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hopped on."
    "I don't believe in resting on your laurels or believing your own press. It's too easy to become complacent that way. A person doesn't have that luxury, especially one with only a high school diploma to fall back on."
    "That bothers you?" she asked, surprised.
    "Sometimes," he admitted with a shrug.
    "But how could that bother you, Myles? You've actually done the impossible—broken off and formed your own independent line."
    "We're small," he reminded her. "Still in our infancy."
    "True. But competitive."
    "I could get buried." He laughed. "I'm not exactly giving the big guys a run for their money, Faith."
    "Not yet. But you will," she insisted.
    "I'm glad that you believe in me, but only time will tell. At least I've got my chance, thanks to enough backers who didn't laugh in my face and call me crazy behind my back. I heard it all so often, I started to half-believe it myself. Continuing on became as much a matter of pride as realizing the vision."
    "You're not a quitter, Myles, and those investors apparently knew genius when they saw it—that, and a chance to get in on the bottom floor of a potential gold mine. I know it was a struggle, but look how far you've come. The last I heard you were getting more orders than you could fill, and they haven't even rolled off the assembly line." She looked at him anxiously. "Has that changed, Myles? Are you having problems with the EPA or the distributors or foul-ups with production or—"
    "We've worked through most of that, and the loans are secured. But even at that, we've got our share of difficulties. That's life. The same way people never outgrow their roots or their need for acceptance, no matter who they are or what they become. That's life too."
    "You mean your upbringing and never getting a college degree to hang on your office wall?"
    "That's part of it. Sometimes I feel like an imposter running a big corporation. I'm no Lee Iacocca in the making, no Henry Ford incarnate. Deep down I'm just an ordinary grease monkey. Hell, I was taking old cars apart and putting them back together before I was ten. Practically everyone I knew depended on the factory to put food on the table. That's a far cry from most of the MBAs who work for me."
    "I imagine most of the MBAs who work for you wouldn't mind being CEO for a day," she countered.
    "Yeah? Well, that's the other misconception that bothers me. To use an old cliché, it can get pretty damn lonely at the top. If things go bad and I lose it all, I'm left with nothing but a mountain of debt and a ruined reputation."
    "But it wouldn't be that way. If the impossible happened and you did go under, I'd still be there for you. You're not alone at all, Myles."
    The words were out before she could stop them.
    He went very still, his attention locked on her. At that moment she was incapable of moving or speaking or managing more than a shallow breath. He pinned her where she stood as he looked over the rim of his cup.
    Her hand rested on the countertop; he covered it with his.
    "No. I'm not alone anymore, thanks to you." His gaze drifted to her belly, and a warm smile touched his lips. "Your support means a lot to me, Faith. I'm not usually one for spilling my guts, but it helped to get some of that out of my system. When you've had to be a rock for a long time with no one to support you, it's hard to admit even a little weakness. It gets to a point where constantly needing to prove you're invincible becomes a weakness in itself."
    "You're anything but weak, Myles."
    "You're right, I'm not a weak person. But it feels damn good to know a woman who's strong enough to make me feel it's safe to show a chink in my armor."
    The warmest feeling bloomed from within and rose up to her cheeks. "I'll treasure that, Myles. It's the nicest thing a man's ever said to me."
    "As much as I'd like to think that's true, I find it very hard to believe."
    Faith could feel her heart lift, her delight heighten. The scent of soap and aftershave filled