Page 110 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
“I don’t just want you both,” he said softly.
His mouth suddenly felt dry. He had to say this to her, even if his pride begged him not to. It would open him up to being hurt again. But perhaps Edith was worth the risk.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Edith looked stunned by his words.
He grimaced. He should have expected her reaction.
“I love you. I love Tilly. I cannot pretend that I don’t. I should never have denied that. I honestly believed that I was protecting you both. I thought if I pushed you away, I would spare youthe hurt that came with my presence in your lives. I didn’t understand that my absence would hurt far more.”
“Protecting us?” Edith echoed, her voice rising.
“In the end, the only thing I protected was my pride. I am a foolish man who does not deserve you. I never have. If I had known the hurt those words would cause you, I would have never uttered them.”
She held his gaze and nodded slowly, but her expression didn’t soften.
“Words are not enough, Laurence,” she declared. “Tilly and I need more than platitudes.”
“I know,” he said.
Before she could respond, he dropped to one knee in front of her.
“Laurence?”
“I’ll prove myself,” he vowed, his eyes determined. “I’ll do anything. Anything you ask. I’ll make amends with Tilly, I’ll host any charity event you want, I’ll fund every orphanage in London if you ask me to. I’ll do that and anything else that will restore your trust in me. Edith, I am not asking you to love me. Just… please… come home.”
Edith watched, her eyes wide with shock. She opened and closed her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out for several seconds.
“Do you know what you’re asking for?”
“I am looking for a life with you both,” he stated firmly. “The noise, the laughter, the chaos, the lemon drops, waking up with you, hearing Tilly calling me Papa. I want—no, Ineedit. I need you both more than I ever thought possible.”
Edith nodded slowly, looking away for a second.
He could see her considering his words. For a second, he caught a frown. His heart stalled at the thought that she might actually refuse his offer. But then, her face softened, and she looked back at him.
“You must mean every word of that,” she said softly. “I won’t forgive you if you hurt Tilly again.”
Laurence nodded. He slowly stood up again and reached for her hand. She unfolded her arms and placed one hand in his. He rubbed his thumb gently over the back of her hand, enjoying the feel of her skin against his.
“I promise,” he whispered, looking into her eyes. “I will work every day, for the rest of my life, to be a good husband and father. I will be the man my girls deserve.”
Edith chuckled softly as happy tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “My foolish Duke.”
Laurence smiled and gently cupped her cheek. “My patient Duchess.”
She smiled and hugged him tightly, and he squeezed her back.
It wasn’t until now that he realized just how much he’d missed how her body fit against his. How she smelled. Even how she breathed in his arms. She looked up at him, and he cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away her tears.
“I am not expecting you to forgive me quickly,” he whispered.
“I know.”
“I do not want you to think I am rushing you,” he added.
“You worry too much.”
