Page 77 of Mail-Order Duchess
“God planted the love in my heart I feared I wouldn’t have. And you showed me how to cherish someone when logic says it’s not possible.” She brushed her fingers over the stubble on his jaw. “With you doing this with me, I can’t wait to see our babe. To learn how to be a good mother.”
"Mandie." He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. "You're going to be an extraordinary mother. I've seen how you care for others—how you've brought light and warmth to this house, how you've made Mrs. Wang smile more in the past months than I've seen in years."
She leaned into his touch, and she let her eyes close as she drew strength from his words. From his certainty. This man was such a gift.
"And as for the circumstances..." He paused, and she opened her eyes to meet his gaze. "That man gave us nothing but pain. But God—God gave us this child. This precious life growing inside you is a gift, Mandie. A blessing who will be raised with our love, not with what came before."
His words settled deep in her heart, filling the last hollow spaces where fear had lingered. She reached up to cover his hands with hers, holding them against her face as she absorbed the love in his voice.
How completely this man had claimed not just her heart, but their child's future as well.
A future that would be blessed indeed.
