"This is magnificent," she said.

As he held her in his arms he decided that he wouldn't ruin the moment by putting his foot into his mouth. Unfortunately he did have to remove himself from her arms.

"Sorry, honey. I have to make a brief appearance at the conference." He checked his watch. "No more than four hours and then …" He placed a soft kiss on her nose. "Then I'm all yours."

Martier shivered at his words. "Um, should I come with you?"

"No, not ...