The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

What on Earth was he talking about?

I pulled my brows together in a frown. “What?”

“I want us to renew our vows.”

“What?”

“Renew is the wrong word,” he said quickly. “But I want to say them and mean them, Eva. They matter to me.”

I reached along the back of the sofa and curled my fingers into his. “If it really matters that much to you, then of course. How will we do it secretly?”

“I’m not sure. It would just be for us—maybe Alex and Adelaide could escape with us somewhere? Miles and Gabriella, too. A long weekend on the beach somewhere that isn’t the U.K.?”

“Kind of like a belated honeymoon and a babymoon all in one?”

“What the hell is a babymoon?”

“A trip before a baby comes.”

“Oh. Sure, that makes sense.”

“Preferably after I stop vomiting just because I moved my knee or something.”

“Most definitely a good idea,” he agreed. “We don’t have to go far, somewhere close enough that they could maybe fly in for a weekend because of Olympia, then we could always fly on to Greece for a real break after since we didn’t get that.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Can we look for that holiday home I can no longer claim in the divorce?”

“If you really want to.”

“I was kidding.”

“I wasn’t.” He half-grinned. “We can look.”

“It’s like you want me to cry,” I said, pressing my hand to my chest.

“Better than roses, huh?”

I laughed, leaning forwards, and he cupped the back of my neck, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “Better than roses.”

Matthew trailed his lips down the side of my face until he found my mouth, and I scooted across the sofa until my body was pressing against his. He slipped his hand down my thigh and scooped my legs over his before he cradled me against him.

“How do you feel?” he asked against my lips.

“I’m all right,” I murmured back, winding my fingers into his hair. “Why do you ask?”

“Because,” he whispered. “I’m going to take my wife upstairs to our bedroom and see how many times I can make you tell me you love me in less than an hour.”

“Less than an hour? You’ll have to try harder than that.”

He kissed me deeply, sending all kinds of wild feelings hurtling through my body that felt nothing but good, and my clit ached between my clenched thighs.

Maybe he wouldn’t need that long after all.

EPILOGUE

EVA

Four Years Later

“Matthew!” I shouted, watching Christopher expertly hold the single remaining bottle of milk over his head. “Your children are going to kill me!”

“Hang on, I’m coming,” he called from somewhere in the house.

This place was too large for three boys aged three and eighteen months.

“Zachary! Julian! James!” I clapped my hands together. “Sit down!”

Three living things in the kitchen sat down.

It was not my sons.

It was the dogs.

Jesus Christ, the four-month-old puppy was better behaved than my children.

“I’m he—what happened in here?” Matthew stopped in the doorway and looked around the mess of the kitchen.

“Your sons,” Christopher said wryly. “If it wasn’t clear.”

I scooped Julian up before he could remove a handful of kibble from Jack’s bowl and stared at Matthew. “This is carnage. Everyone is going to be here in the next thirty minutes and the kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it. The twins need a nap, Zachary needs some quiet time, and Christopher and I need to spike our tea with something strong.”

Christopher nodded slowly next to me. “I wholeheartedly agree with that.” He looked over at the three dogs.

The puppy was squatting.

“And someone needs to handle the puppy poop,” I finished.

“Not me!” Zachary ran over to Matthew and grabbed his leg. “I help you, Daddy!”

Matthew closed his eyes. “Why don’t you put the twins to bed, and I’ll sort out in here?”

“Absolutely not,” I said, walking over and handing him Julian. Who, for his part, gave him a massive grin as if he hadn’t just been trying to eat dog food. “You put the twins to bed, and I’ll pick up the dog poop.”

“Poopy poopy!” James giggled, pushing up to his feet in that wonky way toddlers did. “Daddy! Daddy!”

Christopher grimaced.

“Goodbye,” I said pointedly.

“Point taken,” Matthew said, right as there was a knock at the door.

If that was my sister, I was going to kill her.

“I’ll get the door,” Christopher said, bowing out.

“And I’ll sort these three out. I’ll see if Mum will help,” Matthew added.

“She’s out at lunch with the knitting club,” I replied. “So you’re on your own.”

“Got it.”

“And you’re not bribing them this time, either.”

“Bugger it,” he said under his breath, picking James up with his other arm so he had a toddler on each hip. “Come on, you three. Mummy needs a minute.”

Mummy needed several minutes, but still.

I had not been prepared for the buy one get one free offer my uterus had offered up a little over two years ago with the twins. Three boys were beyond my scope of sanity, and I really was so grateful that both Ffion and Eleanor still lived here. There was no way I’d have been able to continue with my art without them here to help us.