slowly. “That I would very much like for you and mother to leave the room now, because I do believe Lord Everly has something he wishes to ask me.” She shot her brother a sidelong glare. “In private.”
Theo laughed, the sound so low and warm, it made her feel as though she were basking in the sunshine as her brother and mother did as she asked...though not without some griping.
She and Theo both ignored their questions and their exasperated exclamations until the door finally clicked shut behind them.
“Now then,” she said with a tilt of her chin as she smiled up at Theo. “Was there something you wished to say to me? After all, we were caught, you know. It is only right that you save my reputation.”
Her tone was teasing and when he released her hands to wrap his arms around her waist and tug her close, she let out a laugh of sheer happiness.
He leaned down and kissed her, turning her laughter into a sigh of bliss. When he pulled back, he stayed so close that his nose brushed against hers, their breath mingling as their arms held one another tight.
“I do have something I wish to ask you,” Theo said. “But not because we were caught.”
She arched a brow. “No?”
“No.” His hands moved over her back, pressing her closer still as if he might never let her go. “This question is a necessity for one reason and one reason only.”
“And what is that?” she whispered, mesmerized by the heat and intensity in his eyes.
“I love you.” His arms tightened as he dropped a kiss on her lips. “I love you beyond reason, and I never want to spend a day without you in my life. By my side.”
Her response was somewhere between a moan and a sob as she wrapped her arms around his neck and rose up on tiptoes to kiss him with all the passion that was in her heart.
She pulled back just long enough to say, “I love you, too, Theo. I love you with all that I am.”
He groaned in relief as he held her close, one arm cinched tight around her waist as he lifted his other hand to cup the back of her neck as he slid his lips over hers as if sealing their vows.
“Thank you,” he murmured when he pulled back slightly, letting his forehead rest against hers. “Thank you for helping me open my heart to love again. For proving to me that true love is worth any risk and is well worth fighting for.”
She smiled, tears pricking the back of her eyes as emotions swelled inside her. “And thank you,” she said. “For showing me what real love truly is.”
His kiss was slow and gentle before he sighed against her lips. “I suppose we ought to be getting back to the others.”
Her answering sigh was just plain sad. “Must we?”
He laughed as he shifted away from her, taking her hands in his. “I’m afraid we must. But, before we go…” He lifted her hand to his lips, his gaze fixed on hers with fiery intent. “There is one very important question I never did get to ask.”
A rush of joy made her feel as though she were spinning, falling head over feet. “What is that?”
“Lady Sarah, will you marry me?”
She couldn’t restrain herself a moment longer, and she threw herself into his arms. He let out a groan as he crushed her to his chest in an embrace that unleashed her tears. “Yes,” she whispered against his neck, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. “Yes, I would love to marry you.”
Epilogue
The very next day...
Sarah shifted with impatience as she stood just outside the terrace doors, excitement skittering along her skin.
She’d spent the day attending to Max and Marigold’s second wedding, attending guests, and participating in a large Christmastide celebration that had been wonderfully romantic all while being infuriatingly busy.
She’d been waiting for this moment all day and all evening. The time when she and Theo would slip away to be alone together. Finally.
The memory of his proposal was so fresh that it still filled her with breathless wonder, and yet, in some ways, the proposal seemed like a lifetime ago. Because so much had changed.
She loved Theo and she now understood that he loved her in return. All her fears about being just his friend’s sister had vanished in an instant. And now they had the rest of their lives to celebrate that fact.
And tonight, they