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She nodded, a smile on her face. “I, um, I … yes, Alex. Of course. I will marry you.”
He let out a deep breath as he slid the ring onto her finger, then pulled her down to the floor until she sat in a puddle on his lap.
She giggled. “Alex, your guests will arrive any minute.”
“No. I purposely asked you to arrive an hour earlier because I wanted to give myself enough time to argue with you.”
“Argue?”
He cupped her chin with his fingers. “Yes, my love. In case you said no.”
Just then Mitchell entered the library, and Natalie attempted to scramble off Alex’s lap.
“It’s alright, dear. He’s merely bringing in the champagne I had cooling in the kitchen.” He hopped up and helped her to her feet.
“Champagne? It sounds like you were sure of yourself,” she said, her eyes dancing with mirth.
“Ah, not sure. Only optimistic.”
Mitchell poured them both a glass of champagne, then placed the bottle in a bucket of ice on a table near the door. He bowed in their direction. “My lord, Mrs. Shaw, may I offer my congratulations.”
Alex smiled at the butler. “And how do you know that congratulations are in order?”
“Because Mrs. Shaw is a very smart woman, and I know she would not turn you down.” He paused for a moment and offered a slight smile. “And I had to listen at the door to know when to bring in the champagne.”
“Thank you, Mitchell,” Natalie said. It just dawned on her that she would be living in this wonderful house with people to do things for her. There were servants at the Sterling townhouse, of course, but she always felt as though they were not there to serve her.
Once they toasted each other and took a sip of the champagne, Natalie said, “Coincidentally, Annalise asked me tonight before I left if I would marry you so you could be her papa.”
Alex took Natalie’s hand and led her to the settee where they both took seats. “That is a plus for me, you know, sweetheart. I get to be husband to a wonderful woman and papa to an amazing six-year-old girl.”
He noticed the tears in her eyes and promised himself he would never be the cause for tears and would gladly throttle anyone who dared to make her cry. She was the one to care for and protect for the rest of their lives.
He studied her for a minute over the rim of his champagne flute. “I would prefer a wedding soon, but if you would like a big affair that would take time, I would concede to that as well.”
Natalie shook her head. “No. I do not want the sort of wedding that Lady Vivian had. It was lovely and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself, but I’m older and have a child. The smaller the affair—”
“—and the sooner.” He grinned.
She laughed. “Yes. Now that we have committed ourselves to this, I see no reason to put it off.”
“And a relief it is to me. I can’t do more of those carriage rides home without finishing what we always start. It has been embarrassing to face my butler who I hope ignores my condition when I arrive home.”
Natalie blushed,the heat rising to her face until she felt as though she would explode. Intimate relations with Milton had never been good, even at the beginning of their marriage. He was rough, didn’t care if he hurt her, and rolled over after he finished, leaving her feeling as though she was missing something.
Even though she and Alex had never completed the act, for as close as they got in their carriage rides, she somehow knew that he would never leave her wanting. Perhaps she would be lucky enough to have the kind of marriages Rayne and her other sister Mary Beth enjoyed.
With several more toasts in their honor, they continued to celebrate, finishing the bottle of champagne, just talking about things that meant a lot to them, and planning their life together. She had never been happier.
They had completely forgotten about the time, until Mitchell stood in the doorway, a slight smile on his staid face. “My lord, your guests are beginning to arrive.”
“Fine, Mitchell, send them to the drawing room. Mrs. Shaw and I will join them momentarily.”
Natalie looked back and forth between Mitchell and Alex. “We should not keep them waiting.”
“Oh, yes, we should.” He pulled her into his arms. “It’s time for another proper kiss, dear fiancée.”
She smiled. “I agree.”
