To Love Twice (18 page)

And that’s what Kate was doing, taking it one day at a
time.  She looked forward to their phone calls.  They spoke about
almost everything.  The one thing she wouldn’t discuss on the phone was
Brad.  She felt that it was a conversation that should be done in person,
where they could look into each other’s eyes and know what was in their hearts.

She felt as if Edward was holding on to his own
secret.  She wouldn’t push though, figuring he’d tell her when he was
ready.  Or maybe he was waiting to do the in-person conversation as well.

She was pretty nervous about meeting his mother, although
she felt as if she knew her already.  One of Edward’s favorite topics was
his family.  He was devoted to them and she loved that about him.  In
fact, there wasn’t much about him that she didn’t love.

She’d spoken on the phone a few times with his sister,
Meaghan.  Poor girl was bored out of her mind on bed-rest.  Kate
couldn’t fathom spending her whole pregnancy in bed. 

Looking around the apartment, Kate tried to think of
anything she’d forgotten to pack.  “My mind is a blank.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have no idea if I’ve packed everything we’ll need.”

“Well, let’s start with the most important thing…do you have
Lovey?”

Laughing, Kate nodded.  “In my purse.  It was the
first thing I packed.”

“Well then, you’re all set.  They have stores in
England.  I’m sure you can buy whatever you’ve forgotten.”

“Good point.”  Kate picked up her purse.  “Let’s
get out of here.  Who knows how long it’ll take to get through security.”

Georgie walked over to help with the luggage. 
Frowning, she sent a questioning look to Kate.  “You certainly didn’t take
after Mom in the packing department.  This bag is so light, is it empty?”

“No, I didn’t want to get hit with the heavy bag fee. 
I only packed enough for five days, I figure we can do laundry.  Meaghan
said she’d let me borrow a hairdryer and stuff.  Their outlets are
different anyway, so that saved me having to buy a converter too.”

“Impressive.  I can’t pack like this.  I have to
have a couple options for each day.  Who knows what I’ll actually feel
like wearing that day,” Georgie laughed.

Shaking her head in amusement, Kate ushered them out the
door and locked up.

“Thanks for the ride, Georgie.”

“Not a problem.  Those parking fees can get
ridiculous.”  Georgie looked in the rear-view mirror at her niece. 
“Mary, are you excited about the plane ride?”

“Whee!”

Kate was so excited to be able to take this trip with
Mary.  They were going to have the best time.

Tired, hungry and at the very limit of her patience after
trying to keep Mary occupied for the flight, Kate was a bundle of nerves. 
Of course, Murphy’s Law would reign supreme keeping Mary awake the entire
flight only to have her fall asleep ten minutes before the plane landed.

So overwhelmed with keeping Mary in her arms as she
struggled with her luggage, she almost missed the tall man holding a sign with
her name on it.  He seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t place
him.  He was tall, nearly six feet, and muscular.  Kate couldn’t
imagine he had an ounce of fat on his body.  His eyes were silver and his
nose slightly crooked.  He had a scar running through his left eyebrow and
was dressed head to toe in black.  Stopping in front of him, she quietly
spoke to him.  “Excuse me, I’m Kate Walker.”

The man inclined his head.  “Ma’am, Mr. Kent sent me to
pick you up.  He got caught up at work.”  The man folded the sign and
stooped to pick up her luggage. 

“Thank you, err, what’s your name?”

“Jason, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Jason.  Please, call me Kate.” 
Relieved of the luggage detail, she shifted Mary into a more comfortable
position and followed the man out of the airport.  Pleasure lit up her
face when they arrived at the car.  A limousine.  Kate had only
ridden in one once.  The day of her wedding.  They’d ridden from the
reception to the hotel.  Jason held the door open for her and she slid
inside, careful not to wake Mary.

“Kate, would you care to stop for some food?  It’s
about an hour drive to Mr. Kent’s estate.”

“No, I have some snacks in my bag.  Thank you for
asking.”

“My pleasure.  Let me know if you need to stop.”

Kate watched out the window as Jason pulled away from the
curb.  “Jason, did Edward say if he would be meeting us at his house?”

“I’m picking him up next.  He’ll be riding with you.”

“Great!”

