Full Bloom

Emily forcefully that night as they walked into the extravagantly decorated hotel room. All the decor in the hotel had obviously been designed to make the visitor think he had wandered into a fantasy land. Unfortunately, Jacob thought, Emily seemed immune. She was still dwelling within her own grim reality.
    "What's not normal?" Emily frowned questioningly as he closed and locked the door behind them.
    "Your fear of your family. They're not exactly a pack of cutthroat thieves and murderers. You've blown them up in your mind until they're out of all proportion."
    She sighed and sank onto the bed, the skirts of her new red-and-gold dinner dress swirling out around her. She had bought the dress earlier in one of the well-stocked boutiques downstairs. It had not done much for her mood, Jacob had noticed, even though she looked very sexy and dramatic in it. She was peering at him now through her glasses, her eyes thoughtful.
    "You're probably right," she agreed. "Force of habit. I used to think of you that way, too. Large, powerful, intimidating. You know what? You haven't changed."
    Jacob walked to the bed and stood in front of her. "Emily," he said gently, "Something has changed. You're my wife and I'm on your side." He bent down and pulled her to her feet. "The truth is, I've always been on your side. I love you, sweetheart. I've loved you since the day I carried you out of that damned cabin where that lunatic was holding you prisoner. It tore my guts out then to think that I could probably never have you. Every time your father or mother mentioned a new boyfriend in your life, I sweated, You'll never know what it did to me to learn you were planning to marry Carlton. And when I came back this last time and found you mixed up with Morrell, I wanted to go for his throat."
    She was staring at him. "You love me?"
    Jacob glowered at her. "Of course I love you. Do you think I'd go through all this if I didn't love you? What's the matter with you, woman? You never used to be dumb."
    "Jacob, you've never said it. All you ever said was that you wanted me. I knew you had to be feeling something more than that or you wouldn't have wanted to marry me, but you've never actually said you loved me."
    He really was going to lose his temper, Jacob decided. The only thing that was restraining him was the dawning happiness in Emily's eyes.
    "Emily," he began aggressively.
    "I love you, Jacob. I've loved you for ages. The only reason I got engaged to Brad Carlton was that I thought there was no hope for you and me. I decided I might as well marry him as anyone," Emily admitted. "I didn't think I could ever have you. Later, when you told me you would never marry again I decided to adopt a similar attitude. I made up my mind that if I couldn't have you, I didn't want anyone. Then you went abroad and Grandmother died and I put all my energy into opening Emily's Garden."
    "It's selfish as hell of me to say this, but the truth is, sweetheart, I'm very glad you took that vow and I'm very glad you got involved with Emily's Garden instead of another man. That way you were free to come to me when I finally decided to come back. I've loved you for so long, honey."
    "Oh, Jacob," she breathed. For the first time that day, her eyes focused on him and him alone. "I loved you, too, right from the beginning, I think, even though you made me so mad at times. I was crushed when I learned you'd gone to work for the foreign operations department. I thought I'd never see you again. Then, when you showed up in my life playing the same old role for my family, I was furious and hurt. It seemed you only came back to interfere with my future again."
    "I came back to see what had happened to you, Emily. I had to know if you'd changed. I knew you could never have handled marriage with me two years ago. Your family would have been able to pressure you into leaving me. Or they could have convinced me that I was no good for you. I already believed it myself."
    "Jacob, how can you say such things?"
    He shrugged. "Because they're true. But I've had two years to put the past behind me. You aren't the only one who's changed, honey. I've decided I'll make you a damned good husband, even with all my previously noted drawbacks."
    She gave him a misty smile. "I never doubted it."
    "Five years ago things were impossible for us. Two years ago we were both vulnerable in different ways," Jacob said softly. "But things are different now. I've decided I deserve you and as for