Gretchen placed Elizabeth on the ground beside her and placed both her fists on her hips, staring at him with what he assumed was a disapproving look in her eyes.

With a sigh, Ethan gave in to her demands, turning to make his way out of his bedroom, through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front door. He strolled toward Gretchen who looked simply breathtaking in her orange dress with her hair pulled to the back of her head in a lazy bun. Sighting him, she picked Elizabeth off of the ground and began racing toward him.

Slightly taken aback by her lack of grace and poise, he paused in his tracks and watched as she covered the distance between them quickly, flinging herself into his arms. He fought to maintain his footing, wrapping his arms around her waist in an attempt to hold her steady as she planted a kiss on his cheek. She pulled away suddenly and dumped a giggling Elizabeth in his arms.

It had only been two days since he confessed his feelings to Gretchen, but his entire household already knew of his new relationship simply due to Gretchen's neglect of discretion. While he was completely in love with this indiscreet red head, he wasn't certain of the proper way to respond to her public show of affection, having been groomed to act like a gentleman his entire life.

“Hello, Ethan.” Gretchen squealed, a lovely smile spreading across her face.

“Miss Riverside, ” he nodded once, trying to keep his mind off of his household staff who roamed the environment around them, most likely staring at them. “Hello, Elizabeth.” He smiled at Elizabeth who happily slapped her chubby hands on his cheeks. “You are simply growing to be one strong baby.”

“Tell me about it!” Gretchen laughed before retrieving Elizabeth from his hands. “Would you like to take a walk with us, Ethan?” She beamed.

He shook his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He preferred spending time alone with Gretchen, without the prying eyes of his servants following their every move and while it was an odd feeling, he couldn't help but feel like so much display of affection before his servants would strip him of their respect for him.

“I would like to spend some time alone with you, Miss Riverside, without a baby battling for your attention as well. No offense, Elizabeth.” He offered Elizabeth a smile.

“Very well, then.” Gretchen returned his smile. “We could take a walk tonight, after dinner.”

He had never heard of walks at night. His plan was to spend a little time with Gretchen, seated by the fireplace, perhaps seeping on a cup of tea, alone in a confined space. But he didn't argue with her, instead, he nodded his head in response. And to his utter horror and discomfort, Gretchen leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips, right before the very glaring presence of his servants.

**