She shook her head…and let out a peal of laughter as Harry swept her off her feet. He headed purposefully toward the staircase even as toasts rang from the drawing room.
“But Harry, we can’t abandon the party…”
He covered her mouth with his, turning her protests into moans.
7
New Year’s Day
Outside in thegarden the next morning, Emma surveyed her party with a feeling of satisfaction. The sun was bright, scattering diamonds over the carpet of snow. The children were running about, chasing one another and getting along…for the most part.
The adults watched on, looking alternately amused and exasperated at their offspring’s antics. Harry, Emma saw, was holding Tessa’s hand, and from the pretty glow on the latter’s face, all was well again. Their son Bart was racing around the fountain, menacing his peers with his wooden sword while his great-grandpapa beamed with pride.
Emma took stock of her other siblings as well, and their obvious contentment added to her own. Life was like a country road, filled with ups and downs but, in the end, she didn’t mind as long as it always led her back here…to home. Home, she realized, was not just a place or even a gathering of the people one loved most: it was that strong, unbreakable feeling of connection. Home was a shelter during difficult times and a celebration during triumphs.
Home was everything.
A familiar strong arm circled her waist, and she shivered as Alaric murmured against her ear, “Pleased with your party, are you, pet?”
He read her so well.
“I am counting my blessings.” She leaned into him. “I have so much to be grateful for, darling. Our family is well, and while things aren’t always perfect, we get through adversity together.”
“That is what counts, love.”
Sensing that something had distracted him, she followed the direction of his gaze. Livy had entered the garden. Dressed for the outdoors in a woolen tartan cloak with a matching beret over her chestnut curls, she was skipping alongside the Duke of Hadleigh, who looked both taken aback and amused by her company.
“They make for an odd pair, don’t they?” Emma mused.
“Indeed.” Her husband’s tone was thoughtful. “If it weren’t for Hadleigh, however…”
Emma’s throat tightened. The notion was too much to bear.
“We owe him much, and we must think of some way to repay him.” Observing the younger duke’s red-rimmed eyes and gauntness, signs of a dissipated life, she said, “Perhaps your friendship would be a place to start. Hadleigh looks in need of a decent role model.”
“You think I am a role model of decency?” Alaric slanted her a devilish look. “After the way I debauched you last night?”
Emma blushed. She was still a bit sore and deliciously languid from their intimate celebration of the new year.
“Well, youarewicked,” she amended, “but mainly when it comes to bedroom matters. Beyond those, you are quite principled. And I do believe that Hadleigh could use a good friend.”
“He shall have one.” Alaric said it like a vow.
“Thank you, darling.”
“No, thankyou, Emma.”
She smiled at him. “For what?”
“For giving me a family. For being the home I always longed for.” He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, his eyes intense with feeling. “Most of all, for being you.”
Her heart squeezed with answering emotion. “I love you too.”
Their kiss was a tender, passionate tribute to the new year. It brimmed with the sweetness of the past, the joy of the present, and the promise of all the future days ahead.
