Christmas Eve.
Three weeks later
“What are you doing out here in the cold?”
Janina turned to smile warmly at Kieran as he repeated his question from that night at the beginning of December.
A night very similar to this one, and when she was once again standing outside on the terrace of the Brunellis’ home.
Not because she still felt out of place here.
No, Janina had no doubt of exactly where she belonged now, and it was wherever Kieran was.
Nor, as she glanced through the window at the festivities taking place inside the Brunellis’ sitting room, did she feel an ounce of yearning for what the other couple had.
Because she had everything she needed right here.
Most of all Kieran, the man who loved her and whom she loved in return.
Her sister, Marisha, and her husband, Jericho, Kieran’s brother, were back from their honeymoon and happier than ever.
Their father stood talking to Leon, having made the journey from Moscow several days ago so that he could spend Christmas with his daughters and their “family.”
Carla was chatting animatedly with Natalia and Killian. The couple expected their first child to be born very soon.
Standing next to them were Liam and Paul.
Marco, as usual, was in the Paul’s arms, the two having openly adored each other from the moment they first met.
Janina had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before Liam and Paul made their relationship official and went about having a baby of their own. She couldn’t have been happier for them both.
Then why, in the midst of all this love and happiness, had she once again sought the solitude of the Brunellis’ terrace?
Probably because the past three weeks had been like an emotional roller coaster, full of the ups and downs of both euphoria and sadness, and this was the first chance she’d had to really be alone with her thoughts.
She was slowly coming to terms with Zoe’s pretense of friendship. Although, she doubted she would ever forget how casually Zoe had spoken of killing her.
The memory would fade with time, Kieran assured her on those nights when it bothered her the most. Nights when they then made love before tightly holding on to each other until morning, happy at just being alive and together.
“Here.” Kieran now placed his jacket about her shoulders.
Janina’s eyes widened as he lowered to one knee in front of her, uncaring of the snow covering the tiles of the terrace, an open ring box in one of his hands, containing a solitaire diamond gleaming on a narrow white-gold band.
He reached to take one of her hands in his. “Janina Sokolova, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
“Kieran…?” she breathed in wonder.
“I wanted to ask you sooner, but then I thought, as your father was coming here for Christmas, that I should do it right and wait until after I’d spoken to him,” he explained.
“He would have liked that.” She glanced inside the house to see her father was now holding Marco, and Liam and Paul were laughing together as they danced around the room to the Christmas music playing in the background.
The look of yearning on her father’s face told her that he was looking forward to holding his own grandchildren in his arms one day.
No more than Janina was looking forward to carrying Kieran’s babies inside her and then the years of the two of them doting on each other and their children.
“I could have proposed on your birthday tomorrow,” Kieran added. “But I have other presents to give you then. For both your birthday and Christmas.”
“You’re spoiling me.”
“Always,” he promised.
Janina dropped onto her own jean-clad knees into the snow. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Kieran Price,” she accepted as she flung herself into his arms. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Joy and love glistened in Kieran’s eyes as he pulled back only long enough to place the solitaire diamond on her finger before their lips met in a promise for a long and happy future.
Together.