She laughed a little, and he took that as hopeful. He had to keep talking because once he stopped she’d make her decision, and he needed to do what he could to make sure it was the right one.
“The house doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “What matters is the home we’ll make in it.”
Aine watched him, and in the moonlight, he could see the cautious hope in her gaze. When she spoke, her voice was soft, and the music that wove through it wrapped around his heart even as she shared her doubts.
“Though I’m so glad to see you, and I want you here more than anything,” she said, “I’ve no wish to be a duty you carry through your life with brave resolution.”
“You’re not a duty,” he interrupted her quickly, desperate now to make her see the truth he’d only realized. “You’re a gift. You’re the only truly great gift I’ve ever been blessed with. I don’t know what I did to earn you coming into my life, but I’m grateful.”
“Brady...” She chewed at her bottom lip and he saw the first glimmer of tears in her eyes. Not sure if they were happy or sad tears, he rushed on, fighting now for the life he’d always wanted. The life that was just out of reach.
“I made myself into what I am,” he said, stroking her hair back from her face with his fingertips. “And I did a good job of it. But with you, I’m more than I ever thought I could be. With you, I have everything. Without you, there’s nothing. It’s really just that simple, Aine. You’re my heart. Without you I’m only half-alive.”
Her mouth curved the slightest bit as she reached to cup his cheek in her palm. “And the words, Brady? I told you I wanted the words. And the promise of them.”
“I’ll give you the promise,” he said, and reached around to the bedside table where he’d left the ring he’d carried in his pocket all the way from California. He’d bought it on his way to the airport and had kept it close to him, like a talisman, like the promise she was waiting for. Holding the square-cut emerald that had reminded him of her, he looked from it to her and knew that no gem could ever shine with the beauty and depth of her eyes.
“I want you to marry me, Aine,” he said, voice low and steady. “Not for the baby. Not for duty. But because with you I found something I never really believed in.” He took a breath, blew it out and grinned at her. “I love you. Never thought I’d say those words. Never thought I’d need to say those words. But I do. I want to say them to you for the rest of my life. I love you, Aine. I promise you I always will.”
Her smile was wide and bright and filled with everything he’d flown thousands of miles hoping to see.
“I’ll marry you, Brady Finn, for I love you so much,” she whispered, and held out her hand for him to slide the ring home. “I promise you I always will.”
“Thank God,” he muttered, and dropped his forehead to hers.
She laid one hand atop his so that both of them were cradling the child they’d made, connecting the three of them into a unit.
“I swear,” he said softly, kissing her once, twice, “I will never take for granted the family we’ll make together.”
She laughed, hooked her arm around his neck and brought him close enough for a long, deep kiss. “And what a family we’ll make, my love.” She kissed him again and he felt all the love she held for him rush through him, filling all of the dark, empty places inside him.
With Aine curled against him in the moonlight, Brady finally felt like a rich man.
Epilogue
The grand reopening of Fate Castle emptied the village and half the county. They weren’t accepting paying guests until the new year, giving Brady and Aine a chance to settle into marriage without zombie hunters underfoot all the time. But having the renovations complete made them want to show the locals just what they’d done to the place. So far, people liked it.
October was too cold to hold the party outside, so the medieval banquet hall was being christened. There was traditional Irish music that had people up and dancing, tables groaned under a mountain of food and there was enough beer to fill a moat, if the castle had had one.
Brady watched the celebration and told himself again that he was a lucky man. He’d found where he belonged. He had a beautiful wife who loved him, and a son on the way, not to mention a mother-in-law and a younger brother. He’d come here to build a hotel and had instead found the kind of life he used to dream of.
Long-distance working was going fine, too. With weekly Skype meetings, not to mention innumerable phone calls with either Sean or Mike, he kept up with everything. His own work had been going better than ever. Maybe, he thought, it was all the atmosphere at the castle, but he’d come up with some great story lines for future games.
And Robbie, Brady thought as he spotted the boy across the hall talking to Celia Hannigan, had been a big help. The kid was talented and eager to start working for Celtic Knot. But now that he was in the big-brother position, Brady was also insisting the kid go to college. Robbie’d work part-time and get real-world experience while learning as much as he could about graphic design.
Molly was supervising the food tables, making sure everyone had plenty to eat. The woman was never happier than in a kitchen, and Brady loved being able to pop into the cottage for tea and some of her amazing cookies whenever he wanted to.
Aine caught Brady’s eye as she danced with Sean Ryan. One look at his amazing wife and his heart gave an oh-so-familiar jolt. He doubted he’d ever get past the rush he felt just knowing she was his.
“You look happy.”
Brady glanced at Mike Ryan as he stepped up and handed over a pint glass of Guinness. “That’s because I am.”
“The hotel turned out great,” Mike said, sweeping his gaze across the pennants and tapestries on the walls. There were suits of armor in the corners of the room and pewter plates and mugs scattered across the long tables. “I think it’s going to be a winner.”
“With the web contest we’ll be running after the first of the year, you can bet on it,” Brady said. “And Aine’s getting emails every day from fans of the game wanting to make reservations even though we’re not officially open yet.”
“Good to know,” Mike said. “Oh, we got the final papers on the river hotel last week. We’re set to go there for the River Haunt.”
“That’s great, and before I forget,” Brady said, pausing for a sip of his beer, “I got an email from Jenny Marshall with the new drawings she’s come up with for the River Haunt hotel.”
Mike gritted his teeth. “Yeah?”
Brady laughed at Mike’s resigned expression. “What is it with you and her?”
