Page 155 of Temporary Vows

It would have been great to finally make it here, but I know it wouldn’t have been anything close to the experience I’ve had so far. I’ve always been told it’s better to visit places with somebody who knows it. I witnessed that for myself.

"The estate's been in the family for eight hundred years," he says, his voice cutting into the gentle silence.

I look up at him. "Eight hundred?" I can’t begin to imagine that.

"Yes. Give or take a few years." He guided me over a root that juts up from the path. “It was passed down from one generationto the next. We have a few places like this throughout England and Europe.”

I smile at him. “That is so amazing. How did it start?”

Pride fills his expression before he even opens his mouth. "Early thirteenth century. A sea merchant named Aldric Vale built it. But it was a cottage then. He wasn't noble born, but he was shrewd with money in a way most men of his era weren't." He ducks under a low branch and holds it back for me. "He made one smart move—one—and it changed everything for every generation that came after him. He started helping one of the Lords manage his finances, and from there everything took off. He expanded the cottage and it became the manor we have today. And now it’s mine. Or rather ours.”

I beam at him. “It feels wrong for me to claim something that feels so grand.”

“You’re my wife. What’s mine is yours. It’s as simple as that. We allow family to stay here and enjoy the place, but at the end of the day, it’s ours.”

“Thank you.” I appreciate how he’s included me in everything.

The light shifts through the trees, warming the sharp lines of his profile. I could look at him like this forever. And listen to him telling me things he doesn't tell anyone else.

This is a very different Dorian from the one in New York. I hardly recognize him.

The path curves gently ahead of us, narrow and uneven beneath my boots.

I tilt my face up, letting the cool air brush across my skin. I close my eyes for a moment and absorb it, trying to commit the feeling to memory.

“This is better than I imagined it,” I whisper, slowly opening my eyes.

Dorian’s hand tightens. “I had a feeling you’d say that. Wait until you see the lake.”

My nerves tingle with excitement. It’s so long since I did anything like this, I’ve forgotten what it feels like to stop and appreciate nature.

We walk a little further, until the path narrows and the trees press in close. Branches lace together overhead until the light almost disappears. Dorian guides me under a low bough then the trees open up. And I stop breathing.

The lake stretches out before us, wide and still, its surface catching the sunlight in ripples of gold. Reeds line the edges, swaying in the breeze, and somewhere across the water birds call to each other in a delightful symphony that reminds me of tiny bells.

"Dorian," I whisper in awe.

He watches me take it in and grins back at me. “You like it.”

“I love it.” I sigh, looking up and down the lake. “And it’s so peaceful.”

“I know. Come on. Let’s go sit for a while.”

We walk onto the grass and settle down on a soft patch beside the lake. We sit opposite each other and stare out at the water. I pull my knees up, resting my chin on them, while Dorian stretches out beside me, leaning back on his elbows.

"I don't know how I'm going to leave this place," I say, looking around. Everything feels like it's sinking into me, becoming a part of me.

"I used to be the same." His gaze drifts across the lake, distant for a moment. "I haven't been here in years. Being back reminds me how much I love it. I forgot what it felt like."

The soft reflection in his tone shows a reverence that runs deeper than mere nostalgia.

"I'm glad you're getting something out of the trip too." I grin.

“Yes, I certainly am.” He straightens, his heated gaze locking onto mine, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

He isn’t just talking about himself. He means me too.

I brush uncontrollably and we exchange a silent smile. Not a day has gone by since we agreed to start over, that he hasn’t devoured me. The whole trying for a baby thing is no longer the sole priority for sex. We never even went down that road.