smiles, sarcastic.
Furrowing his eyebrows, he looks at her, puzzled, before turning to me.
“Y—you don’t know where Lola is?” He tilts his head, putting down the bag.
“Of course not.” Baffled, I stare at his face in search of an explanation.
“But… I do.”
I widen my eyes and say nothing.
“She lives with—” He suddenly pauses, realizing that I must not want to hear of it. “I know how to reach her.” A shadow of a smile invades his face. “I can help you finalize the divorce. She will want to move on and get married, too.”
I glance at Belle whose face remains blank. Yet, something inside tells me that she must be fighting a thousand emotions under the surface.
“Belle.” He turns to her, his eyes watering. “I need you to forgive me. I was only trying to protect you and your mother. I was trying to keep you. I was afraid if you found out, you’d disown me!”
Her bottom lip trembles and I can see the sparkle in her eyes from the film of tears quickly forming.
“I’m a coward, honey, and you don’t deserve a father like that. I promise I’ll be better.” He gently touches her arm, and she doesn’t budge.
He then turns to me, pleading.
“I hope you can both forgive me.” Hanging his head, he launches to pick up his bag and disappears into the main bedroom.
Turning to Belle, I can see how her face has softened for her father’s position. I know what a kind person she is, and by now, I am almost certain that she can forgive him.
I’m the one who needs to own up to his actions now.
“Marry me.” I take a step closer, holding her arms in both my hands, feeling the warmth of her body for the first time in months.
My heart races.
“Sit down, Jake.” She pulls away, going over to the sofa. “We have to talk this through.”
Minutes pass, Peter leaves, hours turn the day to night… we talk and cry, and I don’t remember the last time I felt so broken yet revived at the same time.
Silence inevitably ensues as I wait for Belle to make up her mind. To take me back.
“I’ve missed you, you know,” she finally whispers, tears streaming down her face.
“I’ve missed you more than you can imagine.” I know I am repeating myself; I must have said it a thousand times in the past couple of hours.
She shakes her head, fixing her eyes on the carpet, and my heart drops.
“Don’t you ever hide anything from me again, Jake Downton,” she commands.
Oh my God.
Is this really happening?
She said yes.
After further deliberations, we decide to get married after the baby is born and that Belle would not move into the ranch until after the birth.
Four months later, my divorce comes through, and finally, Belle and I can be wed.
She gives birth to Joseph and we set the date for two weeks after.
Our wedding night is heavenly, and Katie is more than happy to take care of our baby when we return to the house.
It has been so long since I have held Belle in my arms, and I feel as if our union is ultimately sealed and blessed. In the corner of the room, Joseph dozes softly, hardly stirring as we stepped in, and navigated by the light of the fire. Slowly, I spin her around, and undress her, my breath catching in my throat as the dress pools around her feet, revealing the sheer panties and matching bra.
“Mrs. Downton,” I murmur. “You are looking especially sexy tonight.”
Belle chuckles, a soft caress against the back of my neck. “Is that so?”
I nod and tug on my own time. In no time at all, I have my pants around my ankles and my shirt half unbuttoned. Bella turns to face me, her soft features bathed in a low light as she reaches forward, and pops one button then another, taking her sweet time.
“This is much better,” Belle tells me, pushing the shirt off my back, and letting it fall to the floor. “There are way too many clothes right now.”
With that, I pull her to me, my lips seeking out hers, and I’m falling. We both are, our bodies moving backward until we reach the mattress. Reluctantly, I drew back, gather her into my arms, and kiss her soundly, my tongue drawing lazy circles around her mouth.
Then, we’re on the bed, her body hot to the touch, and her dark hair fans out across the pillow. I lift a finger up,