Page 8 of The Duke's Surprise Heir

Edward didn’t know how to be married. He didn’t know how to treat someone in his life for a long period of time. He’d grown tired, bored, and impatient with his past lovers fairly quickly, and then had moved on.

But maybe that wouldn’t happen with Macie! Maybe things could be different. And maybe he could learn…?

Or, maybe he’d fail. And then he’d never see Macie’s glorious smile or those sparkling green eyes again. Maybe he’d crush her spirit with his harsh words.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Edward turned, glancing at her over his shoulder. “Fine,” he replied.

Macie paused and nodded towards the stove. “Maybe you could flip that sandwich?”

He looked down at the pan. Sure enough, the sandwich was ready to be turned. With deft movements, he flipped it over, noting that the other side was almost too far gone. It was a bit crispier than usual, but it wasn’t burned.

“Sorry,” he told her, not looking in her direction.

Marriage to Macie. He contemplated the notion. The concept had never occurred to him before now because of his experience watching his parents. But could he…?

He’d thought about her a lot over the past year. He’d dreamt about her. He’d compared every woman against her smiles and her vibrant personality…and all had come up lacking.

He wanted to learn. He’d figured out so many things in his lifetime, why couldn’t he learn to be a good husband? And a good father to Kyle?

Glancing at the pair, seeing the way Macie pretended to clap Kyle’s hands together in some sort of game that only they understood, Edward knew that he wanted to learn. He wanted to be the kind of husband and father that Macie and Kyle deserved. He wanted to be more than just their financial security. He suddenly wanted…every day of their lives!

Muttering a curse, he slid the finished sandwich onto a plate.

“Here you go,” he called out, bringing the almost-perfectly cooked grilled cheese to her, setting it down on the counter. “May I hold Kyle while you eat?”

Macie looked up at him, startled. “Sorry?” She’d just reached for half of the sandwich, tucking Kyle into the crook of her other arm.

Edward chuckled and reached for his son. “You eat. I’ll take care of him.”

He lifted Kyle into his arms, enchanted when the little guy gazed up at him with fascination. So did Macie, the half-sandwich frozen halfway to her mouth, and he rolled his eyes. “I won’t drop him, I promise.”

When she continued to stare at him with open mouthed shock, he snorted. “I took care of our son for four hours while you slept, Macie. I think I can continue my winning streak for the next fifteen minutes while you eat.”

Slowly, she nodded, looking warily at Kyle before glancing down at the grilled cheese. “I just…didn’t think that you’d want to take care of him. He can be a handful.”

Edward pulled out a stool and sat down, bouncing Kyle in his arms. The little guy was starting to get tired and squawked in protest. Edward patted his back and kept bouncing. Thankfully, that was all Kyle needed at the moment. He settled down while staring up at Edward, almost as if he weren’t sure if he approved of this change in the person holding him.

“Eat,” Edward ordered, nodding his head towards the food. “And then we’ll talk.”

Talk? Flashes of his parents’ conversations came to mind. They never “talked”. They either yelled or lobbed snarky comments at each other.

But as Edward sat beside Macie, the only conversation he wanted to have with her was how he could make her life better. How he could make her world whole again. Looking down at the baby in his arms, his son, Edward also wanted to talk about how he could see more of his son.

“What are we going to discuss?” she asked, then took a bite. “Oh, this is good!” she breathed, closing her eyes as she slowly chewed. “So good! This is the best meal I’ve had in…I don’t know how many hours.”

Edward suspected that it had been the only meal she’d had in too many hours, but kept that suspicion to himself.

“So, what’s next?” he asked, realizing he needed to know her thoughts on the future before he could start making his own plans.

She shrugged. “Right now, I just need a place to hide out.” She set the half-eaten sandwich down on the plate and wiped her fingers on a napkin. “After that, I…don’t know yet.” She sighed, her shoulders drooping. “I have friends. I can go to them, but I can only stay with them for a few days.” She looked at Kyle, reaching out to touch his hand. “And this little guy needs his routine.”

“Stay here,” he offered, unaware that his tone came out as more of a command.

She snorted. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

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