Tally made sure Meredith was comfortably seated before heading back to the entrance of the ballroom at the Dorchester. Two years had passed since the first time she’d entered this room on the night of Cash’s foundation gala—a relatively short time, yet such a lot had changed. No longer was she on the periphery, hoping to catch a glimpse of her idol and at the same time dreading someone would discover the duplicity of hiding her press pass so she could get close to journo-phobe, Cash Gallagher.

Now she was Mrs Cash Gallagher, mother to a seven-month-old baby who made her remember every day how lucky she was.

The Dorchester had done them proud. The room was tastefully decorated but not too ostentatious, given the reason for the event.

“Memories, baby?” Cash said, curving a warm hand around her waist. He brushed her hip with his thumb, a habit he’d developed when they’d first met as a way to reassure her, and she loved it as much now as she had then.

“Yeah. Good ones.”

“Do you think Kinga would like it?” Cash said, nodding inside the packed room. Every table was full of people anxious for a little piece of her husband.

Tally leaned her head on his shoulder. “She would. You’ve done her proud, Cash.”

He heaved a sigh. She wasn’t sure if it was relief that after six months of hard slog they’d achieved so much, or the realisation that he would be spending the next four hours making small talk—something he hated doing—in an effort to get people to donate to the cancer charity he’d set up in Kinga’s name.

“Time to face the masses,” he said, pulling a face.

“Don’t worry, ace,” she said, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek. “You pay the penance this evening and get your reward tonight. Oh, and just to be clear, you’re going to need to bring your A game.”

She swept a hand over his arse and glanced up at him to see if her promise had had the desired effect. It had. Cash’s mouth was parted, his cheeks tinged with a hint of red.

He bent down, and his lips touched the shell of her ear as he whispered, “Be careful, sweetness. I know I’ve matured over the years, but I’m not averse to deciding this event can manage without its host and hostess for an hour.”

She laughed. “Only an hour? Slacker. Come on, you know how I love to hear you speak.” She put on an exaggerated shudder. “Turns me on big time.”

Before Cash could reply, she tugged on his hand and stepped into the room.

* * *

Tally lay in Cash’s arms later that night, sated and happier than she’d ever thought possible. The event had been a huge success, taking an enormous weight off both their shoulders, and they’d secured enough funding to take them right through the following year, which was more than both of them had hoped for.

“Are you still awake?” Cash whispered after they’d been lying in the darkness for a few minutes.

“Mmm,” she said, halfway between sleep and unconscious bliss.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“No more charities,” she mumbled.

He chuckled. “I think two is enough. No, it was about me. Well, us. Well, tennis actually.”

That caught her attention. Cash hadn’t mentioned anything about playing again since he’d won the Estoril tournament at the end of April, almost eight months earlier. Since then, their lives had been overtaken by Darcey’s birth, Kinga’s passing, and then setting up the charity. She’d often been on the cusp of bringing it up, knowing he still had years ahead of him if that was what he chose to do, but in the end, she’d decided he had to make the first move.

And apparently, he’d just made it.

She reached over and switched on the bedside lamp. The lighting was subtle, but she still had to squint until her eyes adjusted.

“I’m all ears, ace,” she said, sitting up and crossing her legs.

Cash turned onto his side, one hand propping up his head. “I think I want to go back on the circuit, but,” he said, holding his hand up as she began to interrupt, “we have to make this decision together. Travelling with a baby is not going to be easy. I’m seriously out of shape, at least the type of shape I need to be in to achieve success on court, and if we decide I’m doing this, it’s going to take up huge amounts of time, which will cut into the time spent with you and Darcey.”

Tally motioned for him to sit up, which he did. She took both of his hands in hers. “See these? They’re amazing. I’ve always loved your hands, but even more so now. They hold our baby when she needs comforting, they bathe her, dress her, play with her. And when you put them on me, they make me feel so good.” She glanced up for effect and saw that he was grinning, even though she could tell he didn’t know where she was going with this yet.

“But you know what these do best, ace? They hold a tennis racket, which allows you to perform miracles on court. I miss watching you play—more than I have the words to explain. I understand it’s not going to be easy, but we’ll work it out. Plenty of others do. I won’t be the first wife of a tennis player who hauls their kid around the circuit.”

He raised his eyebrows and offered her a questioning gaze. “So we’re doing this?”

She brought his hands to her lips and kissed every one of his fingers in turn. “We are.”