As rapid-fire questions peppered the air, Tyler stroked her hair back and tipped up her chin, giving her a light kiss he knew would be on the front page of a tabloid in the morning. He didn't care. He wanted everyone to know that he loved her, that he'd protect her from anyone who'd try to destroy their happiness.
"I love you," she whispered, and he knew he'd never get tired of hearing the words. Despite his wealth and power, no other moment compared to this. He felt humbled by the woman in his arms. A woman who'd given up her lifestyle for a little peace in a small Southern town.
And without realizing it, it was she who had rescued him.
She'd enchanted him from the first moment, and for a second or two, he felt like a prince, the one who, with a single kiss, woke Sleeping Beauty from her slumber, to be rewarded with her love and the chance of a real happily-ever-after.
* * *
Epilogue
«^
Christmas Eve, two years later
Noise and music filled the cinnamon-scented air. His house was busting at the seams. There were so many McKays and Giovannis, it was hard to tell whose children were whose. Tyler searched for his wife, then gave up and leaned against the door frame.
The words eat, drink, and be merry didn't come close with these people, and here he'd thought McKays were loud. But Giovannis talked at the top of their lungs, and their hand gestures had sent more than one person diving to save a figurine or a lamp. But he liked them, had enjoyed their company off and on ever since he and Elaina had married in a wedding carried by the press and television news.
But that, thank God, had been the end of it. The FBI had cleared her family of any suspicion, and the press faded away. Life was oddly normal and happy, he thought, smiling as Elaina's mother, Lionetta, gave a gift to his mother.
"Hey there."
He twisted, watching Elaina come down the stairs, her body wrapped in floor-length burgundy velvet and showing off her round belly. Tyler didn't think he'd ever seen anything more beautiful and graceful than his wife carrying their child.
He held out his arm to her, and she cuddled close and sighed. "Tired?" He pressed his lips to the top of her head.
"A little." Elaina gazed out over the crowd. Her mother, for once looking like a normal mom, was sitting on her father's lap. This was the love Elaina remembered. The prospect of being a Nana must have changed her.
Tyler looked down at Elaina, noticing the strained look on her face. "You sure you're okay?"
"Uh-huh." Then she flinched and added, "but it's not something a doctor and a sterile environment wouldn't help."
Tyler nodded, then her words sank in. "Oh, man." His eyes widened as she clutched her belly. "You've been hiding this all day, haven't you?"
"I didn't want to spoil the dinner. You know how much food Nalla and your mother cooked."
"Forget the dinner." He scooped her up in his arms and for a second didn't know where to go. She tapped him and pointed to the sofa.
Everyone fell silent as he laid her gently on the cushions, then the noise rose to deafening proportions. It was Kate who cut through the din.
"Kyle, get the car and bring it around. David," she said to her husband, "Get Elaina's bag from the front-hall closet and put it in the car. Mom, let's get the kids. Lionetta, you and Sophia go package up some food, and we'll take this party to the hospital."
"Thanks, Kate," Elaina said.
"I'll keep them busy," Kate said, and Elaina grasped her hand before her sister-in-law went to corral the children.
Tyler knelt beside her and gently rubbed her tight belly. "I love you."
"Oh, honey, I love you, too."
"We're going to have a baby tonight," he marveled.
"Looks that way."
He smiled and kissed her. Around him a dozen people rushed to get ready, and yet when Elaina gripped his hand hard, Tyler held her.
"This is gonna hurt."
"I wish I could take the pain for you."
"So do I, believe me." She gasped with pain, and Tyler lifted her in his arms, carrying her out to the car.
Six hours later, Elaina Honora Giovanni McKay presented him with a beautiful baby girl, and as Tyler held his daughter, naming her Honora after his wife's great-grandmother, he knew instant, unconditional love. He looked across the bed at Elaina, then placed the baby in her arms. Mother and daughter cuddled, the baby's flame-red hair peeping out from a knit cap. Lane patted the space beside her and Tyler curled up in the bed with his family. The two people he loved most were in his arms, and he felt humbled by the love he felt. These two females had captured his heart at first sight.
A man didn't stand a chance around a redhead.
"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he said.
"I bet you're the first in this town to get a baby for Christmas," Elaina whispered tiredly, and felt his chuckle rumble against her. "But then, you're always trying to show people up."
"I try." He slipped a thin diamond bracelet from his pocket and fastened it on her wrist.
Elaina gasped at the beauty of it. "Tyler, see? You're such a show-off." And she was glad of it.
He smiled tenderly, his emotions glittering in his eyes. "Thank you, Elaina. You've made me a very happy man."
A tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh, darling, you've given me my dreams."
"Funny how our dreams are the same, huh?" He kissed her hand where his rings sparkled.
"It's amazing what effect the words go away had on you," she whispered, touching his jaw as he smiled that irresistible McKay smile. Elaina had had no idea when she'd let him into her life, into her heart, that it was the start of something glorious, that for the rest of their lives they'd celebrate love and happiness.
The past was gone, reborn with a love that grew by the minute, and as she gazed into his blue eyes, she knew, it was the stuff made for legends.
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AWAKENING BEAUTY Page 14