“Of course a duke can date. A duke can do whatever he wants, remember? And as for the New Year’s resolutions, yes, we got them a bit jumbled, but why not embrace that fact and, I don’t know . . . marry me? Instead of dating me?” He winked. “Then you can one-up yourself—you can lose one husband and gain another.”

True to his word, and true to his tendency to guilelessly declare his feelings, Max asked her to marry him at least once a day. But at the same time, he kept arranging things so she would be more comfortable with reality as his wife. As a duchess.

Dani smiled and said, “Not yet.” She always made sure to say, “Not yet,” instead of no, because she would marry him one day. She just needed to . . . slow down a bit. To let herself grow into the idea of it.

He rolled his eyes. “Would you like some champagne with that refusal?”

“Why yes I would, thanks.”

The buzzer rang before he could pour. “That’ll be the food. I’ll get it.”

Back inside, Max stooped to plug in the lights on the little tree they’d gotten and turned off the overhead light. Whistling for Max Minimus, he stooped and fed him something from his hand.

“Did you order my dog a McMuffin?”

“I’m only giving him the sausage patty,” Max said defensively. He sat next to her and patted the space next to him on the other side. Max Minimus hopped right up, and Dani rolled her eyes. Max opened his McMuffin. “Mm. I think the real reason I like you so much is that you introduced me to these.”

She started to swat him, but he intercepted her hand and pressed it to his chest, which left her holding a glass of champagne in one hand and feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her other. They looked at each other, and a lump rose in her throat. His eyes did that blue-burning thing as a wave of emotion passed over them. After a moment, the look softened, and he smiled. He set down his sandwich and raised his glass without breaking eye contact with her. “Happy New Year, Dani.”

“Happy New Year, Max.”

Epilogue

When Dani Martinez woke up on December 11 the next year, she thought, It’s going to be a good day.

On the surface, it was like any other winter morning in Eldovia. She eased herself slowly out of bed so as not to wake either of the still-sleeping Maxes.

She did not succeed when it came to Max Maximus, who opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her. He didn’t move, though, as he knew how important her coffee was to her—and he knew that if he dozed and kept the dog asleep, he’d be rewarded in a few minutes with a cup of his own, delivered to him in bed.