Twenty minutes later, Kate could barely contain her
excitement when they pulled into the parking lot.  She could see Edward
waiting at the curb surrounded by people.  She hoped they all weren’t
getting in the limo, there was no way Mary would stay asleep with all that
commotion.

As the limo glided to a stop, Jason exited and held open the
door for Edward.  “James, keep me updated on the cruise schedule and let
me know asap when you hear about the final schedule.  I’ll be out at my
estate, accessible by the normal means.”

“Yes sir.  Enjoy your week.”

Edward slid into the car.  “Hello beautiful!”  He
leaned over and kissed Kate.  Sliding his hand over her hair, he looked
deep into her eyes.  “I’ve missed you.”  He dropped a light kiss on
Mary’s cheek.  “I’m so glad you’re both here.”

“Thank you for the ride, Edward.  Mary passed out as we
were landing at Heathrow.  I think we’d still be at the airport shuffling
toward the rental car desk.”

“I planned to be there, but got held up at work.  I’m
sorry.  Today was a day from hell, but I think I made it that way.  I
was too keyed up about your arrival.  I kept checking my watch every five
minutes.”

“I know what you mean.  That was the longest flight in
the history of flights,” Kate smiled.  “I’m so glad to be here.  It’s
been torture to be away from you.”

“Ah, Kate.”  He slid his arm along the back of the seat
and pulled her close to his side.  “Ditto.” 

They passed the time speaking softly about their days and
catching up since their last phone call.  Before they realized it, Jason
was pulling into the driveway of Edward’s estate.

“Wow, are we here already?”

“We are,” Edward confirmed.  “Welcome to my home,
Kate.”

Kate looked out the window and sucked in her breath. 
It was a mansion, literally.  Three stories of grey stone.  Kate
thought it looked like something out of a Victorian era story.  “Edward,
it’s, it’s beautiful and huge.”  Kate’s face turned slightly pink when she
realized what she’d said.

Chuckling, Edward agreed.  “When I come out here, my
whole family usually shows up to visit.  The good thing about this place
being so huge is that we can all be in here and not see each other if we
choose.  But that’s not usually the case.”

“Is your family planning on visiting while I’m here?”

“Mum is planning to visit.  Izzy is at University, she
might come out on the weekend.  Meaghan won’t be, since she’s on
bed-rest.  I thought perhaps we could go visit her one day, though. 
She’d really like to meet you in person.”

“Of course, I’d love to meet her.  And it doesn’t
bother me, Edward.  I was just curious.”

“Well, it bothers me.  I want you both to myself while
you’re here.  Call me selfish.”

Kate cupped his cheek.  “You’re not selfish,
Edward.  I don’t think you could be, even if you wanted to.  You’re
sweet and amazing and I’m so thankful for you.”

Edward leaned toward her and stopped just as he was about to
kiss her.  “I’m humbled and touched that you feel that way.”  He
touched his lips to hers, careful to keep it brief.  They’d have time
enough later to indulge.

“Sir.”  Jason said as he opened Edward’s door. 
Edward got out of the limo and reached in to take Mary into his arms.  She
stirred slightly and he pressed her head onto his chest, soothing her with soft
kisses on her forehead.  Safe in his arms, she went back to sleep. 

Kate gathered her purse and the diaper bag and got out of
the limo.  Stretching, she groaned softly.  Holding Mary for so long
had made her muscles ache.  As she looked around, she gaped at the sight
before her.  Edward’s estate was massive.  Perfectly manicured lawns
and gardens.  Giant trees that looked like they’d been there for hundreds
of years.  A huge willow stood in the middle of the driveway and Kate
could imagine Edward climbing the tree as a child.  She smiled to herself
and followed Edward up the steps to the door.

Kate couldn’t believe her eyes when the door was opened by a
dour-faced man.  He was tall and thin and looked to be at least ninety
years old.  “A butler?  You have a for real butler?  I didn’t
think they actually existed anymore.”

Laughing, Edward nodded to the butler.  “This is
Henry.  Henry, this is Kate and her daughter, Mary.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”

Kate stuck her hand out toward Henry.  He gently took
her hand and gave it a quick shake.  “Please, call me Kate.”

“As you wish,” he said.  He turned toward Edward. 
“Mrs. White will be right down.  She noticed the sleeping baby and ran up
to turn down the blankets in the baby’s room.”

“Oh, that was so kind of her,” Kate said.  Unsure what
to do with herself, Kate surreptitiously glanced around the foyer. 

