Tom had taken some comfort in knowing that Ike wasn’t alone in heaven, that at least he was happy with the woman he’d loved.
Victoria stared at the ring he held poised above her finger.
“No matter what the future brings, I’ll never be able to stop loving you.”
Something briefly flickered in her eyes. He might have missed it if he hadn’t looked up into her face at that moment. It was fear. He’d recognize it anywhere. Yet just as quickly as the emotion appeared it vanished, replaced by excitement and thrill and wonder, which settled into every lovely curve and crevice of her face.
“Oh, Tom,” she whispered. “I’ll never be able to stop loving you either.” The sincerity in her eyes told him she meant it.
“Then marry me.” He slipped the band over her slender finger.
She splayed her fingers, making it easier for him to slide the ring all the way down to where it belonged. When it was in place, her eyes glistened. “Yes. With all my heart.” She met his gaze with a radiance that made his chest swell to bursting.
He brought her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed her ring finger and then turned over her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm. Her breath hitched in that sensual way she had about her that told him she enjoyed his touch, that it never failed to move her.
One glance into her eyes, and he could see that not only did she enjoy his touch but that she wanted more. The temperature of his blood rose a degree. He readily obliged her with a feathery kiss on her wrist.
She closed her eyes as if to prevent him from seeing her pleasure, but it was written in the tightening lines in her face. “Tom?”
He kissed the skin directly above her wrist, this time lingering and caressing her wildly beating pulse. “Hmm?”
“How am I to marry you?” she asked breathlessly. “When we’re already married?”
“We’ll have a real wedding.”
“At Race Point?”
“Wherever you want.” He loved the texture of her silky skin against his lips.
“I want your parents to be there. And we’ll invite mine to come too.”
He nodded.
“But, Tom,” she started and then ducked her head, “we’re already legally married. What will be the point of the wedding?”
Heat spread into his gut at the remembrance of the few passionate kisses they’d shared, of how difficult it had grown to let go of her, of how close he’d been to picking her up and taking her to bed. Could he really wait for a wedding? And really, what was the point? She was right. They were married. He could take her home tonight and they could finally be together.
He shook his head, fighting away the temptation. “I want to do this right. With your father’s permission. With my parents’ full understanding. And with vows that we both mean this time.”
Of course, it had been easy to agree to the judge’s questions and to sign a document that night on the steamboat when they’d been leaving Newport. But that exchange had been a necessity, a business arrangement, not a real marriage ceremony.
He pushed himself up until he was standing before her. “I don’t want our marriage to be by default. I want us to choose it and make it public.”
A wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. “How will your parents feel when they learn the truth?”
“I suspect my mom knows more than she’s let on.” He couldn’t say for sure or even how. “My dad might be harder to console. But I’ll take care of him.”
“I love them both. And I don’t want them to be upset at us.”
“They won’t. They love you.” He had no doubt he and Victoria would have obstacles to overcome, but it likely wouldn’t be from his parents. It would be from hers. However, he didn’t want to bring that up now. He tugged her close again and touched his lips against the tiny crease in her forehead, hoping to ease her worries.
She released another sigh that informed him she was happy again. He loved how quickly she could put aside her concerns and easily trust that everything would work out, even though he wasn’t sure how.
Her fingers skimmed up his shirtsleeves, leaving a trail of heat on his arms. Suddenly, all he could think about was the fact that she’d survived and that she was his. His. Finally. He drew her body against his, which may have been a mistake because he was keenly aware of her