Page 44 of Good Duke Gone Rogue

“Is that a happy gasp or an appalled gasp?”

“Both…I think. Why would you do that?”

“It’s beginning to sound redundant, Detta. But…I love you. Even without knowing you would be my wife, I wanted to see you happy. You would have never asked for money. I know your heart. You don’t want to be a burden. You don’t want someone to have to carry your load. But I wanted to help you carry it. I still do. Now more than ever.”

She was almost drowning in her delight now. This man. This man. This man. This man washerman.

“You’re the most generous man I know.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Thank you, Reggie.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “You’ll never know how much that means to me.”

He held her tight for a few minutes. After a deep breath, she pulled back to see him with a lopsided grin.

“So you’re saying you want the money then?”

She chuckled. “It’ll be our money soon enough.”

“Very true. Perhaps we’ll think of some fun to have with the money and the horse situation. You know, the ducal seat is close to Kat, so I’m sure we’ll be spending time with them.”

It was almost too much to take in, but thinking of Reggie as a duke, the open opportunities with Prince, and their future together. It was pure bliss. It was a happiness that she never thought she could have. She was hoping to give herself time to find love, but she never knew love was there all along, she merely had to open her heart. She thought back to the night she fell on him on the couch.

“That night in the library…” she started. “You knew it was me.”

“Every single one of my senses confirmed it was you.”

“And you…wanted to kiss me, even then?”

“In every dream I’ve ever had. It’s always been you.”

Heat flooded her body. Her face. Her limbs. Her core. “I’m so happy, Reggie.”

“I am too. And I can’t wait for us to start our lives together. There will be much to finalize, being a new duke. And we’ll figure out what to do with Prince. But we have time. All the time we want to take.”

And then, because she was not thinking about avoiding desperation anymore, but rather thinking of living her life to the fullest, love flowed through her again, and an idea came back to her. It was the overflowing of an idea that had first started after riding Vi. The seed of a dream that extended the purpose of her life beyond herself. If she could find hope, strength, and love to live a full life, she wanted others to find that joy as well. When she rode Vi, she knew the power to be found in a challenge. The freedom to be found in independence. The pure elation to be reaped when fully being oneself. It might just be her next dream fulfilled, if she could help other girls live that life as well.

“Perhaps…we can open a riding school for girls.”

“I love it.” She noticed that he didn’t even have to think about it. The words were out of his mouth in eagerness and support.

“You do?”

“As long as you do, then I do.”

And that was exactly what they both said a few hours later at their wedding ceremony where all their friends and family awaited them, including his father, who belted a few notes on his trumpet to start the event.

The ceremony was charming. And even though it was Reggie’s eighth and a half wedding that season, he didn’t complain. Not one single negative word emerged from his lips. He was toocontent to see his bride in white smiling along with her son as they came down the aisle to him. To start their family together.

They each wiped a few tears from their eyes when the final pronouncement was made, binding them together for life. Nothing could be more beautiful than finding a love that set one free. A love that called the best out in a person. And together they had found that.

Later, when it was only family and night had fallen, Reggie gathered everyone out into the garden. Telling everyone to stand still, he rushed off almost a hundred yards, and then returned out of breath.

“For you,” he whispered to his bride with a kiss. “Our future is bright.”

And then with his arm around her, and his hand clasped in Jacob’s, they watched the dark sky fill with light.

Reggie had lit fire to pyrotechnics. Because really, he couldn’t not keep his word.

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