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“It sounds lovely.”
“Yeah?And perhaps you and I could share a romantic getaway after?Just the two of us?”
“Equally lovely.”
“You’re sure?”he asked.
“Absolutely.Are you not?”
Z turned on a side road, drove a short way, then parked the car.
“Where are we?”I asked.
“Nowhere, it’s just…” He took both my hands in his.“Katherine and I married on New Year’s Eve, and while it seems fitting that you and I start out the next year as husband and wife?—”
“What about on Christmas?”I blurted.Not that I’d given the idea any thought.It just came to me, and when it did, it seemed perfect.“Unless I’m rushing things.”
“Rushing things?I’d marry you tomorrow if the blasted UK didn’t impose a waiting period.”
“Right.That would make a Christmas wedding out of the question.”
He smiled broadly.“Not in Texas.”
Woburn Housenever failed to take my breath away.It was so grand it was daunting.However, each generation, my parents’ included, had updated both the interior and the grounds, so it had a far warmer feel than many other estates in Bedfordshire.
The exterior architecture was quite ornate, which was reflected in the interior walls by way of archways, nooks, and crannies, but my mum’s decorating style was casual and cozy.
The kitchens—there were two—had both been updated, as had the bathrooms.The formal dining room, with walls hung in a deep-red damask paper, was quite gaudy, in my opinion.If I lived on the estate full-time, it would be the first room I’d redo.
To me, this had always been home, but seeing it through Z’s eyes gave me a different perspective.Was it too much?While his townhouse was in Mayfair, one of the poshest areas in all of London, it wasn’t ornate by any means.This was.
“What do you think?”I asked, unable to stand his silent reflection any longer.
“It’s quite beautiful.”
“But?”
For the second time on our drive, Z stopped the car.From where we were parked, we had a full view of the entrance to Woburn House and the park-like grounds that led up to it.He cut the engine.“Tell me what it was like growing up here.”
“Quite normal, actually.”
He raised a brow.“Normal?”
“I mean, my parents rarely hosted parties like some of the neighboring estates did.We justlived, if that makes any sense.”
“Perfect sense.The ranch in Texas belonged to my late wife’s family and is one of the largest in Texas.I would imagine if you asked Quint and Wren what it was like to grow up there, they’d probably say something similar.It’s where they lived.”
“Would you like to see the inside?”
“In a moment.”Z seemed lost in thought.
“Is everything all right?”
He turned to me, took my hand, and kissed my palm.“More than.I was just imagining you as a girl, playing outside.”He pointed to a large tree from which hung a swing.“There, for example.”
I smiled.“My dad put that up for me, and you’re right; I adored it.”
Rather than release my hand, Z stroked the back of it with his thumb.“You were an only child.”
