Eli stopped pacing the length of the room and studied the ring displayed inside the jewelry box on his bedside cabinet. “Of course I’ll give you another chance,” he replied. “You’re family.” He was coming to realize that family meant more than he’d ever given it credit for.

“Thank you.”

Picking up the ring box, he ran his finger over the stone. “I love you,” he said. “I just wish you were more open-minded.”

“I’ll try to be,” Frances said. “I can’t promise to be better all at once, but I will try. Good luck with your Aria.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.”

Teri called soon after Eli had finished his conversation with Frances. The talk with their mother had raised his optimism, and now Teri, a fountain of enthusiasm, was full of questions because he hadn’t gotten around to updating her on his efforts with Aria.

“So? How did it go?” she asked. “Did she love it?”

He sighed. “She loved it, but she still won’t give me a chance.”

“Oh.” Teri deflated.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I have a plan. I’ve been working on it all afternoon, and hopefully, it will change her mind.”

“Oh, really?” Teri sounded skeptical in the way only a teenage girl could—as if everyone older than twenty was inherently stupid.

He grinned. “I can be very persuasive. But if I want it to work, I’d better get busy. I have a lot to do, and I don’t want to leave it too late.”

CHAPTER 26

Eli was deep in his work when the door slammed open and footsteps pounded down the hall.

“Not now,” he said shortly, thinking it was one of the workmen from the construction site. Recently, they’d taken to interrupting him at home when an issue needed to be resolved. “I’m busy.”

“It won’t take long.”

Startled, he spun around to see Aria silhouetted in the doorway. The tight singlet she was wearing outlined the curve of her stomach, where his child was growing.

“What are you doing here?”

She crossed the room, her smile uncertain. “I came to see you. I’ve been thinking about a few things. Can we talk?”

She wanted to talk now? He was buried in paperwork, doing what was necessary to win her back. He didn’t want to argue with her anymore. He just needed the time to get everything in motion, then he could talk to her properly, explain what he was doing and confess his feelings.

“I’m busy at the moment,” he repeated, doing his best to ignore the hurt in her eyes. In a couple of days, when everything was wrapped up tidily, then she’d understand. “Would you be able to come back later?”

“This is important,” she said quietly.