Page 167 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 5-8

His arms circled her waist. ‘I don’t know what sort of husband I’ll be, but you won’t regret marrying me, Clemmie.’ His voice thickened with emotion. ‘I swear it.’

She touched the roughened angle of his jaw and smiled.

Joaquin felt warmth flow through him. A sense of rightness that he only felt when he was with Clemmie.

‘I know I won’t. I don’t have any doubts, Joaquin,’ she promised, her glowing eyes sending him a message of total certainty. ‘Thank you for this home. I do love it. But you are my home...you are my heart.’

EPILOGUE

‘YOULOOKLIKEa dream.’

With a gasp, Clemmie spun round, the ivory silk of her dress swishing around her. Her breath caught as Joaquin’s hot stare pinned her to the spot.

Joaquin—who was looking quite breathtakingly handsome in an impeccable dress suit—had materialised as if by magic in the bedroom that they shared.

Or had shared until last night.

‘Where did you come from?’ she asked.

Joaquin grinned. ‘Don’t you mean how did I get past the army of people downstairs?’ He tapped the side of his nose and said mysteriously. ‘I have my ways.’

‘Not an army. Just the florists, the caterers and the string quartet. I hope they have arrived?’

‘Either that or someone is being mean to a cat.’

‘And—’

‘All right, I get the idea. A large contingent of essential persons... You are so pedantic. Though I am not sure why they are deemedessential.’

‘We agreed.’

He conceded this with a deep sigh. ‘You caught me in a weak moment—namely flat on my back in bed—when you had me at your mercy. You took advantage of me.’

She gasped in mock outrage at the claim, but actually she quite liked the idea of taking advantage of this gorgeous man...often by invitation.

‘The power of having me at your mercy has turned you into a monster, Clemmie. A beautiful monster,’ he conceded, his prowling gaze taking in the full glory of her dress.

‘I didn’t see you complaining.’

‘Granted.’

The wicked glitter in his eyes faded as he reached for her hand and pressed it to his chest. She felt the heavy vibration of his heartbeat and felt a tidal wave of hot emotion flow through her.

She loved this man to distraction, and it seemed a miracle that he loved her right back. The knowledge had a healing quality. She still felt wistful when she thought of her twin, but she no longer felt guilty. She really believed that she carried Chrissie in her heart, and she certainly had enough joy for two.

‘This is the only essential thing,’ he said, his deep voice thick and husky with emotion. ‘Just you and me.’

Clemmie blinked away the sting of tears. ‘Don’t make me cry. This make-up took me hours.’

Her determination not to take advantage of a professional make-up artist and hairdresser for today had been a point of contention with her mother and the wedding planner, but Clemmie had stood her ground.

It seemed to her that over the last few weeks she had been one of the only people there who understood the meaning of a simple country wedding.

She was prepared to let other people share the day, but it was not about looking like some perfect person who wasn’t her.

‘“Natural” is very popular at the moment,’ the wedding planner had agreed, when she’d realised her client was not for budging. ‘But it’s the hardest thing to pull off.’

Clemmie liked to think shehadpulled it off.

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