“If that’s not it, then why? Why are you here?” she cried in frustration.
“To ask you to marry me!” he yelled, a vein throbbing in his temple. “I love you, and I want you to marry me. I want to be with you every day for the rest of our lives.”
She gasped and slowly opened the door. “Come in,” she whispered.
He stepped forward, crowding her into the foyer, pushing her with his body until her back hit the wall. Kicking the door shut with his foot, he gazed down at her. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?” he asked softly.
She met his gaze, her heart thundering in her chest. “Yes,” she breathed. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Thank God,” he whispered, bending his head and kissing her tenderly. “I was so afraid I’d lost you forever.” He kissed her again, deeper this time, making her toes curl with desire. “I couldn’t bear that,” he said when he came up for air. “You’re all I ever wanted.”
“You’re all I ever wanted, too,” she whispered, a feeling of peace and contentment settling over her. She suddenly realized what he’d been trying to say the other day. They were together at last. Their son was safe. They could start over; they could have other children. “That and another child. I do want to have another baby with you, Luke. I want that more than anything. Can we get started right now?” she asked, lifting on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
The kiss went on so long she thought he’d definitely agreed to her plan, but then he suddenly wrenched away. “We can’t right now,” he said, shaking his head, breathing heavily. “I’m sorry, angel, but we can’t. Not yet. Not until I give you my surprise. And then... well, not even after that, I’m afraid, or at least not in the front hall, because it’s going to change our lives forever.”
She frowned, confused. “What are you saying? What surprise?”
He gave her a sudden swift grin and turned to open the door once again. “I’m sorry, I got a little carried away, but this is a surprise that I know you’re going to want.” He leaned out the door. “You can come out now,” he cried toward the coach.
A dark little head popped out, and then Gabriel was running toward them, his little face wreathed in smiles. Serenity sank to her knees, holding out her arms, and he ran right into them, hugging her tightly.
She glanced questioningly up at Luke, tears of joy filling her eyes, and he nodded. “He’s here to stay.”
Gabriel drew back and gazed wonderingly into her eyes. “Father says that you are my mother,” he said, touching a lock of her hair with his little fingers. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” she whispered, the tears falling in earnest. “Oh, yes, darling. You are my little boy, and I have missed you every day of your life.”
“I missed you, too,” he said. “Don’t cry, Mother. He says we can be a family now. That we don’t ever have to be apart again.”
She hugged him tightly. “That is all I’ve ever wanted, Gabriel.”
Luke dropped to his knees beside them and drew them both in his arms. “I love you both so much,” he whispered. “Together, we can do anything.”
Epilogue
December 1896
