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  “Lauren?”

  “Mmm?”

  God, he loved it when she made that wordless, unthinking sound. He pulled her closer, pressing his cheek to the side of her head. “It was a nice wedding, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Angela and Eddy look happy together.”

  “Yes, they certainly do.”

  “It makes me think that they might be two of the lucky ones. Not all marriages are doomed to failure.”

  “Maybe not.”

  He slid his hand to the small of her back, spreading his fingers over the warm taffeta. “It’s impossible to know for sure, though.”

  “No, there aren’t any guarantees.”

  “But when the stakes are the soul-deep, till-death-do-us-part kind of love, it’s worth the gamble, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “And I can’t see much point in wasting time with a long engagement, can you?”

  “Well, not if two people are willing to work together and make adjustments...”

  “Like listening to a different kind of music?”

  “Or compromising on little things like cantaloupe.”

  “Or doughnuts.”

  “Mmm.”

  “And as long as they love each other...”

  “Oh, yes. They definitely love each other.”

  “Then I’d say they have a pretty good chance,” he finished.

  “So Angela and Eddy—”

  “I’m not talking about them, Lauren.”

  She leaned back to look into his face. “Then who are you talking about, Nick?”

  Damn, he wasn’t good with words. But somehow he had to find a way to say them. “Remember when I told you that I wanted more than one night with you?”

  “That’s not something a woman can easily forget.”

  “Well, I do want more than one night. I want all your nights and all your days.” He stopped moving, tightening his grip on Lauren as the other couples brushed past them. “And I know we both said we didn’t want promises or commitments, but the love I feel for you is all those things.”

  “So is mine, Nick,” she said, her voice filled with the same certainty that sparkled in her gaze.

  He took a deep breath. “So I’ve been thinking—”

  “Lauren!” someone cried. “Come on, you’re missing it.”

  She blinked, turning her head toward the sudden commotion. To her surprise, she realized that the music had stopped and most people had already gathered at the other side of the dance floor.

  Estelle nudged her and grinned as she hurried past. “Hurry up, Lauren. Angela’s throwing the bouquet.”

  Through the milling people, Lauren caught a glimpse of Angela’s white dress. She glanced back at Nick. “I’m sorry. I have to—”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said. “I’ve been waiting all day to say what I have to say, and I’m not going to get interrupted again.” His jaw hardening with determination, he pulled her across the room with him and led her directly to the front of the crowd.

  Eddy had his hands around Angela’s waist and had just finished lifting her up to stand on a chair when Nick halted in front of them. Angela grasped her bouquet in both hands and turned her back. “Okay, here goes,” she called. “Good luck!”

  Before she could toss the bouquet, Nick reached out and took it from her fingers. In the startled silence that followed, his footsteps sounded solid and sure as he strode back to Lauren and placed the flowers in her hands.

  “Nick, what—”

  “This means you’re the next to get married, right?”

  She looked from the flowers to his face, her eyes widening in shock. “My God, Nick. I can’t believe you did that.”

  He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “It was either this or finding a horse to whisk you away on,” he murmured.

  “What?”

  Angela climbed down from the chair and took Eddy’s hand, smiling in satisfaction. “This is perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  “What’s going on?” her father demanded.

  “It’s another long story, Dad.”

  Nick kept his gaze on Lauren. “You always said you wanted my story, and I intend to make sure you stick around to see how it turns out.”

  Her shock was quickly being replaced by a growing sense of happiness. “Oh, Nick.”

  “I don’t have a lot of fancy words but...” He shoved his hand into the pocket of his suit coat and pulled out a small, velvet-covered box. Dropping to one knee in front of her, he flipped open the lid and lifted out a gleaming diamond ring. “Lauren,” he said, his voice steady and sure. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

  There was a collective sigh from the people around her, yet Lauren heard nothing but the beating of her heart. Here they were, in front of her family and her friends, and Nick was publicly declaring his feelings... with the kind of courage and commitment they’d be able to build a life on.

  It was too fast.

  It was too reckless.

  It was why they were meant for each other from the moment they met.

  She grasped his hand and smiled, giving him an answer as simple as his question. “Yes.”

  ISBN : 978-1-4592-7207-1

  ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING...

  Copyright © 1997 by Ingrid Caris

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xenography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  “Oh my God. Nick, you’re alive—”

  Letter to Reader

  Books by Ingrid Weaver

  INGRID WEAVER

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Copyright