“Whoa!” King said, laughing. “Not in front of the children.”
The duke looked up. “Close your eyes, children.”
Genevieve swallowed the fear that threatened to overcome her. She’d clenched her hands so tightly they ached. Rory hadn’t returned. Of course he hadn’t returned. She should have known she’d never see him again. Could the others still see her?
The room seemed to tilt, and she closed her eyes. This was it. This was the shift she’d been waiting for. A cold blast of air hit her, and she tried not to cry out.
Then warm hands closed on hers, and she opened her eyes and looked up at Rory. She blinked, trying to make the illusion disappear. But he was very real and very solid. He pulled her up from the chair, and she stumbled. The muscles of her legs were as tight as the rest of her body, and they wouldn’t cooperate.
“Some welcome this is,” he said.
Genevieve looked about and saw the others in the room staring at her with concern in their eyes. Was she a stranger to them? But she couldn’t be. Rory was still holding her hands and looking down at her.
She looked up at him, sinking into his amber gaze. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“On the contrary,” he said. “I’m exactly where I should be.”
She shook her head. “Shouldn’t I disappear or not know you or—”
“No.” His hands tightened on hers, and he tugged her out of the room and into a small private chamber, closing the door behind them. This room was dark and cold, but Genevieve didn’t care.
“The witch never had any power to do as she promised. And it appears we—the other men and I—shed the curse all on our own. Because we fell in love and put the happiness of another above our own.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, but what I do know is this is finally over. I’m ready to go home and start our lives, the four of us.”
“Four?”
He raised his brows. “You, me, Frances, and the baby.”
Her hand flew to her belly as her eyes went wide. “How do you know?I’mnot even sure yet.”
“The witch told me. I suppose she’s not entirely without magic.”
Genevieve squinted at him, still trying to understand. “You’re not going away?”
He shook his head. “You’re stuck with me now, wife.”
“I won’t forget about you? I won’t lose Frances?”
“Not unless she plays at hide-and-seek and wins. In all honesty, we should probably discourage that game.”
“Rory,” Genevieve said.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Kiss me.”
He bent, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. The kiss and the feelings it caused were very, very real. When his lips touched hers, all the fear and foreboding disappeared. She broke away on a laugh, joy bubbling up inside her.
“It’s over,” she said.
He smiled. “It’s over. I’m rid of this curse, and I have you.”
“Rory, I love you so much.” She gripped his coat, suddenly desperate to tell him how she’d been feeling for weeks. “I couldn’t tell you before. I didn’t…” She wasn’t certain of the words. It wasn’t that she hadn’t trusted him, but she’d been so afraid she’d lose him. She’d been scared to admit, even to herself, that she loved him if he might reject her.
But he’d chosen her. He’d made his decision, and she was so in love with him. So very, very happy.
