Consequences

Part 98

Doug wasn't sure what to make of her tentative tone. "Am I missing something here?" Doug asked with feigned composure, "We are engaged." He reminded her, and then began to wonder whether he had taken far too much for granted. "The next step is marriage."

"If it was a real engagement, yes, but..."

"But? If you didn't think it was a real engagement you would not have slept with me!" He told her, and hoped that was indeed the case. "So now we need to decide where we live..."

He sounded so sure of himself. Admittedly, the fact she had gone to bed with him was a telling signal, but still. Isabelle frowned at his matter of fact tone, then she turned a narrowed glare toward him and accused, "Did you put the last notice in?" No one in her family had put their hands up to own up to that. So as far as she was concerned someone was messing with her. Now she wondered whether she'd ignored the obvious person.

Doug shook his head, "No." He smiled somewhat wryly as he conceded, "But I know who did."

"You do?" He nodded sagely, which earned him yet another narrowed glare. "Who?" She finally took a seat.

"Ryan," Doug hesitated, then added with some measure of conviction, "and Jared." He ran his fingers through his hair, and threw in for equal measure, "With Caitlin and Charlie in on it, no doubt." He was pretty sure the four of them had ganged up on him. Certainly Charlie and Caitlin had nagged and nagged at him to get in contact with Isabelle after his initial blunder at the police station. He hadn't moved quickly enough for them, which is when the engagement notice appeared. He knew for a fact that they were all delighted to see him with Isabelle. Though none of them had admitted to putting in the second notice.

"They did?" Blinking in confusion, Isabelle tried to make sense of this latest bit of news. "Really?"

Doug pulled out a chair, sat down on it and leaned back in his chair as he explained, "Jared has been going on at me for weeks. Caitlin and Charlie have been a lot more direct. Telling me to get off my backside and apologise to you. And Ryan, supposedly couldn't find the paper trail?" Doug grinned as he took the chair opposite her.

"So?" Isabelle frowned.

"So you have to understand we are talking about my brother, Ryan the professional hacker." Doug pointed out rather ruefully. "Track record extraordinaire" He reminded. "In fact, the main reason Jared and I set up this business was to keep Ryan out of jail! He was heading that way. We needed something for him to focus on. That was when the business idea germinated. We figured we could use his skill!"

"I see." Isabelle frowned, "Still doesn't explain why you think it's them. Saying something, urging you to do something is very different to putting in a public notice!" Why would they want him to take such a risk, with a woman who had all but dragged their name into the mud?

Doug grinned. "Yeah. High risk strategy." He reached for her hand, "The thing is, I was pretty sure it was them. And when Ryan said he couldn't find the paper train, I knew for sure it was them! He can find any trail on line, any. So I know it was him."

"Really." Isabelle got out of her chair and headed for the window. She needed to think. If he knew it was his family why had he shown up at the house that day?

Doug watched her as she walked to the window, his nod went unnoticed. He was tempted to follow her to the window. But something suggested that she just needed that bit of space.

"I told him I knew it was him."

"And?' Isabelle looked over her shoulder at Doug, wondering what to make of the situation.

"He said Jared made him!" Doug chuckled.

"Why did they do it?" That's what she really wanted to know. Why would they force Doug to get embroiled in a relationship with her? Why would Doug want to be involved formally? Sleep around, yes. Accompany, yes. But life partnership? Did he want that? With her?

It was then that Doug realized she wasn't really asking about their motives, but asking for his motives. Softly Doug explained. "Ryan said he was repaying the favour." Doug poked his tongue into his cheek, then announced somewhat sheepishly "They both said, I'd looked out for their interests since we were kids, and Ryan said now he had a chance to look out for mine." Doug leaned back in his chair. Then he laughed self-deprecatingly. "He thought the time was right. Especially as he thought I was behaving like a stupid kid by putting pride ahead of my heart." He continued to chuckle, "And he said that Jared would make his life hell if he didn't do it."

Another second of silence. Both Doug and Isabelle waited for the other to make a move. To say something. Anything.

Isabelle ran her hand through her hair, "And you want to marry me? Knowing your brother and your friend have forced your hand..."

"No one forced my hand." He corrected firmly and quickly. "They put in an announcement. I made the decision to follow through."

"You're seriously saying you want to marry me?" She asked in what sounded like a whisper of disbelief.

"You ask me that after this morning?"

"That was..."

Looked like there would be no skirting the issue. He was going to have to say the L word. "Love." Doug muttered softly, but loud enough for her to hear.

"Love" Isabelle repeated.

Doug pushed his chair back and came and stood close to Isabelle. Taking her chin in his hand he tipped her head up so that their gazes locked and held, "You told me you love me." He reminded her. She felt heat suffuse her cheeks. She'd wondered whether he had noticed that slip that day. But he hadn't said anything and so she had blissfully pretended that he hadn't taken her words seriously. Wrong. He had heard her. Had taken the words seriously.

"I know I love you." Doug said more loudly and firmly.

Isabelle blinked. "You do." She felt her eyes smart with tears. All those suppressed hopeful thoughts. All those secret wishes that she'd squashed as they emerged, suddenly banded together and surged to the surface when she heard his words. It was like living a dream. She blinked. She was half tempted to pinch herself just to make sure it wasn't a dream.

"You aren't going to cry are you?" That had his brow furrowing in concern. Isabelle shook her head, bit her lip, and a tear still trickled out. Doug was instantly worried. "You don't want me to love you?' He seemed poleaxed. Surely women were happy when a man they loved told them he loved them? Just when he thought he had women figured out he found he had a lot more to learn about them.

Isabelle launched herself into his arms. Unprepared Doug staggered back, his legs hit a chair and he sat!

"Idiot." She murmured happily. Sitting on his lap, she threw her arms around his neck.

Doug grinned as their lips met. Relief was tangible. For a moment there he wondered whether he had completely misjudged the situation.

When they came up for air he asked, "So we can start to get organised for this society wedding?"

Isabelle frowned. "I don't want..."

"We should invite your hooker friends!" Doug interrupted her. He knew what he had to do to make this happen. Now that she had said yes, he was going to get it done soon. None of this waiting around lark. They were getting married. Soon.

"What?"

"And your society friends."

"What?"

"My business colleagues."

"Are you crazy?" She was pretty sure he was just teasing her, or testing her. Either way he knew that she was not about to invite that mix of people to her wedding!

"It will go down in history as the..."

"We elope." Isabelle told him flatly, trying to stop him from making ridiculous plans. "Quietly. No fuss." Though to be fair he had yet to really ask her to marry him. He said he wanted to, but surely every woman was entitled to a proposal of marriage! Could she demand a proposal?