Page 197 of New Storm Rising
“H-holy crap it’s freezing up here!”
“Indeed?” Mr Ambrose climbed onto the platform behind me, his coat tails fluttering in the icy wind, his stone-cold face unmoving. “I can’t say I noticed.”
“M-my n-nose is nearly f-freezing off!”
“Indeed?” Suddenly, arms encircled me from behind, drawing me into a strong chest. Awarmchest. “Well, that can be remedied.”
“S-sneaky son of a bachelor,” I growled, teeth chattering as I snuggled into his pecs. “Y-you p-planned this, didn’t you?”
“Why, I have no idea what you mean, Mrs Ambrose.”
Mumbling mutinously, I cursed his devious ways—then buried my nose more deeply into his chest. For a long while, we simply stood there, the wind whistling around us, his arms wrapped tightly around me. After a while in his embrace, the platform high up in the air didn’t seem nearly so cold anymore. We had stood there for quite a while, gazing out over the ocean, before I realized that, when his arms had embraced me, his hands had come to rest on my stomach.
I swallowed.
“Do…do you think it will be all right?”
“Don’t worry.” Gently stroking my back, he drew me more closely against him. “I know it will be adequate.”
“That’snotreassuring!”
“Indeed?”
I opened my mouth to shoot back—only to hesitate. Glancing up, I took a good, long, scrutinizing look at his perfect, chiselled face. An impish smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “On second thought…you might be right.” Reaching out, I touched his face. “It might be adequate after all.”
“To quote Her Majesty the Queen, I amnotamused, Mrs Ambrose.”
“Oh, but I am, Mr Ambrose. I am.”
My smile widened. But then it landed on the ships in the distant harbour. The ships that would take us back to England, where I would have to face my new life. My new life as a mother.
“Will…will it really be all right?” What was wrong with me? This was the third time I’d asked this! Instinctively, my arms slid around him, clutching him close. So what if I was a bloody feminist? I was pregnant! I could take a few months holiday from feminism, along with my common sense, thank you very much! “This…I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never felt like this before. I have no idea what to do.”
His arms tightened around me. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
I perked up. This presented…responsibilities. “Whatever you can?”
He stiffened slightly. “Yes. Why?”
“Well…” An impish smile spread across my face. “I’ve had this fantastic idea. It’s called ‘maternity and pregnancy benefits’, and involves—”
Never in his life had I seen him kiss me so fast, so hard, so determined. My grin widened. I had been right earlier. Life was going to be quite adequate indeed.
***
It was a long time before the two of us descended from the torch. And if we happened to stay up there long enough to watch a very romantic sunset, that was purely coincidental.
The inside of the statue was now a cavernous hall of shadows, lit only by a few lonely beams of moonlight flooding in from above. Arm in arm, we slowly descended the spiral staircase and stepped out of the stone base of the statue, leisurely making our way towards the sea. Once we were halfway to the shore, we stopped in silent agreement. Leaning back against my husband’s chest, I took in a deep breath of sea air.
“You know…” My hand moved, fingers interlacing with his. “I’m glad I’m married to you.”
“Yes. I do know.”
I elbowed him. “This is where you’re supposed to say you’re glad to be married to me as well!”
“Indeed?”
I couldn’t help but smile again. My grip on his hand tightening, I lifted it to rest against my belly.
