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I didn’t know why I was adamant about Victoria giving me a chance. I wasn’t lying when I said I had never wanted to get married before, and I’d dated plenty. Was it really as simple as finding the right person?

“Listen,” she began, clearing her throat.

I could already tell she was planning on writing me off. I couldn’t blame her. We’d known each other for a weekend and the only reason she probably agreed to get on a stranger’s boat was because she was desperately trying to provide for her daughter. She needed the commission. I could respect that, but I didn’t need her throwing me a pity party because she wasn’t interested. Not when I knew she was.

“Don’t say anything without giving me a chance,” I told her, adamantly. I didn’t want to say I was desperate because I wasn’t a fan of that particular word, but I wanted her to know that I intended to make my case. “Please,” I added, hoping that word would reach her. “Let me take you on a date at the best restaurant in Seattle. We can go to the Space Needle.”

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” Her voice was quiet, her eyes on her lap. These were not good signs.

Uh-oh. This sounded like a breakup and we weren’t even together.

“Tori…”

“And I can even admit that I like you, despite my best efforts not to,” she continued. “You’re ridiculously handsome and nearly as arrogant, but the arrogance works for you because you’re sweet. Somehow, wrapped up in your wealth and business savvy and arrogance, you’re sweet. You genuinely care. About Penelope. About me, for some reason.” She shook her head.

I wanted to reach out and tell her what an amazing woman she was. I wanted her to know that she deserved the best. That she worked too hard and sacrificed so much, including time with Penelope, just to be able to provide the life she wanted for her daughter, on top of saving for her dream house. I wanted her to know all of this.

I wanted to punch her ex in the face for treating her like garbage and having the audacity to attempt to steal Penelope away and even then, to want to put child support on her, to take away her hard-earned money, not working, not caring for Penelope the way Victoria did, and squandering her savings away.

She was exactly the sort of woman a guy like me should marry.

“I’ll marry you,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

She stopped what she was saying to give me a sharp look. “What?” she asked, her voice filled with equal parts annoyance and disbelief.

I hesitated. That sounded way more romantic in my head than it did hearing it out loud. I opened my mouth, but I had no idea how I was going to explain my comment. She heard exactly what I said and she wasn’t the sort of woman you could get away with bullshitting, either.

“I meant,” I began slowly, shifting my eyes over to the water. I had hoped something interesting was happening so it would distract her from our suddenly awkward conversation. “I mean, you heard Windsor. You need a two-parent household to provide stability for Penelope and I said I would marry you because I wanted to help you do that.”

I had no idea why I asked her the question.

God, I was acting like the biggest dipshit ever. I was glad Bodhi wasn’t around to see this. I would never be able to live it down.

She continued to look at me with a stare I couldn’t decipher except for the fact that it was not a good look.

She sighed and looked out at the sea. It was a beautiful day. The sun painted the sky, the ocean sparkled, the soft breeze lifted Victoria’s hair from her shoulders and it was tainted with a hint of salt. It was soothing - the ocean always was. And yet, I appreciated none of it. Not when Victoria was in front of me, looking at me that way, with that sigh that came out of her mouth.

“Max,” she grumbled, her voice low. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

I furrowed my brow. I knew that it wasn’t the most romantic way to propose marriage, but it would solve her problem and I wanted to help her in any way I could. Victoria was strong and independent. She could do almost everything on her own. This was one thing I could help her with.

“I think you think you’re being spontaneous and romantic,” she continued when I didn’t answer. “But that’s the last thing I want. I want logical and rational and I’m so tired of people thinking they know best. Joe thinks he can get custody because I should parent his way. And you think my problems will go away just because you have money. But you haven’t considered about how marriage might affect Penelope. She’s starting to realize her father doesn’t want to see her all the time. I don’t need to introduce her to another man who will just let her down.”

“What makes you think I’m going to let her down?” I asked. This was one thing I was adamant about. I was crazy about Penelope. And she and Bohdi were inseparable.

“When you’re too busy working, when you have a meeting that runs late? When you get a last-minute call that will force you to choose between Penelope’s school recital and a meeting, you’ll choose the meeting. We can’t both choose the meeting.” She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “On top of that, we barely like each other, let alone love each other, and I’m not going to marry again without…”

“Ha!” I interrupted. “So, you would consider getting married again.”

“Are you listening to anything I’m saying?” she asked.

I nodded my head. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, and I respect it. I’m sorry, I can come across as... ambitious, at times. You’re right. I just... let me at least take you out on a date.” I placed both hands on her bare shoulders, rubbing them with my hands. “Tell me you didn’t enjoy it when we kissed.”

When she couldn’t answer, I leaned down and took a chance. I kissed her again, smiling as I did so. She wasn’t arguing. “Good,” I responded. “I enjoyed it as well.” I stepped back to give her the deck to herself. I needed to prepare for our date.