“I don’t think there’s a single question about the Statue of Liberty that Marc didn’t ask.”
“I’m sure.” She leaned her head back against Christian’s shoulder as he slipped his arms around her. He felt more than heard her sigh. “I love you.”
Unsure if he’d heard her correctly, Christian held perfectly still, afraid to say anything and ruin the moment.
“But I think you already know that,” she continued.
“I don’t. I didn’t.” Chest aching, he turned her to face him. “I love you, too. You know that, right?”
She smiled at his earnest tone. “I didn’t until you told me just before you fell asleep last night.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to say it. Those three words have played through my mind a hundred times over the past week. A thousand times since we first met. I guess I’ve avoided the truth for so long that it became a habit to hide it from you, as well.”
“You’re not the only one who has trouble breaking old patterns of behavior. I ended our engagement because I didn’t believe you could possibly want me as something other than the mother of your son.”
Cupping her face in his hands, heart racing to the point where he was light-headed, Christian searched her expression. “Does that mean you’ve changed your mind about wanting to marry me?” He sounded neither calm nor casual as he asked the question. To his relief she didn’t leave him in suspense for long.
“I’ve always wanted to marry you,” she teased. “Nothing could change that.”
No longer capable of holding back his impatience, Christian put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Are you going to marry me?”
“Yes!” She threw her arms around his waist and lifted her lips to receive his kiss.
Christian wasted no time letting her know how delighted he was by her decision. One ravenous, joyful kiss followed another until a weight struck their legs. Setting Noelle’s lips free, Christian glanced down at his son. Noelle’s hand was already smoothing the sleep-tossed waves of Marc’s dark brown hair.
“Mama, I’m hungry.”
Snatching breath back into his lungs, Christian chuckled. “How is that possible after everything he’s eaten today?”
“He has a lot of growing to do before he’ll be as big as his father, and that takes fuel.”
Christian bent and hoisted his son into his arms. Marc wrapped one arm around each of his parents as they stood close together.
“Your mother and I are getting married so the three of us can be a family,” he said, catching a glimpse of Noelle’s nod. “What do you think about that?” It was risky to ask a four-year-old such an important question when his stomach was empty, but Christian refused to wait another minute before making the engagement official. And telling Marc was as official as it got.
“Yeah. Will I get to live at the palace?” A couple weeks earlier it was the last place he’d wanted to visit, but now that he’d met his cousins and explored some of the rooms, he’d become much more interested in making it his home.
“Sometimes we can spend time there...” Noelle began, shooting Christian a quick frown.
Marc squirmed in Christian’s grasp, his hunger once again snagging his attention. “May I have some cheese?”
Noelle made Marc a snack out of supplies stocked in the small refrigerator. When her son was content, she turned to Christian once more.
“Where are we going to live? The farmhouse is too small. Your apartment in Old Town has no outside space for Marc to play.”
“I am in negotiations for an estate about twelve miles from the center of Carone. When I first learned about Marc, I decided he’d need more space than I currently have. If you approve of it, we can live there.” He paused, wondering if she’d forgotten last night’s decision to live in New York for six months. “As for the time you’re planning to spend here, we can always rent an apartment near Central Park.”
“We?” She looked hopeful.
“Before my brothers chose love over duty to the Sherdanian throne, I’d been considering expanding my ventures into the US. This seems like an excellent time to explore new territory.”
Almost before he finished speaking, Noelle wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. “I’m so relieved to hear you say that. I didn’t know how I was going to live apart from you these next six months.”
Christian hugged her in return. “You didn’t seriously think I was going to let you get away a second time, did you?”
She tipped back her head and gave him a wry smile. “Get away?”
“You have no idea what it cost me to let you go.”
The torment in his voice made her shiver. She pulled him down for a kiss. Mindful of Marc’s presence, they kept it affectionate and light. There would be plenty of time for passion later when they were alone.
As soon as Marc finished his snack, Christian lifted him into his arms and pulled out his cell phone. Earlier that day he’d realized that as many pictures as he’d taken with his son these past few days, not one of them had included Noelle. As the three of them clustered together in front of the window overlooking the New York skyline, Christian snapped their photo and sent it to his parents and brothers with the message that he and Noelle were engaged. Despite the time difference, he received immediate congratulations from everyone.
“It’s official,” he warned her. “There’s no backing out now.”
She regarded him with sparkling eyes. “You almost sound worried that I might.”
“I learned the hard way never to take you for granted.” He kissed her temple. “That will not happen again.”
“We’ve both made mistakes and learned from them. I can see us making more.”
“But as long as we don’t let doubts come between us, we’ll be just fine.”
“Better than fine,” she said, resting her head against his shoulder and watching Marc put together a puzzle of the Statue of Liberty. “We’re going to be gloriously happy.”
Christian’s arm tightened around Noelle. “That, my dazzling wife-to-be, sounds just about perfect.”
* * * * *
