels?" he asked quietly. "Will you let me keep you with me for the rest of our lives?" Suddenly he was sliding a ring onto her hand. The last rays of the sun caught the diamond and fire sparkled up from its icy surface.

Rachel smiled up at him and nodded as two tears slid down her cheeks. He leaned down and kissed them away. There was no urgency now. When he drew her up to him to taste her lips, there was only a warm, sweet embrace and a kiss that promised eternity.

Chapter 49
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