A Film Star, A Baby, And A Proposal (6 page)

Later
on their way home Alexander slowly drove the Range Rover through the crunch of a hard frost.

H
e turned to her. "You mentioned the dream about Matt to cheer-up Bronte, didn't you?"

Rosie rested her head on his shoulder and he rubbed his chin over dark glossy cu
rls. Inhaling the scent of a spring meadow, shampoo and his woman.

"
Nico's clucking over her like a mother hen, but she's not herself. She's too pale and tired," Rosie said.

He kissed the top of her head
before paying attention to his driving as the Rover swung into the sweeping driveway in front of their home, a sprawling barn conversion. They'd left low lights on throughout the house and grounds. With frost glistening on the sculpted lawns and twinkling on the red tiled roof, the place looked fabulous. Through vast windows the huge fir tree she'd set her heart on filled the entrance space beside a curved oak staircase that rose to the first floor.

He turned the car into
the entrance of the attached triple garage, pressed a button and an automatic garage door rose. Coasting into the building, the lights came on as the garage door closed behind them.

Ro
sie made to get out but worry for Bronte had him place his hand on her arm. "I know what you mean, she looked too fragile tonight."

Big
brown eyes filled with anxiety stared into his. "Make sure our phones are juiced up and switched on."

He nodded
and then gave her a sly little smile. "You know that thing you do with the oil and..."

Her eyes went wide
. "Race you!" And she was out of the car, through the door and into the house.

Grinning
Alexander made sure the garage was secure before he followed her at a more sedate pace. There was no rush. By the time he was finished with his wife tonight the only man featuring in her dreams would be him.

Strolling through the boot room
to hang up his duck down jacket, Alexander entered their spacious kitchen and smelled Christmas, candle wax, and Rosie.

She
'd cooked enough food for the festive season to feed a small army. Today she'd been experimenting with a cranberry cheesecake to take to The Dower House on Christmas day. On a granite topped island unit her chef's cap of white cotton lay abandoned. He picked it up, held it to his nose to inhale the scent of shampoo and the woman he loved more than life. They'd been married for five months. And Alexander could safely say they'd been the happiest months of his life. Rosie was a force of nature. Life with her could never be called boring. And how freaking amazing was that?

H
e passed a serving table with a white platter filled with fresh oranges spiked with cloves. Pausing to toss a couple of logs into the wood burner, he opened the door of the wine cooler grabbed two slim glasses and a bottle of bubbly. Turning off the lights he made his way slowly up an oak staircase carved by a master craftsman.

All was quiet.

Entering their bedroom suite he found a smaller log burner flickering merrily away. A fat clear vase held a lit church candle.

With candlelight dancing across her black curls Rosie was sitting on the edge of the
ir huge bed with one bare foot tucked under her bottom.

She'd lost the leggings but still wore
the sweater and was staring unseeing into space.

The little crease on her smooth forehead made him wonder
what she was thinking. Living with her had taught him that contrary to her bubbly exterior there were times when Rosie Ludlow was a very deep thinker. And the way her mind worked never ceased to endlessly fascinate him. Watching her carefully, she was so still, Alexander placed the bottle and glasses on the dresser. He toed off his shoes, socks. Tugging the sweater over his head, he saw her recite the fingers on her right hand while her mouth silently counted down.

"
What's up?" he asked, tired of wondering. One of the many things he adored about his wife was the way her fabulous eyes revealed every emotion. Now those big brown eyes went dark. When they filled with unshed tears alarm tickled his gut.

"
Hey." He sat on the edge of the bed, drew her onto his knees.

But she pulled free to stand right in front of him.

Her hands rose to fist in her hair and she pulled hard before her hands went to her mouth and her fingertips pressed her lips.

She took a deep breath
.

"
Right. I need you to just sit there for a minute until I do something."

Racking his brain and coming up empty
, Alexander wondered what he'd done to upset her but nothing dinged.

"
Okay," he said.

Then she moved into him, cuppe
d his face between her hands to gaze deep into his eyes. She squeezed so his mouth was pouting and she gave him a kiss so gentle and so tender his heart gave a little shiver. "I love you so much. Promise me you'll just sit there and wait for me?"

Baffled,
but willing to play along, he nodded. "Can I open the wine?"

Now her head turned to study the bottle, the glasses
, and her smooth brow creased again as white teeth worried her top lip. "Sure."

Disappearing
into their bathroom she closed the door and locked it. He frowned. They never locked the bathroom door. The sound of the tap running made him marvel at what she was up to this time.

Deciding he migh
t as well make himself useful Alexander tore the foil off the champagne wondering if his planned night of wild sex was about to take a nose dive.

The
cork came out with a happy pop.

He
poured two glasses.

Stripp
ing down to his boxers he considered wearing a T-shirt. Their bedroom was warm so he decided against it, one less thing to take off. So he sat on top of the duvet with his back against the headboard and settled down to wait.

More noise from the bathroom, the toilet flushed and more tap running.

Then nothing.

Sipping his wine Alexander
decided to just chill and see what she had planned for him this evening. He hoped it was something kinky and naughty. Rosie loved being naughty. His love muscle was locked and loaded.

T
he sound of the lock being turned and the door opening had him turn his head to give her big eyes.

