Empire of Dirt, page 12
part #3 of The da Silva Heirs Series
“If I hated you, I wouldn’t be building this house for you.”
Gasping, Marcy had to lean on the wall for support. “You? This is all you?”
“Yes. Of course.”
She could tell that he didn’t want to keep his hands off her a moment longer, and nodded. His hands flew to the rounded bump that she’d stopped trying to hide from everyone.
“Mine?” His eyes were wide and full of wonder.
“Yours.”
A moment later his arms were around her and his mouth slanted over hers in a possessive kiss that left Duarte making a quick beeline for the stairs.
“Wait, Dad,” Marcy called. “Hold on a minute. We need to talk about the house, and the nursery.”
“Do you think you’d like that nursery there?” Tate’s fingers danced over the taut skin below her shirt.
There was a hunger in his eyes, and Marcy felt the same. She had to get all of the truth out now, before they started tearing each other’s clothes off.
“I think that I would,” she said. “But there’s one problem.”
“What’s that? I’ll fix it. I can talk to the architect right now—“
Marcy put a finger over his lips. “I just want to be sure that the nursery was built for two.”
“What?!” Duarte yelled from down the hall.
Tate gasped. “Twins?”
Marcy nodded and smiled. “Twins.”
Epilogue
…One Year Later
“Where are you going, Wills?”
Tate pulled the crawling baby back to him. And immediately the little boy tried to get away again.
“Apsen Marie, you need to talk to your twin. He needs to be less enthusiastic about this crawling thing. You’re not moving yet, and he needs to chill out.”
The little girl, lying on her blanket for tummy time, cooed at her father and yanked her hair clip out again.
“Crikey, you two.”
Tate grabbed William and placed him on his lap while trying to get the hair clip out of Aspen’s mouth.
“Trouble, love?”
Tate looked up and found his wife standing in the door of the kitchen, wiping her hands and looking incredible.
“They’re wiggly.”
“They’re babies.”
Tate grunted, and finally got the clip from his daughter’s mouth. He was about to ask Marcy for help when the doorbell rang. Exchanging a look with each other, Marcy grabbed Aspen and put her in the Pack ’n Play on her way to the door.
Tate let out a sigh of relief. Twins. Double trouble. He placed William in the playpen with his sister and went to stand in the door where he could see his wife and his children at the same time.
A tall, handsome older man stood in the frame, with his hat literally in hand.
Marcy looked shocked. “Your Highness?”
Tate’s eyebrows shot up.
“Hello, Marcia.”
Words stuck in her throat for a moment, but she moved away from the door and motioned him. “Please, come in, Your Highness. It’s an honor.”
He held up a hand as he stepped into the foyer. “No, my dear. No titles. We are so very far from there. I know I am here unexpectedly, but forgive me. I heard…”
The grin on her face was clear as she caught Tate’s gaze. “Yes, sir. Twins. Two beautiful children, and a delightful husband.”
The older man seemed to relax. “I am so glad to hear that, my dear. May I see them?”
“Of course.” Marcy closed the door behind him. “May I take your hat? Coat?”
He spied the coat rack. “I am able to do that at least, my dear.”
Tate waited until the man had hug the hat and overcoat. The man cut a dashing figure, even with the clear ravages of age written on his face. His suit was impeccable, and his shoes were clean and polished. He stood tall and his hair was neat and freshly cut.
Marcy gestured toward the family room. “Your—I mean, Leopold. This is my husband, Tate. Tate, this is my former father-in-law, Duke Leopold Joseph Markus Hans Saxe Coberg Saalfeld.”
“Sir, an honor to meet you.” Tate shook his hand.
“The honor is mine. You have a fine home here you’ve built for this gem.” He beamed at Marcy, who immediately blushed and caused all kinds of problems for Tate. Specifically in the fit of his pants.
“May I meet the twins?”
Tate nodded and led him into the family room where the two children were sitting in the playpen, staring at the white-haired stranger.
