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She lifted her face. “Hmm?”
“I like it.”
A smile tugged at her mouth.
“I started this month as a Delgado, escaped El Salvador as a Duarte, found out I’m a Dravik, and now you’re trying to make me a Byrnes. My passport is going to need footnotes.”
I laughed and pulled her closer. “Byrnes is the last one.”
Her smile softened before she tucked her cheek against my chest again.
I stroked my hand down her wet back.
“I want a house full of babies with you someday.”
Her head came up so quickly I nearly laughed again.
“Slow down, Irishman.”
“I said someday, Mouse. Doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it.”
“How full is this house?”
“Full enough to be noisy.”
“That is not a number.”
“I’m deliberately avoiding numbers.”
“Smart.”
I kissed her forehead. “Kids underfoot. Someone always yelling from another room. You trying to cook while they steal whatever you’ve made before it reaches the table.”
She looked suspiciously pleased by the picture despite the skepticism she was trying to maintain.
“You’ve already populated our future.”
“I plan ahead.”
“You proposed to me after knowing me less than a month.”
“And you said yes.”
“That may say more about my judgment than your planning.”
“Aye, but I’m the one who benefits.”
She laughed softly and wrapped her arms around me.
I shut off the water before either of us found another reason to stay there.
By the time we returned to the bedroom, the candles had burned low. I pulled back the covers, and Isabella climbed in beside me without hesitation.
She settled partly over my chest, one leg sliding across mine as though she’d been sleeping there for years instead of weeks.
Her left hand rested over my heart.
The diamond caught a faint flicker of candlelight when her fingers shifted.
