Page 129 of The Earl's Bluestocking Bride
It was a baby bootie.
His heart racing, he withdrew a matching one, both made from sunshine-yellow wool.
He met her gaze, his throat thick with emotion. He coughed in an attempt to clear it. “Does this….” He drew in a deep breath. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
Amelia took his hand and placed it on her belly. “I’m pregnant. The doctor confirmed it before we left Suffolk, but I wanted to surprise you.”
He tugged her into an embrace, being careful not to bump her stomach. He gave her a lingering kiss, breathing in her familiar minty scent.
“This is the best surprise you could have given me.” He kissed her forehead, then the corners of her mouth, unable to bring himself to let go of her.
“I’m going to be a grandmother?”
With a happy sigh, Andrew released her, and they both turned to Lady Drake. Her eyes were shining, her fingertips pressed to her lips.
“You are,” Amelia told her.
Lady Drake let out a small cry and rushed over to them, dragging them both into a hug. Kate piled on, and a laugh bubbled from Andrew.
This truly was the best Christmas he’d ever had.
Eventually, they returned to their seats and resumed the gift giving, but Andrew couldn’t pay attention. He looped his arm around Amelia and caressed her belly, scarcely able to believe his luck. Only months ago, he’d been afraid that life as they knew it was over.
And it was.
But the life that had replaced it had brought him more happiness than he’d ever dreamed of.
When all the gifts had been distributed and the floor beneath the tree was bare, he took Amelia by the hand and led her back to their guest bedroom.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, sitting on the bed and pulling her down into his arms.
She relaxed against him, warm and trusting. “I’m well. A little tired, but I haven’t felt sick at all. Mostly, my senses are just, well, especially sensitive. I’m told that’s not unusual, but now that Emma and Lady Drake know, I can discuss it more with them to be sure.”
He held her close. “Are you happy?”
Her bright eyes showed not an ounce of worry. “Very much so. Are you?”
“More than I ever have been.” He wound his fingers through her hair, and his lips found hers in a kiss that lingered for too long to be entirely chaste. “Thank you, my love.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “For what?”
He kissed her again. “For giving me everything that I never knew I needed.”
EPILOGUE
Suffolk,
About A Year Later
“Pa-pa?”George chanted from where he was positioned on Amelia’s hip.
“Papa is with Uncle Vaughan,” Amelia told him, turning her face up into the sun. Although the sun was shining warmly on their backs, there was a faint coolness to the air as evening began to descend.
“Pa-pa,” he insisted.
Amelia sighed. “Emma, do you have any idea where our husbands might be?”
Emma glanced over, her palm resting on her rounded belly. “Last I saw, they were in the gardens around the front.”
