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Armando kissed her temple. “If you’d like, I can insist the trees stay up by royal decree.”
“Is this the same royal decree where you’re going to ban the use of fake Babbo beards?”
“The fibers give me a rash.”
“My poor baby. Too sensitive for synthetic fibers.” She snuggled closer. “As much as I’ll miss the decorations, they need to go. How else will they stay special?” Christmas decorations weren’t like the man with his arms around her—Armando woke up being special.
While she woke up feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.
“Besides,” she told him, “we still have tonight.”
“Which switches to tomorrow in less than two minutes,” he replied.
A brand-new year. Given how wonderfully this year was ending, Rosa couldn’t imagine what the next year had in store. As far as she was concerned, she had everything she could want sitting next to her with his arms wrapped around her waist. She loved Armando, and he loved her. What could be better?
“Do you realize,” she said, pausing to take a drink, “that if we hadn’t gotten our act together, you would be announcing your engagement to Mona at this very moment?”
“You’re right—I did plan to be engaged by New Year’s, didn’t I?”
“That was before.” Armando’s breaking the engagement to date his assistant turned out to be scandal enough to push Arianna’s pregnancy out of the papers completely. Fortunately, Mona and King Omar, while hurt, didn’t hold too big a grudge. Hard to be angry at a country that was funding doctors’ relocation efforts.
“There is still the matter of my producing an heir, though,” Armando said, shifting his weight.
“That can be arranged,” Rosa said with a smile.
“Very amusing. If you don’t mind, I would like to establish my family in the proper order. Marriage, then heirs. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a very logical...” Armando had moved to his knee. In his hand was the most beautiful diamond Rosa had ever seen. “Are you—” She couldn’t finish the sentence; her heart was stuck in her throat.
“I am,” he whispered with a nod. “Rosa Lamberti, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She never did say the word yes. Instead, Rosa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him until there was no doubt as to her answer. “I would be honored,” she told him.
Down the hall, the crowd began chanting a countdown to midnight. Rosa and Armando didn’t care. Their time was already here.
* * * * *
