“Again?” She laughed against his lips.
“Time after time,” he said seriously.
“Forever?”
“And beyond.” He sealed her mouth with a kiss.
EPILOGUE - A marriage made in time
AMONTH LATER.
The day of the wedding dawned cool and sunny. One of those perfect winter days in Florida. Under the bluest sky she had ever seen, the light was brighter; the air felt cleaner, and the colors more vibrant. Or maybe she saw them that way today because she was extra happy?
In just a few hours, she was going to marry Dale for the second time. She shouldn’t be anticipating it so much. After all, she had been married to him from the first time they exchanged vows. But to be able to share her happiness with her family was priceless. And to have him here, in her life, to know he had come across distance and time to be with her was... She didn’t have a word that properly conveyed her feelings about that. She only knew it made her feel special, cherished. He had put her above everything else in his life, and he was her life.
“Are you ready, sis?” Leah said, entering the room after a perfunctory knock.
She turned to her sister, smiling. To have her sister again was without a doubt the greatest gift Dale had ever given her, even more valued because she knew it came at significant risk to him. If that didn’t prove he loved her above all else, even his own happiness, she didn’t know what would.
“Yes, I’m ready.” She wrapped her sister in a hug. “I could not be more ready. When are we leaving?”
Her sister returned the hug wholeheartedly, laughing with joy at her eagerness. “As soon as the car arrives. Mom is already pacing downstairs.”
They had rented a small pavilion set among the beautiful gardens of a botanical park to hold the wedding ceremony and dinner. She had overseen the preparations, but mostly left it all in the capable hands of the people who worked there. It was easy to decide because no matter the color of the flowers, or the flavor of the cake, or the type of food served, she would be the happiest woman on earth, for she had the man she loved. And soon they would have another little person to love.
It was a secret she was holding near her heart. She hadn’t shared it with anyone since she found out a few days before, not even her mother or sister. Dale should be the first to know. She was looking for the perfect opportunity, but since he had so many things to take in and adapt to, and she had been planning the wedding and dealing with the news of her pregnancy herself. The right moment hadn’t presented itself. But she had better tell him already, or she might burst with the news.
Tonight would be the perfect time. Once they were alone at the fancy hotel they had rented for their wedding night before departing for Europe in the morning. They would spend their honeymoon traveling through the continent for two weeks before settling in England.
Dale had shared his hope of purchasing his ancestral home. Of course, he could just claim it, since his papers said he was the legal son of the previous duke. If he claimed the title, he would have a right to it, and Roys had told him so, but he was hesitant to do so, and she could understand his reasons. His sense of honor couldn’t tolerate lying and pretending to be who he was not. Establishing him legally in these times had required a lot of shady business, and she guessed he didn’t feel completely at ease with that.
So for the time being, they only wanted to see the place, assess its condition and the cost to restore it to its former glory. They had discussed what to do with the place in the event he could purchase it. The days of living in lordly splendor in manors had passed, but it was obvious he felt a deep pull towards Crestview Hall, and Livvy did too. It was the place where they fell in love. And he belonged there. He had given up so much for her. She wanted him to have this.
At her suggestion, he was considering turning it into a luxury hotel. It would take an enormous investment of time and resources, but he had both, and she would help him. She was bursting with plans and ideas. They could live at the Dower House on the grounds of the property and from there oversee the repairs and then the running of the place.
She would have to live mostly in England, although she planned to keep her home in Florida for when they came to visit her family, but that was okay with her. She could visit them, and they could visit her in England whenever they wanted. They were only a few hours apart by plane.
