She tilted her head. “Oh, yes?”
“Marry me, Julia.”
She didn’t know what she’d expected from his proposal, but this was it. This was perfect. No show, no pomp and circumstance, just the man she wanted to spend forever with, asking her simply. Her answer seemed to sing down their bond before she voiced it, and he smiled.
“Yes.”
He wiped the tear from her face and traced kisses where it had fallen.
That evening, surrounded by love, they toasted to their engagement. Julia watched with a smile on her face as Camilla spread out a vast array of wedding magazines like a fan and was nattering to Theodore about the different types of wedding gown trim, and he looked as bewildered as the first day they met. Julia bit her lower lip to keep from smiling too widely. He looked up and caught her gaze, and it was like she was looking at the other half of her, the piece that had been missing all these years.
Yes, she was sure.
Epilogue
One Year Later
“How was it?” Julia smiled up from the dining table, and the sea of wedding planning she’d been combing through all morning. She’d been ticking off last-minute preparations that Camilla had sent her, like making sure they cleared enough space in the dining room for the guests and finalizing the menu.
Theodore always looked more himself after a therapy session. His shoulders hung lower, and the crease in his forehead that sometimes appeared when he thought about things too deeply disappeared. She’d suggested it almost as soon as Camilla had gone home. He’d resisted at first, but now he had twice-monthly sessions with his therapist. Of course, he couldn’t go into the specifics, but he addressed his feelings of anger, and his therapist was helping him to let them go. They had to choose a therapist that made house calls, of course, as he was still tethered to the manor and its lands, but Tabitha was working diligently on ways to expand his reach so that he could leave. They didn’t talk about it often, mainly because she didn’t want to get his hopes up, but all her conversations with Tabitha sounded promising.
He smiled, that slow, heart-stopping, breath-stealing one, and walked over to her. He bent down, covering her lips with his in a long, lazy kiss, the kind that reminded her of a calm spring morning where the birds were singing and the scent of flowers carried in the breeze.
He sat down, taking her hand.
“How’s it all going, love?”
She squeezed his hand. “It’s going well. Although I still think Camilla believes she’s in charge. Or my wedding planner at the very least.”
He chuckled. “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?”
She loved how well Theodore and Camilla got along. And she couldn’t wait for Camilla to arrive soon for the wedding next week, along with Tim and Susan who were just chomping at the bit to meet Theodore. Camilla’s parents would love him. How could they not?
He released her hand. “Before I forget,” he said, getting down on one knee.
She blinked. What was he doing? “Um, you do realize I’ve already said yes, right?” she teased.
