he'd simply return it and that would be the end of that. Maybe he'd take a nice vacation with the money. Somewhere warm with the maximum number of beautiful women in the minimum amount of clothes.
A knock sounded on the door and Rafe tossed the ring back into the drawer along with the box. A few seconds later, Sylvie entered carrying a large package. 'This was just delivered for you.'
'What is it?'
'I don't know. It's marked personal and confidential.' She set it on his desk. 'Should I open it?'
'Why not? Isn't that what 'personal and confidential' means? 'Sylvie may open this package.''
Sylvie rolled her eyes then ripped the top off the box. She peered inside, then frowned.
'What is it?' Rafe asked.
'I'm not sure.' She reached down then pulled her hand back and stuck her finger in her mouth. 'I think it's a cake. Only it looks like a pair of shoes and a shoe box. Loafers, I think.'
Rafe stood up and looked into the box. Then he stepped back and laughed. 'Italian loafers. Made in Milan. Keely sent this.'
'She sent you a cake that looks like shoes.'
'The night we met, she threw up on my shoes. Ruined a very expensive pair of loafers. She promised to get me a new pair.'
'Oh, that's so sweet,' Sylvie said.
'Yeah,' Rafe murmured. 'It is.' The ball had been in her court and she just hit it back, Rafe mused. So things weren't completely over between them. He raked his hand through his hair and shook his head. 'That woman could drive a man seriously insane.'
'The frosting is absolutely sinful,' Sylvie said. 'Can we eat it now or is it just to look at?'
'It's supposed to be enjoyed,' said a soft voice. They both turned. Keely stood at the door, a sly smile on her face.
She was dressed for the cold in a long wool coat, a slouchy hat and a wildly patterned scarf. 'It's a banana cake with a ganache filling.' She met Rafe's gaze. 'I told you I'd get you a new pair of shoes. They're not Italian, but they taste a lot better.'
Rafe stared at her for a long moment. Though he'd tried not to think about her over the past week, he'd never been able to get her completely out of his head. And now he knew why. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known and the only woman he'd ever love.
He slowly walked over to her and tugged off her hat, then pulled the scarf from around her shoulders.
Sylvie looked between them both. 'I think I'll go see if I can find a knife and some plates.' She hurried out of the office, closing the door behind her.
'It's a nice cake,' Rafe murmured. 'You're very talented.'
'It's an original design,' Keely said. 'One of my specialty wedding cakes.'
Rafe's eyebrow rose. 'A wedding cake? For whom?'
'For us. I figure if we go get the license today we can get married on Thursday.'
He stared at her for a long moment. 'You mean it?'
'I do,' Keely said. 'I don't want to wait until my mother and father and brothers approve. I want to get married now, Rafe. I want to prove to them that you're in my life for good and there's nothing they can say that's going to change that. I love you and that's all that matters.'
'But don't you want a big church wedding?'
'It doesn't make any difference. I never thought I'd say that, but it really doesn't. What matters is that we'll be married and we'll be able to start our life together. So, will you marry me, Rafe?'
'I will, Keely.'
She wrapped her arms around his neck. Rafe couldn't believe that it was really going to happen, that Keely would finally be his. He hugged her tightly, then kissed her slowly and thoroughly, until he'd finally convinced himself that he wasn't imagining the whole thing.
Keely tipped her head back and looked into his eyes. 'I want my ring back,' she said. 'You better not have returned it to the jeweller.'
'It's in my desk.'
Keely slipped out of his embrace, then began to search through desk drawers. Rafe bent over and pulled the middle drawer open, then fished the ring out of his pile of paper clips. 'You're going to leave it on this time, aren't you?'
'Just try to get it off me.' Keely held out her hand and Rafe slipped the ring on her finger. Then she pressed her palm to her heart and smiled. 'So, what should we do first?'
'Have you told your parents?'
Keely shook her head. 'Nope. And I'm not going to. You and I are going to get married and if they don't like it, then they can…go to hell.'
Rafe reached out and took her hand. 'Maybe you should think about this, Keely. They're going to be pretty angry if you just run off and marry me. They're going to think I talked you into it.'
'Well, you did,' she said. A frown wrinkled her brow. 'Are you backing out now? I thought this was what you wanted.'
'Of course it is. But is this the way to go about it?'
'This is the way I want it,' Keely said. 'I used to think I wanted a huge wedding, the more elaborate the better. But I've realized that it's not the wedding that's important. It's the marriage. I want to be married to you, Rafe. For now, till death do us part and happily ever after. So let's just do it.'
'All right,' Rafe said with a smile. He cupped her face in his palms and gave her a quick kiss. 'Where?'
'Here in Boston, at the courthouse. I called about a license. There's a three-day waiting period, so if we go down today and apply, we can get married in three days.'
'All right. But if we have three days, then I think we should at least make it special.'
'All right,' Keely agreed. 'I'll buy a dress.'
'And I'll get you flowers. And what about a honeymoon?'
'I don't know,' she said. 'We might have to put it off for a while.'
'I'll take care of the honeymoon.'
Keely smiled. 'Then that about does it. We've managed to plan our wedding in what-ten seconds? That's got to be some kind of record.'
'We'll need a witness, too,' Rafe said. He reached over and pushed the button for his intercom. 'Sylvie, can you come back in here?'
A few seconds later, she appeared at the door. 'Do you want a piece of cake?'
'Put the cake in the refrigerator. Then cancel all my appointments for the next two weeks. And clear your calendar for Thursday. Keely and I are getting married and we'll need you to serve as a witness.'
Sylvie's eyes went wide and she gasped. 'Married? You're getting married?'
'And give Judge Williams a call and see if he'll do the ceremony for us. I worked with him on that charity dinner last year for the mayor. And I'm going to need some plane tickets, too.'
'I'm invited to the wedding?' Sylvie asked. 'Would you like me to call the other guests as well?'
'You're the only guest,' Keely said. 'We decided to keep our wedding very simple.'
'All right then. I guess I better get to work.' She rushed out of the office, pulling the door shut behind her.
Rafe grabbed Keely up and swung her around, giving her a fierce hug. He was almost afraid to let go, afraid that she might change her mind. Though this was exactly what he'd wanted, Rafe couldn't help but feel a little hesitant. They really hadn't solved the problem with her family. They'd just taken a detour around it. Sooner or later, Keely would have to tell them they were married and face the consequences.
If he were a sensible guy, he'd put the brakes on. After all, Keely did have a history of impulsive behavior and this was a prime example. But Rafe wanted Keely more than he wanted to do the sensible thing. If she was determined to get married in three days, who was he to argue?
CHAPTER TWELVE
