Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
He supposed he should thank the Fox for that. Maybe. But that would involve dealing with the bastard.
“What? No way! Oh my gosh, look at the tea set. It’s so pretty.”
Wonder filled her eyes. He only hoped that she liked the big surprise he had for her. But that one he was saving for their last night here.
The waitress bought them a tiered high tea party stand filled with cakes and small sandwiches.
So, this was a first for him. If the guys could see him now . . .
He shook his head in amusement. The cakes were so dainty, he was almost afraid to touch them. That went for the delicate china cups too.
“Daddy?” Sunny whispered. “Are you all right?”
She’d soon lost any worry over people staring at the way she was dressed. And there had been several Alice’s, White Rabbit’s and Mad Hatter’s at the exhibition.
“Me? Of course I am.”
“I know this probably isn’t your thing.”
Oh hell no. He wasn’t having that. Picking up his chair, he moved it around to her side of the table. “Look at me,” he commanded.
She raised her gaze to his. “We don’t have to stay—”
He placed his finger over her mouth. “You finish that sentence, baby girl and I’ll take you into the bathroom and smack your butt.”
Her eyes widened and he moved his finger. Just in case she was thinking about biting it.
“You can’t, Daddy!” she hissed.
“I can. Because there is no way we are leaving. We came here because I wanted you to have the best time of your life. And you are not going to give even a second of it up, not even for me.”
“But I’d do anything for you. All I want is for you to be happy.”
“And that’s all I want, baby girl. And since I’m the Daddy and bigger, I win.”
“You win?” she drawled.
“Uh-huh.”
“I don’t think that’s the way it works, Daddy.”
“Sure it does. If I win every argument, it will make life much easier.”
“For you!”
“Well, you wanted me to be happy, didn’t you?” he joked.
“Daddy!” she protested, but she was grinning.
Reaching out, he picked up one of the small sandwiches. “Open.”
He carefully fed her a bite of sandwich. When she finished chewing, she reached up to kiss him gently. “You really are the best Daddy in the world. And the best man. My man.”
“And you’re my little rebel. Now and always.”
3
It was their last night in London.
And she’d loved every second of it. As well as going to the Alice in Wonderland exhibition and the Mad Hatter’s tea party, they’d also been on a tour of Buckingham Palace, gone on the London Eye, as well as going on a day trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath.
Tonight, they were going out for dinner.
“Dress warm, little rebel,” Duke told her.
“Okay, Daddy.” She pulled on some pants and this jumper he’d bought her with a unicorn on the front. The horn was made of rhinestones, and she’d squealed with excitement when she’d seen it.
They headed into Hyde Park and she gasped as they walked up to where a dining table had been set up under a large tree. There were fairy lights strewn throughout the tree. Two covered dishes sat on the red and white checked tablecloth. Nearby, someone played the violin softly.
“Duke, did you do this?” she asked.
“I did.”
“It’s so romantic.”
“Good, that’s what I was going for.” He held out the chair for her, helping her sit. Then he placed a blanket over her lap.
Once he was seated, a waiter came out and removed the two domes covering the dishes, before disappearing silently.
“Beef Wellington. Yum. Daddy, this is amazing. You did this for me?”
“I wanted to make your last night in London special.”
“Well, you did a wonderful job. I’m never going to forget this holiday. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
“Glad you’ve enjoyed your holiday, baby girl. Now, eat up.”
She dug into the food with gusto. She couldn’t believe she’d been so worried about coming here. It all seemed so silly now. And while she missed Hatter, Sav had been sending them pictures and regular updates.
A sigh escaped her as she finished the food.
“Happy?” Duke asked.
“Better than happy. What’s a word for better than happy? Blissful? Yeah, I’m blissful.”
He grinned at her. “Good.”
The waiter cleared their dishes before returning with two more covered plates.
“I’ll do this one,” Duke told him.
The other man disappeared and Duke got to his feet. He looked surprisingly nervous. That wasn’t like him. Standing beside her, he drew up the dome. Inside was a chocolate brownie and on top of it someone had placed a white chocolate sunshine. Along the top of the plate, written in chocolate syrup were the words:
Will you marry me?
She gasped then glanced over at Duke who lifted the lid on his plate to reveal a jewelry box.
Son-of-a-peach. Was this really happening? Duke moved onto his knees next to her. She turned to face him as he held up the jewelry box.