by Aston, Alexa
Within moments, her handsome husband bounded into her bedchamber, causing her to think he must have been waiting just outside the door.
He rushed to the bed and then halted. She saw the hesitation on his face.
“Could you give us a few moments of privacy?” she called out.
Quickly, everyone vacated the room, leaving them alone.
Andrew perched on the bed and glanced down.
“It’s a boy,” she told him. “We have a son.”
Reverently, he kissed her brow and then did the same to the babe.
“He is utterly beautiful.”
She heard the wonder in her husband’s voice. “I totally agree. Would you like to hold him?”
“May I?” he asked hesitantly.
“I am hoping you will hold him frequently,” she said, passing the bundle to him. “He will need his papa to rock him and tell him stories.”
Andrew gazed at the child, shaking his head. “There are no words to capture my feelings.” He kissed the boy again. “I already love him so much. I feel as if love is bursting from me.”
Phoebe smiled. “And he hasn’t even done anything yet.”
The baby opened his eyes and sighed sleepily.
Andrew chuckled. “If I feel like this now, what it will be like when he smiles? Or says his first word?”
She placed her hand on his arm. “The love inside will magnify tenfold,” she said. “I guarantee it.”
His gaze met hers. “We will tell him of Nathan,” he said with determination. “Our son needs to know he had a brother.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “That is very sweet of you.”
“It’s important that he know.” Andrew smiled. “Perhaps you can write new tales for this little one.”
“I have already been thinking of some,” she said. “What would you like to call him? We’ve never discussed it.”
When Phoebe had finally told him of the child she had lost on the day Nathan and Borwick were killed in the carriage accident, Andrew had held her close, weeping with her for the double loss she had suffered. It had seemed then that something unspoken passed between them and they deliberately chose not to discuss a name until they saw their child in the flesh.
“Are you partial to any male name?” he asked.
“What about Robert?” she asked. “If not for Robbie, none of this would even be possible.”
He tried it out. “Robert. Robert Graham.” Andrew broke out in a grin. “I like it. He could even be Robby—with a y—until he is older. Then Rob or Robert. Whichever he prefers.” He bent and kissed his son. “Hello, Robby. What do you think of the world?”
The baby looked up, taking in his father’s face. The poignant moment moved Phoebe to tears.
“He’ll be the first of many, I hope,” Andrew said. “And he’ll hopefully have friends close to his age to play with.”
She knew he referred to George, who’d wed less than six months ago, and was eager to start his own family. They had also received a letter yesterday from Weston, who wrote to them that he was about to wed a widow who had a daughter named Claire. Weston was mad for the little girl and also shared that he couldn’t wait for more children to come. It seemed the two Bad Dukes had been tamed by good women.
Suddenly, Robby let out a piercing wail, startling them both.
Laughing, Phoebe said, “I told you that babies could be rather loud.”
Andrew handed the boy back to her. “I will look to you to help guide me. I know you raised Nathan for the most part and I will bow to your experience.” He smoothed the baby’s hair. “I do plan to play an active role as a father, however.”
“I would expect nothing less from you. As long as you don’t teach Robby about smuggling,” she teased.
He burst out laughing, causing the baby to cease his crying and stare at his father.
“No smuggling. Only snuggling,” he told her, climbing into the bed beside her and slipping his arm about her shoulders.
They were a family now. One which would grow and thrive. Phoebe gazed up at her perfect husband.
“I love you, Duke.”
“I love you even more, my wonderful, marvelous duchess.”
His tender kiss was perhaps the sweetest she’d ever known. Contentment filled her. She had her husband. Her son.
And a life of love to come.
About the Author
Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Alexa Aston’s historical romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love.
She is the author of Regency and Medieval romance, including: Dukes of Distinction; Soldiers & Soulmates; The St. Clairs; The King’s Cousins; and The Knights of Honor.
A native Texan, Alexa lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She enjoys a good Netflix binge; travel; seafood; and can’t get enough of Survivor or The Crown.
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