Page 116 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 1-4

Faye felt relief flood her. She chuckled, thinking of Sol.

Primo became serious. ‘I’m not going anywhere. Faye. Ever. No matter what happens. And I have a proposal.’

‘We’re already married.’

‘Thank God for that.’ Primo kissed her. And then he said, ‘No, a slightly different proposal. I think we should give ourselves a year. A year of getting to know one another, living together, with no talk of children, or a family, and no trying anything. How does that sound?’

‘Still trying to get me to move in with you?’ Faye joked. But she felt emotional.

It was an amazing proposal. A chance to really get to know one another before they went near the subject of children or family. She hadn’t even realised until that moment how much she needed some sort of show of trust from Primo like this.

‘Oh, you’re not going anywhere, Mrs MacKenzie Holt. Whether it’s here, or your apartment, I don’t care where we are—as long as we’re together. And never apart for longer than about...an hour? Would that do?’

Faye buried her head in his shoulder, overwhelmed with love and emotion.

He tipped her chin up. ‘So, what do you say?’

She smiled. ‘I think that sounds just perfect... But let’s add a little clause. If we want to talk about it in six months, let’s talk about it then.’

Primo groaned and rolled onto his back, taking Faye with him so she lay over him. ‘What is it with you and six months? Do I have to point out we only got as far as a month before the wheels came off and this marriage became a love-match?’

Faye grinned. ‘Well, then, let’s see where we are in a month. Because from where I’m currently lying, anything is possible.’

Primo rolled over again, and this time he was perfectly positioned between Faye’s legs.

Just before he joined their bodies he kissed her and said, ‘Bring it on. I can’t wait.’

EPILOGUE

AYEARTOthe day since they’d had that first drink, Primo handed Faye a large and very old key. She looked at him as the fresh breeze came straight off the Atlantic made her hair fly into her face. And then she looked at the castle. The magical, fairytale Irish castle.

‘What have you done, Primo?’ she asked suspiciously.

‘It’s our first anniversary. This is my gift to you.’

Faye put a hand to her mouth and let out a helpless laugh of total shock and joy. ‘You bought it?’

He nodded, delighted with himself.

She shook her head. ‘This is the most outrageous, extravagant thing... How can I ever—?’

He stopped her words with his mouth—his favourite way to interrupt her. Faye melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. For a man who had professed not to believe in romance or love, he’d become one of the most romantic men on the planet, and he told Faye on a daily basis how much he loved her. As she did him.

When they drew apart, she looked at him dreamily. ‘You’re a fool in love—you know that?’

He frowned. ‘You say that like it’s a bad thing.’

He picked her up then, and she clung on as he strode to the door and leant down to open it with the key. They went inside, where there was a fire blazing brightly in the reception hall, piles of turf beside it.

The housekeeper appeared and Primo put Faye down. ‘Kathleen has agreed to stay on,’ he said. ‘As she and her husband live nearby and have looked after the castle for years.’

Faye shook her hand. ‘Thank you, Kathleen.’

The woman smiled. ‘It’ll be good to have a family here again...it’s been too long.’

Once, that innocuous statement would have caused Faye untold pain. But now she and Primo looked at each other and shared a secret smile. In the past six months they had managed to create five embryos with Faye’s eggs and Primo’s sperm. And they’d just received news of a suitable surrogate. The process of transferring the embryos—they were trying two to start with—would be happening soon.

There was every reason to hope that they would get their wish of a family, but even if it didn’t happen Faye knew that they would be okay. Because their lives were richer and fuller than she could ever have dreamt. Their love was strong and deep and true, and it had the roots to sustain them.

This place would hold a family again even if it wasn’t theirs. Because she could already see them welcoming Quin and Sadie, who had become their closest friends as well as family.

And in the end the fairytale castle did ring out with far more than just their nephews and nieces voices. Just over nine months after that anniversary visit to the castle their wonderful, amazing surrogate gave birth to twin boys: Callum and Max.

And then, two years later, she gave birth again, to a daughter: Hope.

Because Faye and Primo had never underestimated the power of hope, while also never losing sight of what they had. Which was enough. But now they had everything. And they didn’t take it for granted for one second.

---