A year later…

James could not believe that it had been a year since he got married to Lady Charlotte Ainsworth. Time had gone by so fast, which had to be because he was so happy, every single day was a blessing and that made time whiz by. There were times when he wished that he could pause for just a moment, so he could really savor each and every second, but as long as he got to be happy, he would take it.

“She really is lovely,” Lucas cooed as he leaned over to take a closer look into the baby basket. “You must be so pleased to have such a cute child. What a bonny baby.”

“Well, she resembles her mother,” James laughed. “So of course she is lovely.”

“And what did you say her name was again?”

“Rose,” James replied proudly. “After my mother’s love of roses. A way to keep her in my heart and in our lives forever.”

Every time James thought about his daughter’s name, he grew happier by the moment. It was terribly unfortunate that his mother was not around to get to meet his child, but this allowed James to feel like she knew her granddaughter, and loved her too. It was not exactly the same as having her around, and seeing Rose in her arms like they got to do with Lucille, but it was close enough. And Rose got more than enough love from Lucille to make up for anyone missing.

“Can you believe how well everything worked out for you?” Lucas laughed. “All from your father’s will. Something that was designed to make your life difficult…”

“I am sure that my father would have hesitated to put anything like that in the will if he knew that I would end up this happy. He must be so annoyed if there truly is an afterlife and he is watching me from wherever he is.”

There was a time where this idea would have hurt James, but not anymore. Instead of being upset by the way that his father treated him, he decided to use that as a life lesson. It was pointless to be bothered by the way he was treated, instead he simply knew that this was not how he would treat his own child. Or children, if he and Charlotte wanted to have more once Rose was a little bit older. He was going to be loving and kind, he was going to listen to what his children wanted out of life, and treat them as human beings.

James had learned the hard way that causing children pain only created an agony that could last a lifetime. That was not what he wanted to do. It was the same thing that could have happened to Isabel if Lucille did not get rid of George when she did. Isabel was already becoming a much stronger, happier young lady which was lovely to see.

James was safe in the knowledge that Charlotte felt exactly the same way as him. She wanted to raise their children surrounded by warmth and love as well. They truly were perfect for one another. Since she had started showing him warmth and love, he had blossomed as well. James never thought that he would be lucky enough to find someone that loved him. He did not even think to try, but now that he had love in his life he was in heaven.

“Well, it looks like Rose is sleeping well now,” Lucas commented. “Shall we join the ladies down the stairs so they do not worry that we are never returning.”

James hated being pulled away from his daughter, but if it was to see his wife, then he could just about manage it. A few months back, he had surprised his wife with a dinner party for them and their friends; she had decided to do the same thing for their anniversary. She had invited all their friends and family around to spend time with them.

“Yes, dinner might be ready soon,” James agreed. “We should not be late. Tell me how things are with your son. He must be getting bigger all the time…”

This was the one subject that Lucas could not stop talking about. His son was a little older than Rose, and always a good indicator for what was to come.

“Oh, he is doing rather well. Sophia still cannot bear to tug herself away from him, but the nanny takes such good care of him, he will be just fine…”

James listened to his friend as much as he could, but since it was his wedding anniversary he was feeling a little distracted and strange. He could not focus on anything because his mind kept taking him back in time as he considered everything that he had been through with his wife. The way the last year had treated him.

After the horrible incident with Richard, where James finally learned the truth about what happened to him a decade ago, James had finally started to forgive himself and become a much better person. He had opened up his heart and started to let people in more. He still did not like to spend a lot of his time socializing with the ton, but he was not completely averse to the idea anymore. He was happy to spend time with anyone that Charlotte wished him too.

She had blossomed as well, finally learning to trust herself and her instincts. It was wonderful to see Charlotte bloom into the person that she was clearly always meant to be. A woman that she never would have been had she been forced to marry Richard. The man who thankfully was nowhere near close to seeing the light of day again.

There she is.

Happiness flowed through James’s veins as soon as he spotted her, standing across the room from him, laughing as she shared a joke with Isabel and Elizabeth. Seeing her face light up as it did made James’s heart sing, he was truly happy to just look at her.

Charlotte seemed to sense his eyes upon her, and she glanced across to meet his gaze. James always loved the way that they could say a million and one things to one another without actually speaking a word. Over the last year they had become so accustomed to one another that they simply knew what one another was feeling, simply by looking at each other.

Right now, she was joyful, full of celebration, and filled with love for him.

“I love you,” James mouthed across the room, certain that Charlotte would know what he was saying. But she did not seem to do so. She furrowed her eyebrows with confusion and made her excuses to her sister, and headed across the room to speak directly to him.

“I said I love you,” James chuckled as she laced her fingers through his and took his hand. He followed her as she led him out into the hallway. “Did you not see me?”

“Oh, I saw you,” Charlotte reassured him. “I just needed an excuse to get you on your own for a moment, so I can tell you that I love you too.”

Before he could say anything in response, Charlotte rose up on to her tip toes and she brushed her lips ever so lightly against his, kissing him sweetly. As always, when they kissed, James was blown away by just how much love he could feel from her. It was as if Charlotte could not help herself, she could not hold back, she needed him to know just how she felt.

But James knew. He always knew, and it felt wonderful to be washed away by her love. They could never be certain what the future held for them, it was always a bit of a mystery, but it did not matter. James knew for certain that he could handle whatever life threw his way as long as he had his beautiful family with him. They had already suffered through some very difficult times and they had recovered just fine. It had actually made their marriage a lot stronger, so he was sure that he could tackle anything as long as he had Charlotte with him.

“Never let me go,” she murmured as she pulled apart from him, just a little. He rested his forehead on hers and stared lovingly into her eyes, savoring this one little moment while he could. “I want to be with you forever, James.”

“Oh, you will be,” he reassured her as he stroked the back of her hair. “I am never going anywhere. Not without you and Rose. You two are my life, and that will never change.”

The End