The music faded behind us as we strolled outside and to the outskirts of the garden. The air was cooler now, this morning’s rain long gone, leaving everything damp and glistening under the soft lights strung through the trees. The scent of wet earth and flowers wafted through the air and I inhaled deeply, feelingso incredibly blessed to be back here, at the estate I loved, married to the man I loved. It felt so right that I could barely contain a squeal when I thought about it too long.
Will stopped near the edge of the garden, where the lights didn’t quite reach. He let go of my hand to reach up, brushing his thumb gently along my jaw. “I love you, Eliza Roderick.”
“I love you too,” I said softly, smiling as I leaned into his touch. “What are we doing out here, though?”
His mouth curved slightly, like hearing that I loved him still surprised him, but he didn’t let it linger long. “I have a gift for you.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ve already married me. That feels like the big one.”
“This one’s better.”
“Oh, good.”
He took a small breath, those blue eyes silvery in the low light as he held my gaze. “Jesse is taking over as COO at Westwood and Sons.”
I stilled completely, blinking hard before my eyes slowly started growing wider. “What? But you love your job.”
“I do, but not as much as I love you,” he murmured. “I’m retiring, Eliza. Moving here to be with you and help you run the estate, if that’s alright?”
As he said it, my thoughts just stopped. I stared up at him, unable to believe that he’d do that… for me. “Why?”
He watched me for a second. “I have enough money in investments and my accounts to fund our lifestyle five times over. We won’t ever struggle.”
“That’s not…” I shook my head. “That’s not what I’m thinking about at all.”
“I know, but I need you to understand that this isn’t a risk. It’s a choice I’m making to be here with you. This is where I want to be. It’s the life I want to live.”
“Here?” I repeated. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “We’ll live at the castle and raise our children right here in England. We’ll have to make a few trips to Chicago a year, but the estate is big enough to build a private airstrip and a hangar for my jet, so?—”
I kissed him. That was the only logical response as far as I was concerned. Every word, every impossible, beautiful, overwhelming piece of what he was offering… I didn’t have the capacity to process it any other way.
So I kissed him. My hands slid up to his shoulders and he pulled me closer, one arm hooked around my waist while he cupped my face gently in the other hand. I didn’t even have to ask if he was serious about all this, because he was.
Will Westwood was sacrificing life as he knew it—for me. For the estate. The castle. The quiet life I hadn’t even let myself hope would be mine forever. When I pulled back, I was smiling, tears in my eyes and my chest filled with so much pressure that for a second, all I could do was stare up at him. “Thank you.”
“No, thankyou,” he said quietly. Before I could ask what he was doing, he bent down and picked me up. I laughed, instinctively wrapping my arms around his neck. He glanced down at me with a grin on his lips. “I’m sneaking you away now.”
“There’s a whole room full of people who will definitely notice we’re gone.”
“They’ll survive,” he said as he carried me toward a back entrance of the castle. “This is our night, Eliza. We’ve been theirs all day. Right now, you’re the only person I want to belong to.”
“It’s really hard to argue when you put it like that,” I murmured, leaning into him and deciding that he was right.
These last couple weeks had been an absolute whirlwind and the last few days had been even crazier. It was about time that he and I just got to be together, and it was rather late. I was sure our guests would start departing soon anyhow.
But even if they stayed all night, I was ready to kick off my shoes and just be with my husband. As he finally carried me into my room, he kicked the door shut behind us, then set me down gently on my feet.
I circled my arms around his neck again, looking up at his handsome face and trying to believe that he was really mine. “How did we get here?”
He smiled and shook his head. “I have no idea, but I’m never letting you go. You know that, right?”
“I’d hope so,” I murmured as I pushed up on my toes and pressed another kiss to his lips. “You did just promise me forever in front of the entire village. They’ll go after you with pitchforks if you try to break that promise.”
He groaned. “That’s wonderful that you’re only telling me now, but I’m not worried. I’m not going anywhere, Eliza.”
He slanted his mouth over mine and kissed me soundly, walking us backward into the bedroom and gently unzipping the dress. I kicked off my heels, still kissing him as he made a content sound at the back of his throat.
