He smiled gently as he tucked a hair behind her ear. Her hair must look a mess. She hadn’t taken it down, so it was likely in a complete state of disarray due to their activities.

“I promise your money will remain your money. I won’t try to control anything you do or anything that our daughters, should we have any, want to do. I’ll make provisions to ensure you will always have control.”

He was educated in the law, so she believed him. “Daughters? I don’t know that I even want to be a mother.” Loving him was hard enough because she was afraid. There was so much to lose—and to protect—with children. “You can’t want to marry me hearing that.”

“That doesn’t change my mind one bit. I love you, and with Ash, I’d say we have a nice little family right here.”

Emotion overwhelmed her, and a tear tracked from her eye. She quickly wiped it away. “I need to think about it. Marriage, I mean.” Did that mean she would consider it? She had to if she wanted to live with him—and with Ash. She realized they were a family.

He took her in his arms. “Take all the time you need, my love. I will be here waiting, and I will never lose hope.”

Chapter 20

Gregory hadn’t realized just how vulnerable Evie really was. She was so confident and strong, but didn’t everyone fear something? He supposed for him it was fear he’d disappoint his parents. Evie’s worries were so much more important—or so it seemed to him.

She’d dozed in his arms and now, as he watched her sleep snuggled with Ash, he felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility. He wanted to do right by her, to be the man she not only needed, but the man she wanted.

Rising from the bed, he pulled on his breeches and stockings and went to stoke the fire. What if she couldn’t agree to marriage? Was he prepared to continue as they were? That wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted this—her in his bed, with their dog folded into her side.

He turned back to the bed and saw her moving. She sat up. “Where did you go?”

“Just tending the fire,” he said, returning to the bed.

She pushed her hair, half of which was tumbling from its pins, back from her forehead. “What would we do after we wed?”

Gregory could think of any number of things, several of which they had already done. “I’m guessing you aren’t speaking of bedchamber activities.”