“Nothing.” Mike shook his head, brushing off the question. “I already told you. We met, then we said goodbye.”
“Yeah, you’re a master storyteller,” Brady said wryly, then added, “Well, you’d better get over whatever your issue with her is since you’ll be working together on the hotel.”
“We’ll see,” Mike muttered. “I’m thinking Joe would do a better job of the murals.”
“Joe quit, bud. How do you not know that?” Brady looked at him. “I live in Ireland and I know he quit two weeks ago.”
“Perfect,” Mike grumbled. “Just freaking perfect.”
“Relax. Maybe your hotel project will work out as well for you as mine did for me.”
“No chance of that if Jenny Marshall’s involved,” Mike told him, then smiled and changed the subject. “Enough about the thorn in my side. Here comes your beautiful wife, you lucky bastard.”
Brady turned to grin at the woman walking toward him with green eyes shining and a smile curving her delectable mouth. She looked amazing in black
pants and a dark red sweater that did nothing to disguise her growing belly. Her hair was loose and curled around her shoulders, her cheeks were flushed and those eyes were sparkling.
“Mike, do you mind? My new husband promised to dance with me tonight, and I’ve come to hold him to it.”
“Just as long as you save one for me, too,” Mike said.
“A deal, it is,” Aine told him, then threaded her arm through Brady’s as they walked to the middle of the floor. The castle was alive with light and color, and the party was a huge success. She’d already had dozens of people say they wanted to come and stay as soon as they were open. Apparently the locals loved the idea of a werewolf chase through the maze!
Brady covered her hand with his as they walked, and the pulse of heat from his touch dazzled her. She supposed it always would. And wasn’t that a wonderful thing? Aine hugged her happiness close, smiling at her friends and family as she and Brady strolled to the dance floor.
The musicians slid from a toe-tapping reel into a slow, soft tune that sailed over the heads of everyone gathered and hung in the air like a sigh.
“Have I told you tonight how gorgeous you are?” Brady asked as he guided her into a slow, lazy circle.
“You have,” she said, trailing her fingertips through his hair, loving the silky touch of it against her skin. “And have I told you that I love you?”
“You have, but don’t let that stop you from saying it again,” he said, smiling, then dipped his head down to claim a kiss.
Magic had happened, Aine thought, looking up into her husband’s eyes and seeing love shine back at her. The castle she’d fought to protect was safe, the man she loved had come home to her and the child they’d made was healthy. Her mother had her home, her brother had a future and she and Brady had everything. Her baby gave a quick kick as if sharing the joy she felt.
“Then, let me say it again, every day.” She cupped his cheek in her palm. “I love you, Brady Finn. Now and always.”
He grinned and spun her around, making the colors and people around them swirl into a blur. She felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
Aine laid her head on his chest and as the music wove its spell around them, they danced into the future.
* * * * *
If you loved this novel, pick up these other stories of pregnancy and romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child
HIGH-SOCIETY SECRET PREGNANCY
AFTER HOURS WITH HER EX
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SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM
Isa disappeared six years ago, taking Marc’s trust with her. Now that he’s found her again, he won’t let go...
Read on for a sneak peek at
CLAIMED
The first of the Diamond Tycoons duet
by New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff
Isabella was somehow even more beautiful than he’d remembered. And probably more treacherous, Marc reminded himself as he fought for control.
It had been six years since he’d seen her.
Six years since he’d held her, kissed her, made love to her.
Six years since he’d kicked her out of his apartment and his life.
And still, he wanted her.
It came as something of a shock, considering he’d done his best not to think about her in the ensuing years.
All it had taken was a glimpse of her gorgeous red hair, her warm brown eyes, from the small window embedded in the classroom door to throw him right back into the seething, tumultuous heat that had characterized so much of their relationship. He hadn’t cared about anything but getting into that room to see if his mind was playing tricks on him.
Six years ago he had kicked Isa Varin—now, apparently, Isabella Moreno—out of his life in the cruelest manner possible. He didn’t regret making her leave—how could he when she’d betrayed him so completely?—but in the time since, he had regretted how he’d done it. When he’d come to his senses and sent his driver to find her and deliver her things, including her purse and cell phone and some money, she had vanished into thin air. He’d looked for her, but he’d never found her.
Now he knew why. The very passionate, very beautiful, very bewitching Isa Varin had ceased to exist. In her place was this buttoned-down professor, her voice and face as cool and sharp as any diamond his mines had ever produced. Only the hair—that glorious red hair—was the same. Isabella Moreno wore it in a tight braid down her back instead of in the wild curls favored by his Isa, but he would know the color anywhere.
Black cherries at midnight.
Wet garnets shining in the filtered light of a full moon.
And when her eyes had met his over the heads of her students, he’d felt a punch in his gut—in his groin—that couldn’t be denied. Only Isa had ever made his body react so powerfully.
One look into her eyes used to bring him to his knees. But those days were long gone. Her betrayal had destroyed any faith he might have had in her. He’d been weak once, had fallen for the innocence she could project with a look, a touch, a whisper.
He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Will Marc have Isa back in his bed, trust be damned?
Find out in
CLAIMED
the first of the Diamond Tycoons duet
by New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff
Available wherever Harlequin® Desire books and ebooks are sold.
www.Harlequin.com
Copyright © 2015 by Tracy L. Deebs-Elkenaney
ISBN-13: 9781460386668
Having Her Boss’s Baby
Copyright © 2015 by Maureen Child
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