Page 74 of Without Pride and Prejudice

“Fitz.” I brushed my fingers over his warm, inviting lips, thinking of what he had just done for me and how he had always been there for me, even from the start. “You know, I’m still going to want to fix things.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Maybe we could wear matching bonnets out in public sometime,” I teased.

“No, darling.” He brushed my lips ever so lightly, but I felt the emotions of it all the way to my toes.

“That’s okay—I prefer you without one anyway. I love you, Fitz.” I pressed my lips to his, never feeling more connected to another human in all my life. It was as if a bubble of intimacy closed around us, shutting out every sound except for the beat of our hearts. We explored the contours of each other’s lips, making me ache for more. I parted my lips, inviting just that—more of him. Of us. Fitz seized the opportunity and deepened the kiss, his fingers knotting more securely in my hair as we explored this newfound aspect of our relationship. So much love and desire and a profound sense of belonging and rightness encompassed us.

When the kiss ended after minutes of pure bliss, we found ourselves lying face-to-face, wrapped up in each other and gazing into each other’s eyes in amazement.

“Is that how youspeak duke?” I whispered. If that was the case, maybe being a duchess wouldn’t be all that bad.

He nipped my bottom lip, swollen from kissing, with his teeth. “That was just a taste.”

Whoa. A shiver ran through me, and I curled myself more into him. “I can’t wait to see what else you have in store.”

“Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked anxiously. “I am sorry, Monroe.”

“I know, and of course I forgive you. Now, let’s get back to our nonverbal communication.” I decided the best love stories were the unspoken ones.

“There was too much to be thought, and felt, and said, for attention to any other objects.”

FITZ

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THE HOSPITAL let you do this.” Monroe snuggled close to me on the bed Thursday afternoon. She’d had more tests run most of the morning, so I’d hardly seen her. Monroe’s father, Foster, had helped me set up this little surprise for her before he left to meet some old colleagues he’d worked with back when he and Monroe had lived in the UK. I would be forever grateful he’d taken the job here. Because of that, my life had been infinitely better.

“There are some perks to being me.” I clicked play on the remote I held, and a large screen came to life. Frankie Valli’s voice filled the room.

“Grease!” Monroe squealed. “I love you so much.” She kissed my cheek. HerI love yous had taken on a different meaning now. Everything had—even sleeping. To hold Monroe all night in my arms, knowing that she would still be there in the morning, was the most incredible feeling.

I wrapped my arms around her, letting my fingers glide down her silky arm. “Did the doctor give you any more results today?”

“The CAT scan was clear, and I’ve passed all the cognitive tests so far. But ...,” she hesitated to say, “Dr. Taylor thinksI should talk to a therapist, which I’m not against. He’s just worried I have some trauma I need to work through.”

I cleared my throat, feeling like the world’s biggest prat. “The trauma I caused?”

She snuggled closer to me. “Honestly, some of it must be from watching my mother die without being able to save her, and then wanting to make sure nothing bad happens to the people around me as a result. But I think it was more believing I needed to be someone I wasn’t. I know it sounds crazy, but that dream made me realize I don’t need to be an Elizabeth or even want to be one, even though I was pretty good at it.” She laughed.

I kissed her head, knowing how deeply her mother’s death had impacted her and how much my words had hurt her. “Monroe, I’m sorry I made you feel that I wanted you to be someone you weren’t. That was never my intention. Kingston made me see that it wasn’t my protection you needed, but my acceptance. You’ve always had that. I just lost my head for a moment. I wanted to eliminate any barriers to crossing the friendship line with you, knowing that it would be complicated, but I went about it poorly. I was just desperate for us to be together. The thought of you falling in love again with another man gutted me—I couldn’t have that.”

“Tony.” She shuddered. “We’ll talk about him in a minute. Kingston told me what you found out about him. But first, we should acknowledge that being together probably will be complicated. I mean, your mum hates me, and you might become a social pariah because of me. And let’s not forget we live in separate countries.”

“Fixing the last one is easy. I’ll move to the States if you’d like.”

“You can’t do that. How can you leave Oxford? And you’d have to renounce your title, which I know you’re willing to do.”

Leaving Oxford would be difficult, but I would do it for Monroe. “I take it Kingston talked to you about renouncing my title,” I grumbled.

“Yes,” she giggled. “I love that you would consider that, but I also know, despite the life you’ve made for yourself outside of your title, it’s still part of you and your history. I would never ask you to give it up. Besides, how could I brag that my best friend is a duke if you disclaim?” she teased.

“I’d prefer if you called me your lover now.” I was not teasing.

“Okay, lover boy,” she laughed. “But seriously, are you really ready for what’s coming our way?”

“Monroe.” I tilted her chin with the crook of my finger until our gazes locked. “I believe we can face anything together. We always have.” After thinking I’d lost her, my perspective about what was difficult had shifted dramatically.

“That’s true.” She contemplated for a moment. “Well, I could teach piano and voice lessons here. I could even do sessions via Zoom for my current students.”

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