The Maverick's Holiday Surprise
Page 18
“I love you. I don’t want to live without you. I would be fine with adopting kids if that’s what you want to do. If you want biological children, there are ways to make that happen. There are advantages to being rich, you know. I can have access to the best doctors in the world, or we can hire a surrogate.”
Tears burned her eyes, and she felt a few roll down her cheek.
He went on. “Did I mention that I love you and I can’t live without you?”
She was full out crying by then and so in shock she couldn’t move or speak until he asked, “Will you marry me, Bella Stockton? Make a family with me? Grow old with me?”
Now the look in his eyes sunk in. It was the look of love. It warmed her, surrounded her and made her free.
“Yes,” she said jubilantly. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”
Hudson gathered her into his arms and held her on his lap. Then he kissed her with so much promise that she knew she’d remember this day forever.
Epilogue
Hudson and Bella, filled with the Christmas spirit, were decorating Just Us Kids for the holiday. They’d erected an artificial tree in the lobby and were adding ornaments, one by one, their fingers brushing often, their gazes connecting.
They were still working out their plans to get married. Hudson was hoping Jamie would accept some financial help to hire someone to take Bella’s place with the triplets. He’d talked to Jamie about it, and Jamie said he’d consider it. Bella’s brother was just happy that she was finding happiness.
Hudson had a couple of surprises for her and decided now was as good a time as any to produce one as they put the finishing touches on the tree. Bella had wrapped empty boxes to place underneath it in bright shiny paper and pretty ribbon. It had been only three days since she’d accepted his marriage proposal—three days of giddy happiness, work and, last night, a long night of lovemaking.
Taking a box from his pocket that was wrapped in silver with a gold bow, he handed it to her. “The bow’s a little smashed,” he said, “But I didn’t want you to see it before now. Open it.”
“It’s early for a Christmas present,” she teased.
“We’re going to have one long Christmas,” he assured her.
She took the bow from the box and set it aside. Then she unwrapped the silver paper and did the same with that. Taking the lid from the black box, she found a velvet-covered one inside.
She looked up at him.
He saw her fingers tremble as she opened the ring box. Inside, on white velvet lay a platinum ring with a large center diamond and tiny diamonds circling it. It reminded Hudson of a snowflake.
He explained, “I hope you like it. I saw this ring at the jewelers, and it reminded me of that day we went riding and the snow started falling. I wanted something unique for you. What do you think?” He took it from the box and slipped it onto her finger.
Bella’s face was glowing as she said, “I think it’s perfect.”
“I hope you’ll think something else is perfect,” he suggested.
“Uh-oh, another surprise.”
“I hope it’s a good one. I’m buying Clive Bickler’s ranch. We’ll have a real home and a place to ride and lots of room to raise a family.”
Bella had hung a ball of mistletoe in the doorway of Hudson’s office. Taking his hand, she led him to it now. On tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss Hudson knew he’d long remember.
His fervor was exploding into downright fiery passion when he heard a noise. Still holding Bella, he broke the kiss slowly, then turned toward the lobby. There were two moms there with strollers with babies. They were grinning from ear to ear.
But Hudson didn’t care. He was ready to shout from the mountaintops that he loved Bella Stockton and she was going to be his wife. Bella must have felt the same way because she drew his head down to hers again and kissed him once more.
They were going to have the merriest Christmas of both of their lifetimes.
* * * * *
EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT
Crown Prince Armando enlists Rosa Lamberti to find him a suitable wife—but could a stolen kiss under the mistletoe lead to an unexpected Christmas wedding?
Read on for a sneak preview of
WINTER WEDDING FOR THE PRINCE
by Barbara Wallace
“Have you ever looked at an unfocused telescope only to turn the knob and make everything sharp and clear?” Armando asked.
Rosa nodded.
“That is what it was like for me, a few minutes ago. One moment I had all these sensations I couldn’t explain swirling inside me, then the next everything made sense. They were my soul coming back to life.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she said.
“Then don’t think,” he replied. “Just go with your heart.”
He made it sound easy. Just go with your heart. But what if your heart was frightened and confused? For all his talk of coming to life, he was essentially in the same place as before, unable or unwilling to give her a true emotional commitment.
On the other hand, her feelings wanted to override her common sense, so maybe they were even. As she watched him close the gap between them, she felt her heartbeat quicken to match her breath.
“You do know that we’re under the mistletoe yet again, don’t you?”
The sprig of berries had quite a knack for timing, didn’t it? Anticipation ran down her spine ceasing what little hold common sense still had. Armando was going kiss her and she was going to let him. She wanted to lose herself in his arms. Believe for a moment that his heart felt more than simple desire.
This time, when he wrapped his arm around her waist, she slid against him willingly, aligning her hips against his with a smile.
“Appears to be our fate,” she whispered. “Mistletoe, that is.”
“You’ll get no complaints from me.” She could hear her heart beating in her ears as his head dipped toward hers. “Merry Christmas, Rosa.”
“Mer…” His kiss swallowed the rest of her wish. Rosa didn’t care if she spoke another word again. She’d waited her whole life to be kissed like this. Fully and deeply, with a need she felt all the way down to her toes.
They were both breathless when the moment ended. With their foreheads resting against each other, she felt Armando smile against her lips. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered again.
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WINTER WEDDING FOR THE PRINCE by Barbara Wallace
Available December 2016
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Copyright ©2016 by Barbara Wallace
ISBN: 978-1-474-04182-9
THE MAVERICK’S HOLIDAY SURPRISE
© 2016 Karen Rose Smith
Published in Great Britain 2016
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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