The breeze was gentle on his face, the late afternoon sun’s warmth on him a delight, as was the sound of childish laughter.

Turning to watch his son rolling on the ground giggling as the dog gamboled around him, he smiled at the beautiful sight. His son, nearly three, pushed himself to his feet and ran on tiny legs to where Carter sat. He gathered the lad in his lap, petting the dog, which came to sit at his side.

It was lovely to be here, enjoying the land—his land.

It was easy to see the entire countryside from where he sat on a slight hill. Before his eyes was a spread of greenery and the promise of growth; his manager had taken care of the estate in his absence, and the hall had been renovated the year his son was born by the same architect who had done the renovations to Watersdale Manor.

Carter sighed, his heart light as he turned to gaze upon his home. It was different than he remembered, the image of his childhood already fading from his mind. It was just as well; he could start anew with his own family on his father’s old estate.

Standing with his son in his arms, he strode back to the manor, guiding Chance along the path. The foliage began to thicken as they entered a small forest. At length, he pushed past a clump of bushes just beside the manor gardens. Then came the familiar sound of trickling water. Wandering further along the narrow path, they soon came to a clearing in the rose garden.

She was lying beside the fountain, the water spilling from the urn of a stone nymph into a small stone pool. Flowers surrounded it in a burst of color. Among the riot of blooms and under the shade of a tree, his wife was curled on her side on a blanket.

Phoebe appeared half-asleep when they came upon her. He smiled down at his wife. She looked beautiful, as always. Her hair was loose and all tousled about her. One hand was beneath her head, and the other cradled protectively around the curve of her belly; their second child was due in a month.

Setting their son down, Carter came to sit beside her, his hand on the one she held to her belly. “My love,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. At her start, he chuckled and smoothed back her hair. “Be calm, my dear. It is just me,” he assured her and drew her close.

“Oh,” she mumbled sleepily. “Where is Henry?”

He shifted as she sat up to see their son playing with Chance, throwing a stick as far back as his young arm would allow, and laughing in delight when the dog fetched it. “It would seem he is occupied.”

She glanced up at the sky and moved onto her knees to stand. “We have spent too long outside. The sun is about to set.”

Helping her to her feet, he scooped Henry up into his arms, while she guided Chance along the path back to the manor.

“Did you nap all afternoon?” Carter asked as they entered the home and Henry’s nursemaid took him to prepare for his evening bath.

“I did. This baby seems to be taking more of my strength than Henry did,” she said.

Carter led her up the stairs and into their bedchamber. He sat on the settee in front of the window, guiding her to sit between his legs. Then, he began to massage her lower back. She leaned back against him and moaned in pleasure at his ministrations.

“Perhaps your fatigue means that this one will be a girl, after all,” he murmured in her ear.

She laughed. It was an old debate. As he had with her first pregnancy, Carter still insisted that the baby would be a girl. While she secretly agreed with him, she enjoyed bickering with him about it. And she knew it didn’t matter to either of them if they had a girl or a boy. They would love the baby just as much as they did their son.

“We will find out soon enough, my love.”

“Then we can try to make another,” Carter whispered, kissing her neck seductively.

Phoebe would never tire of his lips on hers. She shifted and turned her head so he could kiss her mouth.

“I could spend several lifetimes with you like this,” he whispered, moving his mouth to kiss her neck again.

She smiled. “Several lifetimes would not suffice. That is not nearly enough time. Perhaps an eternity, instead.”

He laughed, capturing her mouth again in a soul-piercing kiss that left them both panting.

“If you insist. An eternity then, and I shall spend every moment of it loving you.”

If you haven't already, please leave your review on Amazon

If you want to be always up to date with my new releases, click and...
Follow me on BookBub

Readers who enjoyed this book also bought

★★★★★ 68 ratings

Read the book

★★★★★ 77 ratings

Read the book

★★★★★ 98 ratings

Read the book