Lucien nodded. “I do. But I think if you keep pushing her away, if you refuse to admit that you love her, too, you’re going to lose her.” He sighed. “Take it from someone who has made that mistake, little brother. I spend nearly every night thinking that if I’d just told Serenity how I felt... Well, maybe she would have stayed.”
Adrian stared at his brother in surprise. He hadn’t known that. “Thank you,” he murmured. “You’re right, as usual.”
Lucien laughed. “Someone has to be.”
* * * *
“WOULD YOU LIKE TO GOon an adventure with me?” Adrian asked, bending down to Gabriel’s eye level, then glancing up at Vanessa with a twinkle in his eye that took her breath away.
“An adventure?” Gabriel asked, his own blue eyes widening in delight. “I’d love an adventure!”
“I would love an adventure, too,” Vanessa said slowly, wondering what on earth he was up to. She would have gone to the moon with him though, if that was what he was asking. She’d so rarely seen this mischievous side of him.
“Get ready,” Adrian instructed them. “Wear something warm. I’ve already sent for the coach and Cook has made us a lunch.”
Vanessa grinned and tugged Gabriel’s hand. They raced up the stairs and were back in record time.
Adrian piled them into the coach, and they took off into the city.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Vanessa asked, nudging him expectantly.
He shook his head, still smiling. “You’ll see when we get there. But I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”
Mulling upon that, she suddenly gave him a look askance. “I saw pictures of a flying machine on your desk...”
He laughed. “Do you really think I’d put you and Gabriel in an aeroplane? Maybe one day. But for now, it’s just something I’ve been working on. We’re close though, and soon we’ll start building a prototype.”
“Can you imagine?” Vanessa murmured. She looked at her husband in awe. What a mind he had! He talked of flying as though it was inevitable.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” he asked after a moment.
She blinked and looked away, blushing. “You’re amazing, Adrian. If you ever build one, I will ride in it with you.”
“You would?” He seemed surprised.
“Of course. I have faith that anything you built would carry me safely.”
“Thank you,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand and squeezing it tightly.
Gabriel, who had been listening, gave them a fearful look. “I don’t have to go in an aeroplane, do I?”
“Of course not,” Adrian said with a laugh. “To tell the truth, I’m not even sure if I would be that brave. Your mama is braver than both of us, I think.”
A warm flush went through Vanessa at his words. She loved this side of him. Things were going so well it almost frightened her. She’d expected it to take much longer than this to earn his forgiveness. She felt as though she were still walking on eggshells though, always afraid to make a misstep. This truce between them was incredibly fragile, and she was terrified of somehow hurting him again.
“My mama is brave!” Gabriel repeated enthusiastically.
Adrian met her gaze with an indulgent grin. “See that, Vanessa? You still have fans.”
“You were always my biggest fan,” she replied softly. “And I am yours.”
For a long moment they stared at each other, but then the coach pulled to a stop and the spell was broken.
Gabriel began to jump up and down excitedly. “It’s the wheel, Mama! It’s the wheel!”
Vanessa craned her head to look up at the towering structure above them, her eyes widening at the height of the thing. She’d heard about the great wheel at Earl’s Court, but this was the first time she’d seen it up close.
Adrian helped her and Gabriel out of the coach and then they strode toward it.
