with an intensity he could feel so deeply within him that it had to be touching his soul.
‘I love you , Katie. I need you. You saved my life. But it’s more than that. You are my life. I can’t believe I couldn’t see this a long, long time ago. This has nothing to do with the babies. They’re a gift. A bonus. A…’ This was so important—but how could he make her understand?
‘A two-for-one Christmas special?’
Finally he could smile. He could see the joy blooming in Kate’s eyes and knew that he didn’t need to say anything more. She believed him. She trusted him.
‘I love you.’ His voice was stronger now. Sure and confident. ‘I always will. I suspect I always did, but you were right about that, too. Not letting anyone close was so ingrained I didn’t even see it. You’re a wise woman, Katie Simpson.’
She was smiling now. ‘Just as well there aren’t three of me, or this would be getting spooky.’
Her humour just added another layer to his joy. ‘I had no idea I could feel this…this happy. That love could feel like this. I want to love you and protect you, Katie. I want to give you the kind of strength you’ve given me. For ever and—’
The flow of his words stopped so abruptly that Rory’s mouth was still open. Kate’s hand was moving beneath his in a curious wave-like motion, and then he felt a vibration. The aftershock from the kick of a miniature foot.
A baby’s foot.
One of his babies.
The reality of it all hit him. The love. The knowledge that they were making a whole family, here.
It was huge. Wonderful. Poignant. Way too much to take in, let alone confine with any words that could be in ade quate.
K ATE HAD BEEN SO WRONG .
She’d thought she was the only being who could appre ciate the wonder of the new life growing inside her, but she could see exactly what she was feeling reflected in Rory’s face.
And that magic was a kernel inside something even bigger. The new life that was their love for each other.
Rory loved her.
Kate had absolutely no doubt of the truth of it. She could see it so clearly. Something had been peeled away inside Rory, and what she could see in his eyes was new. Vulnerable. He was giving her a power that could hurt him very badly if she misused it—but how could she, when she was giving him exactly the same power?
They would cherish each other.
Keep each other strong.
They would be friends and lovers and parents. Maybe colleagues again, if Rory was drawn back to his old job—and Kate was sure he would be. The fear might always be there, and one day they would have to deal with its realisation, but they would get through it because they would be facing it together.
Not that there was any pressure. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Time enough for anything, so nothing was urgent. Or maybe something was…
How long had they been in here, oblivious to anything in the outside world?
‘What’s the time?’
Rory drew his hand reluctantly from her belly to check his watch. ‘Just after midnight.’ He smiled and leaned forward to kiss Kate. ‘Happy Christmas, my love.’
He kissed her again. So slowly and tenderly that Kate had to drag herself back to reality when contact broke. She had to try and remember what had seemed so urgent only minutes ago.
‘We need to get those presents under the tree. What if the children arrive home?’
Rory was already standing up. He held out his hands to help Kate to her feet.
‘Mission Santa.’ He grinned. ‘Go, go, go !’
They went.
T HEY HAD TO STOP holding hands in order to ferry armloads of gifts up the stone steps, across the wide hallway of the lovely old house and into what had once been the drawing room, where a beautifully decorated tree stood by the fireplace, twinkling with every colour of the rainbow in its lights.
Again and again they made the trip, stacking the gifts until it looked like every child’s
‘I love you , Katie. I need you. You saved my life. But it’s more than that. You are my life. I can’t believe I couldn’t see this a long, long time ago. This has nothing to do with the babies. They’re a gift. A bonus. A…’ This was so important—but how could he make her understand?
‘A two-for-one Christmas special?’
Finally he could smile. He could see the joy blooming in Kate’s eyes and knew that he didn’t need to say anything more. She believed him. She trusted him.
‘I love you.’ His voice was stronger now. Sure and confident. ‘I always will. I suspect I always did, but you were right about that, too. Not letting anyone close was so ingrained I didn’t even see it. You’re a wise woman, Katie Simpson.’
She was smiling now. ‘Just as well there aren’t three of me, or this would be getting spooky.’
Her humour just added another layer to his joy. ‘I had no idea I could feel this…this happy. That love could feel like this. I want to love you and protect you, Katie. I want to give you the kind of strength you’ve given me. For ever and—’
The flow of his words stopped so abruptly that Rory’s mouth was still open. Kate’s hand was moving beneath his in a curious wave-like motion, and then he felt a vibration. The aftershock from the kick of a miniature foot.
A baby’s foot.
One of his babies.
The reality of it all hit him. The love. The knowledge that they were making a whole family, here.
It was huge. Wonderful. Poignant. Way too much to take in, let alone confine with any words that could be in ade quate.
K ATE HAD BEEN SO WRONG .
She’d thought she was the only being who could appre ciate the wonder of the new life growing inside her, but she could see exactly what she was feeling reflected in Rory’s face.
And that magic was a kernel inside something even bigger. The new life that was their love for each other.
Rory loved her.
Kate had absolutely no doubt of the truth of it. She could see it so clearly. Something had been peeled away inside Rory, and what she could see in his eyes was new. Vulnerable. He was giving her a power that could hurt him very badly if she misused it—but how could she, when she was giving him exactly the same power?
They would cherish each other.
Keep each other strong.
They would be friends and lovers and parents. Maybe colleagues again, if Rory was drawn back to his old job—and Kate was sure he would be. The fear might always be there, and one day they would have to deal with its realisation, but they would get through it because they would be facing it together.
Not that there was any pressure. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Time enough for anything, so nothing was urgent. Or maybe something was…
How long had they been in here, oblivious to anything in the outside world?
‘What’s the time?’
Rory drew his hand reluctantly from her belly to check his watch. ‘Just after midnight.’ He smiled and leaned forward to kiss Kate. ‘Happy Christmas, my love.’
He kissed her again. So slowly and tenderly that Kate had to drag herself back to reality when contact broke. She had to try and remember what had seemed so urgent only minutes ago.
‘We need to get those presents under the tree. What if the children arrive home?’
Rory was already standing up. He held out his hands to help Kate to her feet.
‘Mission Santa.’ He grinned. ‘Go, go, go !’
They went.
T HEY HAD TO STOP holding hands in order to ferry armloads of gifts up the stone steps, across the wide hallway of the lovely old house and into what had once been the drawing room, where a beautifully decorated tree stood by the fireplace, twinkling with every colour of the rainbow in its lights.
Again and again they made the trip, stacking the gifts until it looked like every child’s
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