The duke walked to the edge of their confinement and leaned down. Wills’ eyes went wide, but Aspen giggled and held her hands out to him.
“Oh, my, what a beautiful babe,” the duke whispered.
“Don’t be afraid to pick her up, sir,” Tate offered. “She doesn’t often make that offer to just anyone.”
Leopold swept down and lifted the little girl into his arms. She giggled, then wiggled, then immediately tried pulling on his hair.
Tate just shook his head.
“Quite a grip on one so small.” The duke laughed, and Aspen loved his laugh so much, she started laughing. “What are their names?”
“Aspen Marie Lizette Deidre Braganca da Silva Verhoven is the one you’re holding now,” Marcy said, and picked up her son. “This is William Septimus Reginald Joao Braganca da Silva Verhoven.”
“Excellent names.” Leopold tossed the girl from one arm to another and she burst into giggles again. “I am actually here about these two. May we sit?”
Tate threw a look at Marcy as she answered the duke. “Please.” Her face was a mask of confusion as well.
The duke bounced Aspen on his knee as she giggled madly. “I will not beat around the bush with this. I am being extremely forward in my request. As you know, Carl was our only child—“
“Was?” Marcy looked horrified.
“Yes. He’s…well. We’ve disowned him. He’s in jail for the rest of his natural life. His cruelty only accelerated after you, my dear, and he beat a girlfriend to death just last year. Everyone was willing to stand against him, and he was jailed for life. We removed him as our heir, so even if he gets time off for good behavior, he is not to receive anything.”
“I’m so sorry, Leopold.” Marcy laid a hand on his arm.
“It was inevitable, really. We failed him. He failed us. There was just…well. Too much to mention.” He smiled at the little girl in his lap. “And that’s actually why I’m here. He was our only child, and our only heir. There is no one else. But…
“My dear, you were the bright spot in our life while you were with us. You were a happy woman, and you were stronger than we imagined. I am glad you left and found such a wonderful life.
“The Duchess and I have spoken long and hard about this…and you were to bear our grandson. Our heir. And we’ve often wondered what would have changed, even if you weren’t married to Carl anymore.”
Tate had to school his gasp.
“We would like to name you, and your children, as the heirs to the Saalfeld legacy. It’s not a beautiful legacy. In fact, it’s dying. It needs love, family, and some non-Hapsburg blood.”
Marcy snorted. “Which is funny, because Braganca is Hapsburg blood.”
“Shush, you know what I mean. We want to name you all as the heirs. You would get everything, and could use everything…and perhaps, we could call your children our grandchildren.”
Marcy glanced at Tate, but he bowed his head. He knew nothing about royalty or legacy; that was her arena.
“Leopold, that’s a huge gift…”
“It’s not large enough for the joy you brought. Tergnsee is yours. The holdings all over Bavaria are yours. All Beatriz and I ask is that you give us the joy of these children, and allow us to spoil them as our own grandchildren.”
“Tergnsee?”
Tate heard the wistful joy in his wife’s voice. She had told him about the beautiful palace that she had lived in while she was in Germany. And even though Carl had polluted that life, she had always loved the palace.
“No strings?” Tate asked.
“Of course there are strings. We must be allowed to spoil the children, and when they are old enough, we’ll insist on having them over for a month in the summer. There should be a holiday visit, too. We’ll be present for all special occasions, and—“
Tate held up his hand while trying to control the laugh. “Such terrible strings to pull! Marcia? What do you think?”
“It’s good,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Yes. I think we can live with that.”
“Excellent!” Leopold chirped, and Aspen giggled on his lap again, slapping a drool-covered fist on his cheek. “Look, she even sealed the deal.”
Hours later, after the duchess had arrived from the main house, after they were thoroughly worn from playing with little family they had adopted, after they had said goodnight and headed back to their place in New York City, Tate lay next to his wife, holding her as she calmed from the intense, all-consuming climax they had reached.
“Never ever stop doing that to me, Tate.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Everything good?” She tapped on his forehead.
