by Clark, Lucy
‘Yes.’
‘I thought you ran out because you were upset, not because of what I said.’
‘But...’ She frowned at him, even more confused than before. ‘You said—that was all there was to it.’
‘That’s right.’ Elliot stepped a little closer and rested a hand on her shoulder, his thumb gently caressing her. ‘I wasn’t going to let you live the rest of your life wondering whether or not you were still married to some old man who should have known better than to take a child bride—conditions or no conditions.’
‘It is different in some parts of Indi—’
‘I don’t care.’ His words were strong, vehement and filled with power, yet his touch on her shoulders was soft, reassuring and caring. Add that to the way he had kissed her and was now looking intently into her eyes and Sunainah started to wonder whether she had not done Elliot a great disservice.
‘I want to help you, Sunainah. My brother is a lawyer in Melbourne and I can call him tomorrow to ask his help in putting the wheels in motion. I will also fly to India with you, stand by your side while that man signs the forms declaring the marriage null and void.’
She blinked a few times, trying to comprehend his words, unable to believe what she was hearing. ‘You would...do that...for me?’
Elliot’s lip twitched into a smile as he came closer, cupping her face. ‘Well, I do have my own selfish reasons.’
‘You do?’ His words only confused her even more.
‘Sunainah, I don’t want you to be married to any man—except me. Getting this whole situation—one that never should have taken place in the beginning—sorted out so that we can be together is of paramount importance. You deserve a world of happiness, Sunainah, and I am the man who is going to give it to you.’
‘You are?’
His smile was gorgeous and glorious and absolutely perfect. ‘You’re a highly intelligent woman who is responsible for running a busy children’s department in an equally busy teaching hospital.’ He bent and brushed a very quick kiss across her lips.
‘You are no longer an unempowered fourteen-year-old girl. You are strong and wonderful and awesome and you fit perfectly into my arms and when you kiss me...’ Elliot groaned with remembered delight. ‘You set me on fire. You do realise that, don’t you?’
Sunainah looked up at him, unable to believe he was saying such wonderful things to her. Had she finally found a man who was really going to look after her, be there for her, no matter what? He was going to fight for her, fight alongside her to ensure she was free to marry hi—
‘Wait a moment.’ Sunainah eased back a little so she could look at him more carefully. ‘Did you just say you wanted to...marry me?’
Elliot laughed and smiled down into her upturned face. ‘Yes.’
‘Are...are you sure?’ There was concern in her eyes as she watched his expression as closely as she could. ‘I know you moved here to make a new beginning for you and the children. I do not want to get in the way of that happening. Your first priority—’ Her words were interrupted by Elliot’s lips pressing against hers, effectively silencing her.
‘There,’ he said a moment later. ‘Now, just remain quiet for a moment longer, please. I want to ask you to marry me so that there are absolutely no doubts as to my intentions.’
Sunainah did as he asked but after brushing one more glorious kiss to her lips, Elliot eased back slightly then took her hands in his and then surprised her even further by dropping down to one knee.
‘Elliot!’
‘Shh.’ He smiled up at her. ‘Sunainah Carrington— Wait...do you have a middle name? I cannot believe how little I know about you.’ He shook his head in bemusement. ‘At least we have the rest of our lives to find out. Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked.’ He paused and made sure he was looking deeply into her eyes.
‘What I do know, Sunainah, is that I have come to feel so lost when you’re not around me, so discombobulated when we’re apart and so powerless that when I think of my life without you in it I don’t seem to function at all. I need you, Sunainah, and I realise I come as a package deal but rest assured that my children adore you.’
Sunainah smiled, her eyes filling once more but this time with happy tears, unable to believe Elliot was saying such wonderful things. ‘I adore them, too.’ She touched a hand to her button necklace as she said the words and her reward was a loving smile from the man of her dreams.
‘Most importantly, I love you. I love you with all my heart and I would be the happiest man alive if you would agree to marry me.’
‘Elliot?’ Sunainah tugged at his hands and he immediately stood, slipping his arms around her waist while she linked hers around his neck, the two of them wanting to be as close as possible. ‘Are you sure we can sort everything out?’
