“Why, Mr. DeVille”—she pulled back so she could look into his eyes—“are ye offering me another job?”
“Yes. But I’ve already hired a housekeeper. Mrs. Oliphant.”
“Of course.” She nodded.
“I plan on paying her handsomely, so you don’t have to do anything around our home you don’t want to do.”
Our home. She liked the sound of that. “So what job are ye offering?”
His lips slowly tugged upward. “Well, it’s less of a job and more of a position.”
Her heart began to speed up again. “What—what kind of position?” she asked, imagining all sorts of naughty positions the two of them could get into.
“Marry me, Ember,” he whispered. “Please?”
“Can I wear my fancy white dress again?”
His eyes searched hers. “I’ll even return your beautiful red shoe to wear down the aisle. But then I’m taking it back.”
“What for?”
“To remind me appearances don’t mean everything. I danced with a beautiful, intriguing lady who wore that shoe, but it was the shoe’s creator I fell in love with.”
Ember melted against him with a sigh. “I suppose I ought to tell ye that I love ye.”
“That would be nice, yes.”
“I love ye, Max.”
When he smiled, she matched it.
“So does that mean you’ll marry me? Help me run Oliphant Engraving, which your father did before me? Create a new fashion trend? Make my house a home?”
How could she say no? “I think all of those dreams sound just lovely.”
“Is that a yes?”
Her grin grew. “Nay, Max. This is the Highlands. That was an aye.”
He was laughing when his lips claimed hers once more.
Epilogue
“Wait! Wait, dearies, let me run ahead and get the door for ye!”
Mrs. Oliphant, their new housekeeper, pushed past them and scuttled for the front door of the house.
Our new home.
Grinning, Max turned and offered his hand to Ember. “Coming, wife?”
One slim leg emerged from the carriage, the cut of that lovely white gown showing off not just the revolutionary red shoes, but the trim, stocking clad ankle as well. It was a bold sort of dress to wear to a wedding, but Max loved it.
In fact, when Ember reached down to take his hand, he changed his mind about allowing her to walk into their home on her own. Instead, he stepped closer, and disregarding his fancy suit, swept her into his arms.
Ember squealed and threw her arms around his neck, but the sound quickly turned to laughter. “What are ye doing, Max?”
He turned and hurried toward the front door. “I’m carrying my wife across the threshold. Then I’m carrying her up the stairs and into our bedroom, where I’m going to very carefully remove this lovely dress from her.”
She’d stopped laughing. “Oh?” she squeaked, and he shot her a wicked grin.
“Indeed. It’s a beautiful gown, full of sentimental value, and I don’t want it to be crushed.” Her lovely eyes had gone wide at the hint of what was to come, but from the way she squirmed in his arms, she wasn’t afraid. “I suppose I should be glad you decided not to wear the mask to our wedding,” he teased, stopping at the front door.
“I couldnae verra well announce I was the mysterious lady at the ball, could I? My stepmother was glowering the whole time anyhow. I think she suspects.”
He dropped a kiss to her nose. “It doesn’t matter, love. After today, nothing your stepmother does should matter to you at all. She’s part of your past.”
When she sighed slightly and rested her head against his shoulder, he nodded firmly and stepped over the threshold. He hadn’t expected a fanfare, but Mrs. Oliphant gave a little muted cheer.
“Verra good, sir! I’ve left a cold supper for ye in the kitchen, if ye’re feeling peckish later.” She winked. “Takes a lot of energy, a wedding night does.”
Good Lord, she wasn’t planning on staying, was she?
Max cleared his throat. “Very good, Mrs. Oliphant. Thank you.” Carrying Ember, he edged around her. “You’re free to go now.”
“Och, I ken a hint when I hear one. I wasnae planning on watching! No’ from here anyway,” she muttered the last part.
Max stopped. “What?”
“Nothing!” The godmother-turned-housekeeper bobbed a cheeky curtsey. “Just heading to Evangeline’s house to—to check on things.”
Ember lifted her head at that, but Max just nodded curtly, satisfied now that he and his new wife would be alone. “Lock the door on your way out, please, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have fun!” she hollered after them, as he took the stairs two at a time, anxious to get Ember to their room.
Once there, he kicked the door shut behind him and lowered her gently to the floor. Her arms were still around his neck, so he kissed her. It was difficult to hold back the intensity of his desire, but he also didn’t want to rush things with her. There’d been a few moments, since she’d accepted his proposal, when things had gotten hot enough between them he’d had trouble controlling his reaction to her.
But tonight, everything would be perfect.
Gently, he kissed her one last time, then straightened. She was staring up at him, her eyes clouded.
“Max?” she whispered, and he grinned at how dazed she sounded.
“Yes, love?”
“I…” She blinked. “I want to see Vanessa and Bonnie.”
He started. “What? Now?”
Her gaze cleared, and her lips slowly curled upward. “Nay, I’m sorry. I’m verra happy to be here alone with ye right now.” As if to prove it, she tilted her pelvis forward, her warmth cradling his already-aching erection. “But after what ye said about the baroness downstairs, I wanted ye to ken that.”
He was struggling to follow along, with the delightful distraction of her so warm and willing in his arms. “Um…ken—I mean, know—what?”
Still smiling, she slipped away from him, reaching up and over her shoulders to unbutton her gown. Max’s mind went blank.
“I just wanted ye to ken that I’m no’ putting my sisters behind me. I’ll happily never speak to Machara again, but Vanessa and Bonnie are still my sisters.
