Second Chance Girl
Page 67

“I’m the one who was too scared to admit anything.”
He kissed her again. “Carol, it’s not you, it’s me. I’ve been in love with you from the first second I saw you.”
She blinked. “You have?”
“Yup. It was the third day I was in this house. You and Millie walked out into the morning light and I was a goner.”
She felt a little shiver of delight. “You never said anything.”
“I was terrified.”
“You slept with other women.”
“Not since the night when we...”
“When we had sex and you passed out and didn’t remember?” she asked sweetly.
He groaned. “We need a better name for that night, but yes. Since then.”
“Good. Because tragically, that was the best sex of my life. Until, you know, the times when you were awake.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t go fishing for compliments. You know you’re a god in bed.”
“You like that about me.”
“I like many things about you.”
His humor faded. “I love you, Carol.”
“I love you, too.” She kissed him. “So this probably means we’re dating.”
“It does.”
She sighed. “I have a boyfriend.”
He laughed and hugged her before gently easing her toward the stairs.
“What are you doing?” she asked, even as she ran up the steps beside him.
“I think you already know.”
“You have your event.”
“There’s time.” At the landing, he touched her cheek. “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
“Of course.” She would go anywhere with him, do anything.
“That’s my girl,” he said before pulling her into the bedroom and slowly closing the door.
* * *
ACROSS TOWN ATSUKO hummed happily to herself as she attached the red “Not for sale” tag to the base of the pedestal. At the other end of the valley, Millie and her herd stood together in the late-afternoon light. All was well in her world. Her lonely giraffe heart had been healed by the gift of new family and the promise of more to come.
EPILOGUE
THE DINING ROOM at Battenberg Park could easily seat fifty...or maybe a hundred. Mathias had never thought much about British history or peerage, but it seemed being a duke wasn’t a bad thing. Sure, there were a lot of rules and he would bet taking care of the old house was an ongoing challenge, but he had to admit the sense of continuity would be kind of interesting. The downside was living in England in the winter.
While the temperatures in late February were technically above freezing, there was a dampness that seemed to creep into every corner of every room. Roaring fires did little to chase it away. On the bright side, it meant Carol cuddling closer at night and there was no way he was going to complain about that.
They’d flown over to England to be with Violet and Ulrich in the week leading up to their wedding. Friends and family would arrive on Thursday before the ceremony and reception on Saturday. The former would take place in a beautiful old church on the grounds of the estate while the latter would be in the large ballroom. Because hey, every duke needed a ballroom. But tonight it was just the four of them sitting at one end of the huge table. They were having a tasting dinner, finalizing the menu for the reception. Small portions of different courses were being passed around and commented on. He and Ulrich were mostly in it for the meal, while Carol and Violet made the actual decisions.
He watched the two sisters compare notes on a savory meat pie.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to serve at a wedding,” Violet admitted. “But I know it’s one of Ulrich’s favorites.”
“I can have it any day of the week,” her fiancé said mildly. “Darling, whatever makes you happy.”
“You make me happy,” Violet told him.
Their eyes met in one of those intimate gazes happy couples often shared. Mathias liked to think that he and Carol looked at each other the same way.
They’d been together nearly four months. Each day was better than the one before. He was working on new projects—spending as much of his time creating “art” as making his dishes. Carol was busy with the new herd of giraffes. Come spring, the botanists would arrive. Nearly five acres had been put aside for an attempt to grow endangered plant species. She was working with the newly hired veterinarian and there were ongoing discussions about bringing in a male giraffe.
This getaway was the only one they could manage for the next few months. After the wedding, they were going to spend a week in the Caribbean before heading back to Happily Inc.
“I’m going to check on the next course,” Violet said as she rose.
“I’ll help.” Mathias rose and went with her into the kitchen. But before she could speak to the cook, he drew her into the corner.
“Quick question. Is it tradition here for the bride to toss the bouquet?”
Violet’s green eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Then she shrieked and wrapped her arms around him.
“Really? Are you going to—”
He pressed his index finger to his mouth. “I’d like to keep it a secret for now.”
Violet nodded vigorously. “I swear, I won’t even tell Ulrich until after you’ve proposed. About the bouquet, I have no idea, but everyone already knows I’m American, so they’re used to my odd quirks. I’ll say I have to do it and then toss it to my sister. It will be great fun.” She glanced around, then lowered her voice even more. “When and where?”
“I’ve arranged for a private seaside dinner on the beach next Monday.” He had the ring upstairs. He’d designed it himself.
Violet hugged him again. “I’m so happy for both of you.” She grinned. “Ulrich and I want to start our family right away. It would be so great if you and Carol did the same.”
Kids. They’d talked about a family. They both wanted children and he was hoping for a little girl, just like her mom.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he murmured.
Violet laughed. “That’s the spirit. I’m really happy for both of you.”
She went to speak to the cook while he returned to the dining room. Carol smiled when she saw him. As always, the sight of her set his world to rights. He’d been lucky to find her. Funny how sometimes she joked about being his second chance girl, but he knew he was the one who’d been given a second chance to find happiness. And now that he’d found her, he was never, ever letting her go.