Edward nodded toward a table in the foyer.  “You can
set your purse and bag down on that table, if you like, Kate.”

Kate walked over to the table and set her things down. 
As Kate turned to walk back to Edward’s side, a woman ran down the stairs and
exploded into the foyer.  There really was no other word for it.  The
amount of energy this woman radiated could light up all of England for years.

“Edward!” Mrs. White exclaimed quietly, giving him a peck on
the cheek.  “So glad you’re here, boy!  Let me see that sleeping
baby.  Oh my, she’s so sweet.  Hello, you must be Kate.  I’m
Mrs. White, Edward’s housekeeper.  You must be exhausted after your
trip.  Come, I’ll show you to your rooms and you can get freshened
up.  Edward, is your Mum coming for dinner tonight?”  Mrs. White asked
as she led them up the stairs.

Kate blinked.  This woman was a whirlwind, and Kate
didn’t know if she’d be able to keep up with her.

“Not that I’m aware of, Mrs. White, but then you’d know
better than I would anyway,” Edward chuckled.

“Don’t be cheeky, my boy.  It’s not becoming.  I
spoke with your Mum this morning, but she wasn’t sure if it would be a good
idea for her to come out.  She mentioned it might be better for her to
come tomorrow what with the long trip and the time difference.”

“That’s a good point.  I’ll call her in a few minutes
after I discuss it with Kate.”

“Kate, here is your room,” Mrs. White gestured.  “The
baby’s is next door – there’s a connecting door between your rooms. 
I thought it would make you both feel more comfortable to have that immediate
access.”

“Thank you, Mrs. White.  That was considerate of
you.”  Kate entered her room and couldn’t believe her eyes.  The room
was huge and beautiful.  Done in cream, rose and gold, the windows
overlooked a lovely garden at the back of the estate.  The lovely scent of
roses in full bloom drifted in through the open windows.  The bed was a
huge four-poster complete with sheer curtains surrounding it.  She slowly
walked around her room, touching the table and the bedding as she went. 
She finally came to a stop in front of the windows, amazed at the view.

She jumped when Edward touched her shoulder.  “Do you
like your room?”

“Like it?  I love it.  It’s beautiful, thank you.”
She turned to face him and reached up to place a light kiss on his cheek.

“I put Mary in her bed.  She’s still sound
asleep.  Will she sleep long?”  Edward asked with a wicked gleam in
his eye.

“I have no idea, to be honest.”  Kate rested her head
against his chest.  “Edward, I figured you were rather well-to-do…but this,”
Kate gestured around the room and pointed outside.  “This is so much more
than doing well.”

“Does it matter, Kate?”

“No, of course not.  I mean, a little warning would
have been nice.  I thought the limo was a special thing, I didn’t realize
that it was your actual everyday car.”  Kate smiled so that he would know
she wasn’t criticizing him.

“Kate, you’re so special to me.”

Kate reached up and brushed his hair off his forehead. 
“I know, and you’re special to me too.  I just feel a little lost, is all. 
I wasn’t expecting Buckingham Palace, Edward.”

Edward laughed.  “Buckingham Palace is four times the
size of this place.”

Kate whistled.  “Oh!  Hmm, I guess you’re not
doing
that
well, then.”

Laughing, Edward spun her around.  “Let me show you
around.”

“One second, let me get the monitor out and plugged
in.  In case she wakes up.”

Edward hooked the monitor to his pants and they quietly left
Mary’s room.  “First, I’ll show you how to get to my room…just in case you
need me in the night.”

Kate giggled, and followed him into a room that was at least
twice the size of hers.  Her whole apartment back home would have fit in
his bedroom.  Edward’s room was decorated in dark blues and grays.

The view from his room was beyond compare.  Just below
the windows was yet another garden.  The gardenias were in full bloom and
the scent wafted up through the open windows.  Kate could barely make out
the stables off to the right, and toward the left was the distinct sparkle of
water.  “Do I see water out there?”

“Yes, there’s a huge lake on this property.  Would you
like to go swimming or boating?”

“Yes, to both!”  Kate said eagerly.  Mary loved to
play in the water and Kate could think of nothing so relaxing as sailing around
the lake.

“We’ll do that as well.  We are going to have a very
busy and fun week!”