‘It’s not where I started to love you,’ Nico had whispered, on that first night after they had married on the beach, when everyone had been shuttled back to the main island, ‘because that was something that started a long time before. But this place will always be special because it will always be where I touched you for the first time.’
When Grace thought back to the huskiness in his voice when he’d said that and the love in his eyes, she got a tingle of absolute contentment and a happiness that was as deep as an ocean inside her.
She heard the sound of the front door opening and she sprinted down the stairs just as Nico was shrugging off his coat.
‘When are you going to stop doing this to me?’ he murmured, moving towards her as she moved towards him.
‘What’s that?’
‘Making me wish that my working day was shorter?’ He grinned and pushed her hair back and then held her at arm’s length and inspected her. ‘I’m sensing something different about you this evening. New dress?’
Grace nodded. Now that she was working from home, editing a financial magazine, she had time to dash to the shops and, yes, the dress was new.
‘I thought men weren’t supposed to notice those things.’ She grinned and spun round, pulling him towards the kitchen, where the table had been elaborately set, at which point he stopped in his tracks and turned her to look at him.
‘First...’ he grinned back at her and dropped kiss on the side of her mouth, and then, as though giving it a bit more thought, he kissed her thoroughly until she was all hot and bothered ‘...I’m unique, as I keep reminding you, and second, you need to tell me what’s going on, because if you don’t I’m going to start thinking that I might have forgotten something important.’
‘I have a surprise for you.’ Grace led him to the table where a slender box was wrapped with a ribbon round it and she watched as he held it aloft for a few puzzled seconds before peeling back the wrapping.
Then he smiled and the smile got wider and, when he looked at her, his dark eyes were ablaze.
‘My day just got a whole lot better,’ he growled, pulling her towards him and holding her close, so close that she could feel the beating of his heart under the crisp white shirt.
He held up the positive pregnancy stick and then looked at her and laughed with delight.
‘A family. My darling, I can’t wait. You’ve made me the happiest man on earth and I will treasure you till my dying breath.’
As I will you, Grace thought with overflowing love.As I will you...