Page 94 of 2 Books in One Bundle

She put her arms around his neck, arching into him. ‘We don’t have to have many children. Just one if that’s all you want.’

He tightened his hold on her, because she was where she’d always been meant to be. Where he’d always wanted her to be right from the first moment he saw her. Here in his arms. ‘We will have as many children as you want.’

‘And Christmas. I want a proper Christmas.’

‘Always. Every Christmas will be a proper one.’ Then, because he’d had enough of talking, he covered her mouth and kissed her hard and deep and long.

Orion had always thought love was pain, an agonising sacrifice. He’d never known that love could also be joy, a foundation of happiness on which to build a life.

And together they built that life,

And it was glorious.

EPILOGUE

CHRISTMASMORNINGATthe lodge was always chaos, but Isla didn’t mind.

She sat on the couch next to Orion, while their twins, Ava and Molly, squealed with delight as they opened their presents.

Orion had their new son in the crook of his arm, rocking him absently as he talked to Luke, who had joined them for Christmas this year.

It had taken Orion at least a few months to get in contact with Luke, but after Isla had fallen pregnant with the twins, Orion had finally taken that step and emailed him. Isla had been worried, desperately hoping that Luke would in fact want to get in contact and afraid that for all her confidence, he wouldn’t.

Yet she needn’t have worried. Luke was ecstatic to meet his father and the two had hit it off immediately, getting on like a house on fire. The relationship they’d built together over the past few years had healed the wound in Orion’s heart, as had the birth of his children.

It had healed Isla too.

David would never be a father to her, but after she’d returned from Iceland with Orion, she’d realised she didn’t want him to be. She had the acceptance and love she’d craved from her husband, and she didn’t need it from him or from the board of Kendricks’.

Certainly she didn’t need it after Orion bought Kendricks’ and Isla became CEO. Orion had decided he was done with corporate raiding and wanted to try growing a company instead of taking it apart, and so he’d become her CFO instead, the two of them deciding to channel much of Kendricks’ profits into charitable enterprises. Luke had even offered to design some special Christmas ornaments they could use as fundraising items.

Molly was kneeling in a sea of wrapping paper and demanding Luke’s help with building the plastic brick spaceship that he’d given her for Christmas, and when he got off the couch to help her, Isla glanced up at her husband. Only to find him looking back, his wolf-gold eyes gleaming.

‘You look happy, Snow White,’ he said, the special smile he saved just for her playing around his mouth.

‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.’

Orion’s smile deepened into something so hot it could have melted all the ice in Iceland. ‘That sounds like a challenge to me.’

Then he set about proving that, while she might be the happiest she’d ever been in that moment, there could be moments when she was even happier.

And as it turned out he was right.