"You're not thinking about my wine cellar...."

She laughed. "No."

"Your mother or my mother?"

"No. And I'm not thinking about Skip, either, since we're going down the list. Except to be glad he's gone."

"Then these are happy thoughts that are keeping you up?"

"How can a girl be anything but happy after what you just did to me?" she teased.

His hand curved around her breast. "There's more where that came from."

She rose up on one elbow. "If you broke up with me, would you fire me?"

"So you are worrying," he said, amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. "Let me see your fingers."

"I haven't been digging at them. I'm not worrying, exactly. Just planning. I've decided that when I save up enough money, I want to go to college."

He pecked her lips. "I like that idea much better than hearing you talk about moving away from me."

"Do you think I could get in?"

"You could start at a community college. If you do well there, you could probably get into a university. What would you like to major in?"

"Business. I want to own a dessert shop someday. I'm good at desserts, don't you think?"

"I think you're good at lots of things."

"Like..."

"Like screaming my name when I make you come. And I love it because then I get to feel like a big stud."

"Stop! I'm being serious."

"Fine." He pecked her lips. "You could be anything. And that's the truth. But whatever you choose, I hope it includes having my baby."

She squinted through the darkness. "Isn't that a pretty big leap of faith? We just got back together."

"We won't do it until you have a year of sobriety under your belt, to make absolutely sure that you're on stable ground. But...we're not like your average couple. It's been fifteen years or more since I wanted to marry you the first time. I think I've waited long enough."

"I hate to tarnish the excitement, but...what about your mother?"

"She'll come around."

"She's going to be mad."

"Not if grandchildren are involved and, fortunately for us, we already have one of those to give her."

"She'd better be a lot nicer to Lex than she is to me," she muttered.

"I'll make sure of it. I promise."

She rested her chin on his chest and toyed with his nipple. "And I want one more thing."

"You name it."

"I want to sign a prenup."

"What?"

"You heard me. Then no one can accuse me of marrying you for your money. I'll make my own money. With my dessert shop."

His fingers ran up and down her side. "In the end, you'll probably be richer than me."

"Then maybe you should sign a prenup, too."

"I'll sign whatever you want me to, as long as you're finally mine." He kissed her. Then he got up and started to put on his clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready to walk you back to the guesthouse. I don't want to leave Lex alone for more than a couple of hours, just in case."

She considered asking him if he could love her daughter like his own. That was important to her. But she didn't even need to ask. She knew him well enough to trust that he would. They'd been more or less living together for two months; she'd seen how he treated Lex. "Before we go, there's something I need to tell you," she said.

He put his leg down instead of pulling on his jeans. "Is it bad news?"

She heard the caution in his voice. "Depends on your perspective."

"You definitely have my attention."

"Remember when you said I should tell you if I stumble across a pot of gold lying around the house so you can spread the word?"

"Yes...."

"Well, I haven't found a pot of gold exactly, but...I have come across $200,000."

"Holy s.h.i.t, Sophia!" He returned to the bed. "Where did you find that kind of money?"

"Remember when I went to the house last night?"

"Of course."

She told him about the letter and her trip to the jeweler.

"This could've been your ticket out of town," he said.

"I realize that."

He studied his feet for a few seconds before raising his head. "Why didn't you take it?"

"Because you're worth a lot more than money."

He didn't speak for a moment. Then he said, "Even when you've lost practically everything?"

She was nervous about letting go of the security the money could've provided; she had to admit that. But she knew she was doing the right thing. "Even then."

He sat down beside her and took her hand. "Are you going to turn it over to Chief Stacy?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I can bring myself to do that. But I am willing to call Agent Freeman."

"Giving up that much money after...after what you've been through. That's hard, babe."

She put her head on his shoulder. "I can make it on my own."

He slid an arm around her and kissed her temple. "You won't have to."

Straightening so she could look him in the eye, she said, "But I want to. I need to. For me."

Agent Freeman wasn't in. Sophia had to leave a message. Then she and Alexa started baking for Christmas. Alexa wanted to decorate sugar cookies for Royce, and Sophia wanted to try a new fudge recipe.

The call she'd been waiting for came when she was covered in flour, but she left Alexa to finish rolling out the dough-she figured it would be good practice for her, anyway-and washed her hands.

By the time she was able to answer, she was afraid she'd missed Agent Freeman, but that wasn't the case. As soon as she managed to slide the bar that answered her phone, she heard his distinctive, deep voice respond to her h.e.l.lo.

"Mrs. DeBussi?"

She didn't want Alexa to hear what she was about to say, so she carried her phone outside. "Thanks for calling me back," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

He was all business again. Sophia smiled at that. He came off as a hard-a.s.s, but she knew he was more tenderhearted than he let on. "I have some exciting news for you and for Skip's investors."

"You do?"

She could hear the surprise in his voice. "Yes. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." His tone suggested he wasn't used to having anyone act coy with him.

"I found my wedding ring."

There was a slight pause. "And you're calling me because..."

"It's worth $200,000, remember? Get this, Skip was trying to liquidate it but, for whatever reason, that didn't happen before our trip. Last night I came across a letter from a jeweler who has it. He even has a buyer lined up."

Silence.

"Aren't you excited?" she said.

"Mrs. DeBussi, I'm impressed that you made this call."

Sophia wasn't sure she'd ever felt so good inside. "Thanks."

"And that's exactly why I'm going to pretend I never received it."

"What?"

"You heard me. I told you, if you weren't in on the fraud you were the biggest victim of all, and I still feel that way. I know you've had one h.e.l.l of a time. Now maybe you'll be able to get by and care for your daughter. That's more important than spreading that money out among hundreds of people so it really does no one any good."

"You didn't seem to feel I deserved anything before."

"I was doing my job. But as far as I'm concerned, this case is closed. Merry Christmas," he said and hung up.

Ted stepped out of the kitchen before she could fully absorb what had just happened. He'd joined her and Lex several times already. He said it was impossible to concentrate on his book when he'd rather be with them. "Was that the FBI agent-what's his name, Freeman?"

"It was."

"What'd he say?"

"He said the money's mine."

"No...."

"I swear. He said he was going to forget I ever even made the call."

"Wow." He stood behind her and slid his arms around her waist in an effort to warm her. Neither of them had bothered to put on a coat. "I'm sort of b.u.mmed about that," he said.

"Why?"

"I like you better when you're poor. Then I know you won't be going anywhere," he joked.

She glanced beyond him to see Alexa watching them through the window. When Sophia caught her eye, she blushed and ducked her head, but not before the sweetest smile Sophia had ever seen appeared on her face.

"I think my daughter's figuring out that her mother has a boyfriend."

Ted twisted around as Alexa looked up again, and her smile stretched from ear to ear. "Good," he said. "Because I was planning to wait a few months before asking you to marry me, but that's beginning to feel like a really long time."

She let him turn her in his arms so they were facing each other. "We have to wait until spring," she said. "We can make it that long, can't we?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to type 80 words per minute by the time I get married."

He started to laugh. "Seriously?"

"Stop! Yes. I have goals!"