‘Absolutely positive.’ He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
‘And the children? Are you sure they will not mind having a new mother?’
‘Mind?’ He kissed her other cheek. ‘You’re all they talk about.’
Sunainah bit her lip.
‘Any other questions? I want to have any and all necessary questions answered. I want your mind to be at rest so we can move forward and start our new life together.’
‘A new beginning?’
‘Is that a yes?’
Sunainah nodded. ‘That is a yes. I love you so much, Elliot. I never believed I could ever be this happy.’
Elliot’s smiled increased as he lowered his head, desperate to capture her lips in a heart-warming kiss that would begin the rest of their lives together.
‘To new beginnings,’ he murmured, just before he kissed his new fiancée for the first time.
EPILOGUE
‘I STILL CAN’T believe you actually walked into Amir’s house, slapped the papers onto the table and demanded he sign them.’ Reggie shook her head, a wide grin on her lips as she placed the wreath of flowers onto Sunainah’s dark hair.
‘Elliot told me all he had to do was stand at the door, that you were all power and fire and Amir took one look at you and almost cowered with fear,’ Bergan added.
‘That’s our Sunainah,’ Mackenzie agreed.
Sunainah sighed with happiness and looked at her friends. ‘I am free. Free from all that oppression, free to start a new life with the man of my dreams.’ Even just thinking about Elliot, the man who would soon become her husband, brought a lightness to her heart and smile to her lips.
‘I love it that you chose to have a garden wedding,’ Mackenzie said as she touched up Sunainah’s make-up. There would be no traditional ceremony for her. Elliot had been right when he had said this was a new beginning and as such, having an informal gathering of their closest friends was definitely the way to go.
They were all in a marquee that had been set aside purely for the bride to finish her preparations before stepping out to walk down an aisle of rose petals, dutifully thrown by her two flower girls, Daphne and Ruthie, towards her impatient fiancé.
‘Come on, girls,’ Reggie said to the two little ones, after she’d finished securing Sunainah’s flowers to her hair. ‘Let’s get these lovely flowers on your heads and then you can look just as pretty as the bride.’
‘Yay.’ Daphne clapped her hands and climbed up onto Sunainah’s lap, hugging her new mother-to-be tightly. Sunainah smiled and hugged her new daughter-to-be back, kissing the top of her head. ‘I like looking like you, Mummy.’ The little girl giggled as she said the word. ‘Mummy...’ Daphne shrugged her shoulders and giggled again. ‘I like it.’
‘So do I,’ Sunainah replied.
Within another five minutes they were all ready to go. Everyone wore flat ballet slippers, the three bridesmaids Mackenzie, Bergan and Reggie all dressed in different pastel-coloured, calf-length dresses that floated and fluttered.
&
nbsp; ‘I’ll look after Daphne. I know what to do,’ Ruthie told Sunainah with great authority. ‘I’ve already been a flower girl twice.’ She held up two fingers and grinned.
‘Only one more to go,’ Mackenzie said in a singsong voice as they all turned to look at Reggie.
‘What?’ Reggie laughed at her friends. ‘As if I could ever find the man who could keep up with me. Besides, flirting is far too much fun.’ She winked at the three of them and struck a cheeky pose, making them all laugh.
‘Reggie. Please do not ever change,’ Sunainah said as she picked up her simple bouquet of wild flowers. ‘For now...I do not want to be late. My two favourite men are waiting for me.’
‘No doubt impatiently,’ Bergan added, as she gave the signal for the musicians to start playing.
As the light music floated around them and her friends walked down the aisle in front of her, Ruthie and Daphne throwing their rose petals, Sunainah looked towards the other end where Elliot stood, Joshua securely in his arms, impatiently awaiting for her arrival.
Elliot turned to look at her and gasped with delight. Sunainah smiled brightly at the love of her life, pleased her face was not hidden beneath a veil. She wanted Elliot to know exactly how happy she was. More happy than she had ever been in her life...thanks to her new family.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460320716
Copyright © 2013 by Anne Clark & Peter Clark
THE SECRET BETWEEN THEM
First North American Publication 2013
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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