Carly Phillips - Hot Number

"That you are," she whispered. And she intended to spend the rest of her life making sure she took good care off him each and every day.

"You're no slouch yourself, Lola. I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I'm the luckiest man alive. Do you know how much I love you?"

She shook her head. "I don't think I do, but you can spend the rest of your life showing me."

He grinned. "You gonna put that ring on now?"

"No, you're going to do it for me." She placed the ring in his palm and held out her hand.

By sense of touch, he easily slid the ring onto her finger.

She raised her hand to admire the stone and the way the sun shining through the window highlighted all the perfect facets. "It fits!"

He chuckled. "I told you I know you."

And she knew him. He was a unique man, one who'd given up his bachelorhood and raised his three nieces. Lola had gone through periods of frustration and yet she'd never regretted devoting her life to Yank and his family. Not even after she'd decided the time had come to move on without him.

And now all of her dreams had come true.

MICKI BLEW OFF an afternoon PR function and had one of the staff pinch-hit for her, heading home to the comfort of her apartment instead. She took a hot shower and didn't even pay attention when Noodle licked the droplets of water off her legs. While using his walker, her uncle had nearly tripped over Noodle, who lacked the brains to get out of the way. So until Uncle Yank was more mobile, she'd agreed to keep the dog with her. Micki hated to admit it but Noodle was good company, especially since she was feeling lonely right now.

A few short weeks ago, Damian had offered her everything she'd dreamed of and she'd pushed him away. She'd never thought he'd actually say he loved her, but he had. Had he meant it or did he just believe it for now because she'd become his safety net? Those were the thoughts that haunted her day and night.

Along with thoughts of her own past and future. Thanks to her uncle and her sisters, Micki had always known love and security. They'd cushioned and protected her, too much at times. As a result, she was insecure when it came to trusting her instincts. Oh, she could handle herself professionally because there she'd been given free rein. But personally and emotionally, sometimes she felt ill-equipped to handle things.

Was it any wonder that at her age she'd had to turn to Sophie for advice on dressing and acting more femininely? Was it any wonder she couldn't bring herself to believe a sexy jock like Damian Fuller would really be in love with every guy's friend, Micki Jordan?

And really, those were the truths at the crux of her turning Damian away. It was easier to continue to pull back now than to take a chance with him only to have her heart broken when Damian finally realized his true feelings and walked out on her later.

She trembled and pulled the old afghan around her shoulders, cuddling up on her couch. Noodle lay at her feet, the dog's body heat warming Micki's toes from the air-conditioning blowing around her.

Tears fell freely and she wiped them with the knitted blanket, ignoring the knocking at the door, waiting for the person to go away. She shut her eyes, only to hear the rattling of a key chain and see the door open wide.

"Micki?" Sophie walked inside and slammed the door behind her. "As soon as I heard you bailed on your afternoon appointment, I knew something was wrong. What's going on?" Her sister walked over to the couch and knelt by Micki's side.

She didn't feel like talking about it so she remained silent.

"It's Damian, isn't it?' Sophie asked. "You've refused to talk about him ever since the day I sent him to find you in the park."

"It's Damian," she said, agreeing to the obvious.

Her sister nudged her in the side. "Come on, Mick. You're not going to feel better if you don't open up and talk about it."

Micki eyed Sophie knowingly. "You mean you're not going to feel better until I talk about it." Resigned, she pushed herself up against the armrest and faced her sister.

Sophie slid into the empty space on the sofa. "Same thing."

Even now, the words wouldn't come any easier. "Damian wanted to talk about us." She laid her chin on her bent knees and met Sophie's gaze. "He said he loves me.”

Her sister's eyes opened wide. "That's wonderful! It's everything you dreamed of! So why have you been moping around like you lost your best friend?" Sophie leaned back and really looked at Micki for the first time. "And why are you crying now? I'm really confused. You love him, too, yes?"

"Yes." Micki nodded. "But I still sent him on his way."

"I thought it was something like that, but what I don't get is why?"

"I have my reasons." Micki went on to list the excuses she'd fed Damian. Some of them, like the relief he'd feel when the reality of not being a father set in, she truly believed. Others, like him being used to having her around, she didn't buy for a minute. Because she loved him, too, and it wasn't that she'd gotten used to having him by her side. She enjoyed it. She wanted it forever. But she didn't believe it would last.

Sophie rose to her feet and planted her hands on the hips of her expensive suit jacket. "I could kill you! Who pushes away a good, kind, decent, sexy man with a bunch of bullshit excuses?"

From her tone and uncharacteristic use of foul language, Micki knew her sister's rant was just beginning and she hoped to head it off. "I guess the obvious answer is, I do. Now will you please respect my decision and leave me alone?"

"Let me ask you something."

"It's not like I have a choice, is it?"

Sophie shot her a scowl. "You came to me and asked if I'd help you make yourself over. I did. You specifically hoped to land Damian Fuller. You did. And now that you have him exactly where you want him, you push him away. I simply don't understand, so you're going to have to explain it to me." She waved her arms in a dramatic gesture that had Micki ducking to avoid being whacked in the head.

She rubbed her burning eyes and groaned. There was no way she'd get her sister to go away and leave her in peace without a long-winded talk.

"Millions of women would kill to have Damian say he loved them-" Sophie continued.

"Do you really want to know why I pushed him away?" Micki cut in. "Fine, I'll tell you. It's exactly what you said. It's because there's no way Damian Fuller wants a woman like me when he could have any woman just by snapping his ringers," she yelled, her cheeks hot at the embarrassing admission.

Sophie pulled her into a tight, sisterly hug. "Oh, Micki! You are so wrong about yourself. So wrong."

Micki's throat grew tight. "Have you seen the women he usually dates?"

"The ones like Carole with fake boobs and no morals? The ones who'd try and pass a kid off as his when she knew there was a fifty percent chance he wasn't the father? That kind of woman? Yeah, I can see why Damian would choose someone like that over you," Sophie said wryly. She grabbed Micki's hands. "He'd be lucky to have you. Why can't you see that?"

"Because I'm scared."

"Then get unscared and do it fast. Otherwise you'll make the same mistake Uncle Yank did."

Micki glanced at her sister. "It's not that easy."

"No, it isn't. But what good is your makeover if you're still the same insecure person on the inside?" Sophie shook her head. "And that's not you. You're the woman who can handle a locker room full of men with a shrill whistle. You can run a huge PR event and have everyone in the room kissing your ass. Come on! You're going to let the best thing that ever happened to you walk away because you're afraid to take a chance?"

Micki drew a deep breath and sought to explain. “I’ve never had to take a real chance before. I always had Uncle Yank and Annabelle to lean on. Lately you've had my back. With Damian it's like walking a tightrope with nobody to catch me," she said, expressing her greatest fear.