“I am,” he said. “I’ve tried to tell you—at least a few times—but we kept getting interrupted.” He reached up to cradle her cheek. “But make no mistake. You are not just the woman I love. You are the one I trust with everything—my past, my future and every shadow in between. You’ve seen my worst and stayed.”
“Of course I stayed.”
His expression darkened slightly. “Then why did you press for the annulment?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Because I wanted you to stay by choice—not obligation. I wanted to give you the chance to walk away.”
“Well, I choose you,” he said. “I will choose you again and again, for every day we’re given.”
He leaned in, eyes falling to her mouth. “May I kiss you?”
“Yes,” she breathed. The word left her too fast, too eager.
He chuckled softly, then brushed his lips over hers in a whisper of a kiss. “Just as soft as I imagined,” he murmured before kissing her fully.
The kiss was slow and reverent, but there was fire beneath it—years of longing, months of doubt, days of fear all melting into one perfect moment. Dorothea clung to him, her world narrowing to the warmth of his mouth, the strength of his arms, the truth of his love.
When they finally parted, he rested his forehead against hers. “That was even better than I imagined.”
She smiled. “I feel the same.”
He met her eyes with a new intensity—one that made her breath catch. “I want to take you upstairs and show you how much I love you.”
“Why don’t you?” she whispered.
He grinned. “Because you deserve a proper courtship. Starting with Vauxhall Gardens tonight.”
“I’ve always wanted to go.”
“I had a feeling,” he said, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “But truly, I don’t care where we go… so long as we go together.”
“Together,” she echoed. “That sounds… perfect.”
Dominic’s smile faded into something more thoughtful. “What can I give you to show how much I love you? You have your own fortune?—”
“That’s yours now,” she interrupted gently.
“No,” he said firmly. “It belongs tous.”
Her smile deepened. “Then I already have everything I want.”
In a quiet voice, he asked, “What about a little girl?”
She gave him a bemused look. “But I thought you didn’t want children.”
“I didn’t,” he said. “Or rather, I was afraid to want them. But… one or two wouldn’t be so terrible, assuming they inherit your red hair.”
She laughed softly. “Are you sure? Because I don’t need children to be happy. Just you.”
He stared at her, his expression solemn. “My father was cruel. I’ve feared becoming him my entire life. But you… you’ve shown me there’s another path. You’ve made me believe I’m more than my blood. More than my wounds.”
“I love you, Dominic.”
“And I love you, Thea,” he whispered.
A slow, mischievous smile curved her lips. “I know you want to court me properly, but I find myself rather eager to engage in these marital relations I have heard so much about.”
He chuckled, low and rough with affection. “Who am I to deny you such a thing, my love?”