Heart thundering in her chest, in her ears, Rosie stepped into her bedroom with a little stick clutched in her hand.

Alexander's brows rose.

And she read a slight bewilderment in those green eyes.

Who could blame him.

There they were all ready for a night of hot and steamy when she
'd realised something key was missing or late. She was never late. Her body was a well oiled machine. They'd done absolutely nothing to prevent pregnancy so why was she in a state of shock?

In her mind she
'd dimly thought about giving it a year and if nothing happened then she'd go and see her doctor.

With her eyes
dead on his, she climbed onto their bed and knelt at his side.

She held out the little stick wrapped in toilet paper.

His eyes dropped to the item in her hand and back to her face.

"
What is it?" asked Mr. Clueless.

How could a man reach the age of thirty-four and never seen a
pregnancy test? Rosie wondered.

Then she realised that
actually this was a very good thing.

"
Pregnancy test," she whispered.

He went
utterly still before placing his wine glass very carefully on the bedside table.

She saw him take a deep breath.

"What does it say," he asked squinting at the little window with the happy face.

"
It says congratulations," she said and sat back on her heels and burst into tears.

Alexander
didn't know what to do.

Never in life had he felt so happy and so scared to death at
exactly the same time.

Except when Rosie had left him
. And for a whole week he'd lived through every single circle of hell.

Now his eyes took in the crumpled face, the tears, the big heaving
sobs.

Were those happy tea
rs or unhappy tears?

They
'd talked about children, of course they had. But it had been vague, something to consider sometime in the dim and distant future. They were both busy with their careers and happy to play adoring aunt and uncle to Sophia and Luca. And Rosie hadn't mentioned having a baby right at this very minute, had she?

The sobs were racking her body
and fucking killing him.

Alexander did the manly thing and held her tight as she turned into his body and broke her heart. Christ, what wa
s he going to do? He rocked her back and forth all the while making shushing noises.

E
ventually, she calmed.

He
cupped her chin, tipping back her head to gaze into those drenched dark eyes.

And what he saw was shock and fear.

"What's with the tears?"

Her eyes were absolutely
serious as she gave a miserable little sniff. "I'll be a terrible mother."

Stunned
, he simply stared at her before his mouth twitched.

God, was there ever a woman like her?

Shaking his head he said, "Nope. You'll be an amazing mother."

Big brown eyes stared deep into his.

"How can you say that?"

He kissed her and she kissed him back and he
tasted the fear, the shock and awe. And underneath he tasted the thrill of it all and knew right then that everything was going to be just fine.

His brow rested on hers.

"Because you are incredible with Sophia and Luca and with Daisy Boo. Babies and dogs adore you."

Now those
dark eyes searched his.

"D
o you think it's too soon?" she whispered.

He shook his head.

"Nope. Can I just say that you've made me even happier. And I didn't think that was even possible until now. I love you. You make my life complete. If I have a regret it is that my parents didn't live to see the life and family we're going to build together."

Now her eyes filled again, Rosie had loved
his parents and the feeling had been mutual.

His own eyes stung
and her arms wound around him.

"
I know there are times Bronte finds it hard." Rosie said and hugged him harder. "She misses them so much."

They cuddled and then she went stiff in his arms, pushed off him and sat.

Her eyes went huge. "Oh. My. God."

"
What?"

"
My mother."

Alexander couldn
't help but laugh.

Rosie
's mother was going to go absolutely crazy with joy. Hadn't she already been dropping hints about them,
"Getting on with it"
.

He slipped a wine glass into her hand, picked up his own and clinked their glasses.

"To us."

She took a tiny sip and placed it on her bedside table.
"I can't have more of that. It's not good for the baby."

Then her eyes filled again before she gave a whoop and threw herself on him to straddle his lean hips.

"Alexander Simon Ludlow, you're gonna be a daddy! Who's a clever boy?"

Alexander managed not to wince as she bounced on his love musc
le.

He
slid his glass onto the table before his mouth found hers.

His
hands swept under her sweater to find her body warm and willing, her skin so soft and smooth. Whipping her sweater over her head, he made short work of the scrap of silk that was her bra. And when his fingers slid between her legs and under lacy panties to find her very wet, her gasp into his mouth made him groan with need.

"
Let me show you how I did it," he suggested.

W
ith a shriek of laughter she was on her back, dark eyes gazing into his and filled with so much love and tremendous happiness that his fingers shook as he tenderly tucked a curl behind her ear. Her skin was exquisitely fragile. Alabaster against those inky curls, the perfect brows and those turbo-charged lashes that fanned her beautiful eyes. And her bottom lip trembled with the force of her emotions as she took a breath.

Alexander
took his time to savour the moment to gently run his hand down her curvy but tight little body. Her skin smelled of her favourite honey scented soap, that light floral perfume she wore and aroused female. Her breast was still tiny in the palm of his hand. He'd heard a woman's breasts and especially her nipples became over-sensitive when she was with child. So he took his time to explore a hard little bud, took a lick, a taste. She shuddered beautifully so he did it again. The palm of his hand stayed gentle as he stroked down to settle on her tummy, just below her belly button. And it hit him right then that his child's heart was beating frantically under his hand. With a tenderness that made his wife cry a sob of joy he bent to press his lips very gently to the spot.