“Nicholas.”
And then she was there, kneeling in front of him, her hands cupping his face.
“Husband.”
His green eyes were wet when they met hers, and more tears rushed down her cheeks.
“I love you.” A smile wobbled over her lips. “I love you so, so much—”
His arms closed about her, his mouth taking her in a sweet, hard kiss that said the rest, and she kissed him back even as she cried and wrapped her arms around his neck.
And the kiss went on forever, as it should be, for it was the happy-ever-after Bee had often read about, and it had now come true.
Epilogue
On one fine Saturday morning, Nicholas surprised his wife by driving her to the city and taking her to a beautiful black and gold steamed locomotive. “Happy fourth monthsary, Mrs. Sutherland.”
Inside the train, about a hundred guests waited to surprise her, and Bee’s eyes teared when she saw numerous familiar faces from the factory she used to work for.
Nicholas watched in quiet satisfaction as people from Tabitha’s hometown gathered around his wife, giving her tearful hugs as they congratulated her on her marriage.
It was only when the train’s liveried conductor announced that lunch would soon be served that Tabitha’s former co-workers temporarily relinquished his wife’s attention, and he waited until her searching gaze found his before crooking a finger at her. Come.
A helpless smile formed over her lips. So arrogant.
But her feet moved all the same, and her heart skipped a beat as his arms closed around her.
Green eyes glittered sensually down at Bee, and her heart skipped another beat.
My cowboy angel, she couldn’t help thinking.
And he was married to her.
Nicholas chuckled at the adoring look on his wife’s face. “I’m still The World’s Sexiest Husband, I take it?”
“Not only that,” she said loyally, “but your pedestal’s about twenty-five feet high now, too.”
He had to bend his head down to kiss her for that, and as with how their kisses always went, it lasted a good amount of time and required an equally good amount of strength for him to end it.
“The rest is for later,” he promised her, “and if you’re a good girl, I might be persuaded to spanking your ass harder than usual.”
“Nicholas!” But as he curled an arm around her waist, he also heard her ask hesitantly, “How hard are we talking about?”
And so it was how the world had their first photo of Nicholas Sutherland laughing while his young wife blushed prettily next to him.