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When she’d seen this room the first time she arrived at the estate, she’d been horrified. Now it looked like the most cheerful room in the house.

"It's beautiful!" she breathed, taking in every little detail. “I think I want to live here.”

Alec chuckled and shook his head. “Then I’d have to move here, too. You know I can’t sleep without you.”

Emily rose on tiptoes in an attempt to kiss his chin. But he dipped his head and caught her lips. Kissing her deeply, his arms immediately wrapped around her, holding her close.

“Thank you,” Emily whispered against his lips. “I never dreamed it would be ready so quickly.”

He shrugged. “I told you, we shall renovate the entire estate before the little one’s arrival.”

Emily let out a giggle, sincerely amused by the idea.

“I have one more surprise for you today,” he said against her hair. Emily felt him shiver against her body. Was he nervous or simply cold?

She raised her eyes and saw uncertainty in his. Wanting to dispel the tension, she asked, “How many more surprises should I be expecting?”

His smile gentled. “In a lifetime or a day?”

Now it was Emily’s turn to be nervous. Despite his teasing tone, something about the look in his eyes told her that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

He dipped his hand into the inner pocket of his coat and fished something out. With shaking fingers, he extended a silver ring toward her. “I never gave you a wedding ring.”

Emily held her breath as she picked up a gorgeous silver ring with a depiction of two hands clasping a heart surmounted by a crown.

“It’s a traditional Irish Claddagh ring," he explained. “It signifies commitment between two people. The hands symbolize friendship, the crown symbolizes loyalty, and the heart..."

“Symbolizes love,” Emily finished for him. Twisting it in her hands, she noticed an inscription along the inside. “Mo tíogar,” she read aloud, and a huge smile spread across her face.

Gripping her hand tightly in his, Alec leaned his forehead against hers.

“Thank you,” Emily whispered.

He shook his head. “No, mo tíogar, thank you. I don’t know what I would be without you. I was going into a downward spiral. You saved me.”

Her smile gentled. “You saved me first.”

Alec took the ring from her hands and slipped it onto her left ring finger, a heart pointing toward her. Still holding her hand in his, he murmured, “With this ring, I thee wed. With my body, I thee worship. With all my worldly goods, I thee endow.” He swiped a lock of hair away from her face. “I promise to love you and keep you safe from the day I met you till the last beating of my heart.”

“From the day you met me?” She chuckled, although the tears burned at the back of her eyes.

“Exactly. I love you. And have loved you from the moment I laid my eyes on you. It just took me a while to figure it out.”

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you, too—Ah!”

She reared back, and he grabbed her by the arms, his eyes comically large.

“Is anything amiss?”

“No!” She clasped his hand and pressed it against her rounded belly. “Do you feel it?”

He stared at her for a silent moment, then she felt a small but distinct twitch in her belly again.

“Is that—?”

“It is!” Emily laughed, and Alec wrapped his arms around her before twirling her in glee.

“Our little one is finally saying hello.”