“Have you seen my wife and children?”
“Oh, yes. They are upstairs in the nursery.”
“Splendid, but… where is my wife?”
“In the nursery with them.”
A confused throb caused a dull ache in his skull, and he rubbed his forehead. He bolted up the stairs and hurried into the nursery to see what Camilla was doing this time. Just before he reached the door, laughter echoed through the room. Not only James and Camilla’s voices, but a little girl’s, too.
He stopped inches from the door. Camilla and James sang a silly song as they clapped their hands together while Lizzy laughed. He leaned forward and peeked around the corner. His daughter’s face lit up as bright as sunshine. When the song stopped, she giggled and clapped her tiny hands.
“More, more,” she cheered.
Malcolm choked on a gasp, and his heart jumped to his throat. She spoke? When had this happened? He hurried into the room, and their laughter stopped.
“Papa,” James shouted, and ran to him. Lizzy lifted herself off the floor and grinned.
Malcolm gave James a quick hug and turned to his daughter. “Lizzy? Did I hear you speak?”
She nodded, her full head of curls bouncing together. “Uh-huh.”
His throat tightened, and tears of joy sprang to his eyes. He swept his daughter into his arms and hugged her to his chest.
“Papa.” James pulled on his pant leg. “Milla saved us from that mean dog.”
Malcolm glanced down at Camilla, who remained sitting on the floor, her smile relaxed and her eyes twinkling like emeralds.
“What is James talking about?” he asked her.
“While we were in town this afternoon, a dog broke away from his owner and charged us, giving the children a terrible fright. I couldn’t think of any way to keep him from attacking us, so I picked up a rock and hit him in the head.”
Another jolt of surprise pierced Malcolm’s body.
“And Papa,” James continued, “it was so wonderful, ’cause the doggie yelped and ran home with his tail ’tween his legs.” He laughed. “You should’ve saw’d him, Papa.”
“Milla scared him, Papa.” Lizzy laughed.
Malcolm’s heart melted the longer he gazed at his wife, and like the forbidden fruit, she tempted him to sample her kiss one more time. He moved by her side, knelt, and reached to caress her cheek. Her skin grew warm beneath his fingers.
“Is this true?” he asked. “Did you save my children?”
“I… I didn’t want the dog to harm them.”
Lizzy jumped out of his arms and ran to Camilla. His daughter threw her arms around Camilla’s neck. “Papa? Milla loves us.”
His legs weakened, and he sat on the floor beside his wife. He touched her cheek again, and she snuggled her face against his hand. “How can I thank you?”
She smiled. “You don’t need to thank me. I did what any good mother would do.”
His heart twisted in confused pain again. He wanted to take her in his arms and smother her with his appreciation, yet doubt stopped any form of action. It wasn’t like Kat to be kind toward another.A good mother?That didn’t fit the Kat he knew.
Her eyes glittered as if sprinkled with diamonds, and the gentle beckoning of her delicate lips pulled him closer. Hepushed all negative thoughts, wanting to feel her mouth against his again. He didn’t even care that the children were present.
He leaned forward, and she sucked in her breath but didn’t pull away. His heart sang. Emotions he wanted kept hidden had surfaced, convincing him she’d finally changed into the woman he had always dreamed about.
She tilted toward him, and he pressed his lips to hers. Energy ignited inside him, and he longed for more. He moved to wrap his arms around her, but his laughing children jumped on them both, knocking them to the floor. Keeping the children in his arms, he pulled Camilla against him. Her wide smile and glowing eyes held tender emotion as she looked at him, and he realized he loved seeing her like this.
“Milla,” James said, “were you going to give Papa his gift now?”