It was a nightly question. He’d had two more stints in the hospital—one before the twins were born, and one just after. When he saw how ragged and awful Marcy looked the day after he was admitted, he had vowed he would not let it get that far again.
“So far, so good.” He kissed her fingers. “So does this mean our kids get titles?”
“We all will. My princess title will kick back in. You’ll be a duke. The kids will be prince and princess. And we can go to Tergnsee and stay in the mountains.” She glanced at him through the dark. “Do you forgive my sister?”
“Nothing to forgive. At all. She and Caldwell are blisteringly happy down there in Texas. Cald and I talked it out months ago, before the kids were born. Anyway, I can’t imagine another life, Marcia.”
She giggled. “You’re starting to say my name like my family does.”
“Marcia. It’s a beautiful name. You know what else sounds beautiful in Portuguese?”
“What?”
“Eu te amo com toda a loucura da minha alma.”
“Tate…eu te amo sempre.”
“Forever, mi princessa.”
The End
This book is a part of
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Sable Hunter is a New York Times, USA Today bestselling author of over 60 books in 9 series. She writes sexy contemporary stories full of emotion and suspense. Her focus is cowboys and Louisiana, some with a hint of the supernatural. She aims to write a story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon.
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Armed with a pen name, Katherine Rhodes has gird her loins and set her mind to writing erotic romances which are kinky, dirty, and fun. As a lackadaisical laundry goddess, and an expert in the profundities of bad music and awful literature-thanks to her husband-Katherine strives to find balance in the universe and time to cook dinner. An East Coast dweller, currently located in the Philadelphia Tristate area, she is the proud servants of three cats and would take a vacation in Prague over a day at the beach any time…
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CONTEMPORARY
CLUB IMPERIAL
Consensual
Broken Bonds
Knots
Untied
Lessons
Now. Forever.
Inevitable
SILVER SOUL
Not Quite Juliet
CITY OF STEEL (THE VAULT)
Innuendo
Double Entendre (Dec 2018)
THE REALM
Half-Soul
THE CLUB SERIES
The Darkest Corners
Anything for Her
Teach Me To Sin
Come Fly with Me with Isobelle Cate
Sweet Pain with Emily Walker and Jenni Moen
THE DA SILVA HEIRS
All the King’s Horses
Princess of the Plains
Empire of Dirt
STANDALONES
Captain
Acts of Contrition
Obsidian Escape
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
VAMPIRE CROWN
Queen of Gods
King of Gods
Death of Gods
Blood of Gods (Coming Mar 2019)
THE COMPLEX
Balance Point
One Thousand Wishes, One Thousand Stars
Brilliance (coming in May 2019)
THE JUNEAU PACKS
Taming Alaska (Coming February 2019)
THE NIGHTSHIFT IN NEW YORK
Moonlight Calling
THE DEMON SLAYERS
Passion Flames
THE ELEMENTAL DRAGONS (Pine Valley)
Darkwater
Skydance (coming May 2019)
Fireborn (coming 2019)
Katherine Rhodes also writes as
J. Rose Alexander
Chatter box, compulsive writer, bon vivant, stunt commuter, and a ninja in her dreams, J. Rose enjoys losing herself in the capes and masks of her superheroes, finding new trouble for her witches and werewolves-- and is always on the look out for a new adventure, on the page or in real life. J. Rose write sweet, clean(ish) stories that are suited to readers 13 and up, unless she warns you otherwise...
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THE ORIGIN STORIES
Penumbra: Equinox
Penumbra: Solstice
The Art of Dying
The Art of Living
THE FACTION STORIES
Apathetic Avengers
The Natural Order of Things
The Royals of Grand Island
Shadow in Glass
Family Portraits (coming late 2019)
SKELETON KEY
Eunica
Neuvma (coming 2019)
STANDALONES
Zenko (Woodland Creek)
Slip the Waves (Hotel Paranormal)
Katherine Rhodes, Empire of Dirt
