Page 111 of The Unplanned Wedding

"You’re a good brother," I offer.

He rolls his shoulders. “If I were, I wouldn't've agreed to marry Priscilla in the first place. Not when I realized there was history between her and Tyler, and it would hurt him.”

“But you didn’t go through with it, did you?”

He shakes his head.

I hold up my hands. "I maintain, you all seem to have each other's backs."

The skin around his eyes crinkles. “You insist on seeing the good in me, don’t you?”

I blush a little, then flutter my eyelashes, “Of course, I do. I'm your wife.”

Our gazes meet, hold. That chemistry between us, always fluttering beneath the surface, intensifies. My nipples harden, and my scalp tightens. A thick pulse kicks up between my legs.

He must sense my arousal for his gaze darkens. Then, he seems to collect himself and nods in the direction of my plate. “Eat.”

I obediently pick up my sandwich and nibble on it.

"How do you feel about having met Claire?" he asks.

I swallow past the lump in my throat, place the sandwich back on the plate, and stare at the crumbs there. "It was what I expected, but also… Not. I built it up in my head more than I realized. And then to meet her…" I shake my head. "I felt an instant connection, but it also put things in perspective."

"How’s that?"

"It made me realize how much I already have. With Irene and my siblings, and with you." I hold his gaze. "I thought I was alone, but I wasn’t. I already had a family with Irene. And now I have two families. And a third, which is even more important, with you."

His expression softens. And when I slide off my stool and walk around the island to him, he opens his arms. I step in between his legs and slide my arms about his neck. "Thank you for taking me to see her."

"It wasn’t too sudden, was it?" He searches my features. "I was worried that, perhaps, I should have forewarned you more."

"I was ready to meet her. And it was never going to get easier. In fact, it was good you didn’t give me too much advance notice. I might have gotten cold feet." I laugh a little. "So, you’re good."

His stares at me.

"What?"

"I love your laughter, baby."

I find myself flushing and glance away.

He notches his knuckles under my chin and gently turns my chin in his direction. "No, don’t hide from me. I love nothing more than gazing into your eyes." He cups my cheek. "I love your eyes, you know that?" He bends and kisses my eyelids. "And your cute little upturned nose." He kisses the tip of my nose.

"It’s not upturned."

"It is." He smiles. "And your stubborn chin." He presses his lips there, "And the way you blush so prettily." He kisses me first, on one cheek, then the other. "And your smile. I adore your smile." He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, then the other.

"And how you taste." He brushes his lips over mine, and when I part my lips, he swipes his tongue across the seam of my mouth. A moan spills from my lips, and he swallows it up. He continues to kiss me for a few seconds more, then pulls back slightly. "What I’m trying to say is that I loveyou."

48

Knox

I watch her closely as I say the words and am rewarded by her eyes widening in surprise. But she also looks wary. I frown. Not the response I expected.

"I love you, my June. I think I knew I would the moment I saw you. I knew, subconsciously, that I loved you when I proposed to you. It’s why I couldn’t go through with the arrangement Arthur had proposed. I knew it when I placed my grandmothers’ ring on your finger. I was sure about it when I consummated our wedding. And I was sure about it, when I saw you stumble at your birth mother’s place earlier. When her dog lunged toward you, and you slipped? I swear, my heart almost punched out of my chest."

Understanding comes into her eyes. "How did you get behind me so quickly? You were at the car, and then?—"

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