“That's a terrible line.”
“Did it work?”
“Not remotely.”
He smiled.
For a while, they sat together in the moving car, listening to the distant sounds of the amusement park.
Then Nicholas took her hand.
“Maggie.”
She looked at him.
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Are we all right?”
Her smile softened.
She thought about the months since their argument.
The awkward conversations.
The apologies.
The patience.
The way he had allowed her space without disappearing from her life.
The way he had begun trusting her with the difficult parts of his own.
She moved closer.
“I think we're getting there.”
Nicholas nodded.
“I want to do this properly.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Take me to an amusement park?”
He laughed.
“No.”
“Then what?”
He looked into her eyes.
“Love you.”
Maggie's breath caught.
Nicholas continued.
“I don't want to love you by deciding what's best for you. I don't want to protect you from the truth or buy my way out of an argument.”
She smiled faintly.
“That would be rather expensive.”
He laughed softly.
“I want to be the person you can disagree with and still trust.”
Her eyes filled.
“And I want you to know that when things become difficult, I'm not going to disappear behind my office door.”
Maggie reached for his face.
“Nick.”
He covered her hand with his.
“I love you.”
She closed her eyes.
The words settled around her with a warmth that made the entire world seem suddenly smaller.
When she opened them, she was smiling through tears.
“I love you too.”
Nicholas stared at her.
“Really?”
She laughed.
“Really.”
“You're sure?”
“Nick.”
“Yes?”
“Stop talking.”
Then she kissed him.
Below them, the amusement park glittered with light.
The great wheel began moving again.
And for one extraordinary moment, Maggie Bennett felt as though she were suspended above the entire world, holding the hand of the man she loved.
The months that followed were not perfect.
Nicholas still worked too much.
Maggie occasionally forgot appointments because she was absorbed in a project.
They argued about money, schedules, and the proper way to organize a kitchen.
Nicholas believed breakfast should be eaten at a table.
Maggie believed breakfast could be consumed perfectly well while standing over a drafting board.
He thought she should sleep more.
She thought he should stop answering business calls during dinner.
Once, they argued for nearly an hour about whether a weekend trip to Connecticut constituted a holiday if Nicholas brought a briefcase.
Maggie won.
The briefcase stayed in New York.
But the arguments no longer frightened them.
They had learned that disagreement was not the same as rejection.
They had also learned the value of an apology offered before pride made it difficult.