Epilogue

Sophie had never felt so beautiful as she did walking down the church aisle in her lacy ivory gown, with beaded detail, toward the man of her dreams. The gentleman that she would now be lucky enough to call ‘husband' from that day forward. She could not really believe that they were finally there, after everything that they had been through. It was like a terrible nightmare had finally developed into the most wonderful dream that she had ever had.

George looked incredibly handsome wearing the nicest suit she had ever seen him wearing. A navy-blue coat, which seemed to shimmer in the light, matching his perfectly tailored trousers. A crisp white waistcoat underneath completed the outfit, making Sophie's heart race. He was always smartly dressed, that was one of the things that she liked about him, but now he had made a real effort and she adored it. Her heart raced with excitement as she thought about saying her vows to him and committing the rest of her life to this man.

She thought it so silly that he had worried about not having the right title for her, as if that was something she would ever be concerned about. She only cared about love. True love. That was all she needed, and there was no one else in the world she could find it with but him.

"My hero," she muttered under her breath as she drew nearer to him. "My love."

"My, Sophie, you do look absolutely wonderful," he declared as soon as she was close enough to hear him. Now that he had opened up about his feelings, it seemed like he was desperate to make up for lost time. He could not stop complimenting her and telling her how much he adored her all the time. It was as if he had unlocked a flood gate and everything that had been trapped simply needed to come spilling free.

Sophie had to admit, she much preferred this version of him. The compliments gave her self-confidence and made her truly embrace the love of this man. She had found trusting him far easier than she thought she would, thank goodness.

"Why thank you," she giggled. "You look quite wonderful yourself."

It was a lavish affair. Sophie and George found themselves surrounded by all the important people in their lives, which only made it feel that much more special. That much more thrilling. Her parents and friends adored George and could see, just as she could, that he was the right man for her. Having her grandparents in attendance too only made it lovelier. Especially with her grandmother making quite the recovery.

"We are gathered here today," the wedding officiant announced the moment they held hands in front of him. "To celebrate the union of Lord George Harrington, and Lady Sophie Dashwood…"

Hearing those words alone was enough to have Sophie's heart racing. They were words she did not think that she would be lucky enough to hear in her lifetime, especially the moment she stood on the edge of the dock watching the boat that she thought was taking George away from her. She knew that she was never going to take love for granted, she would be grateful every single day to be able to live life with this amazing man.

As their gazes locked in on one another, and they started to recite the traditional marriage vows, Sophie could feel her heart blooming and growing. She could feel all the pieces of her life finally slotting into place. Everything truly was perfect.

***

It had been a long day. One of the longest Sophie had ever experienced, but it was the happiest of her whole life. As she nestled into bed beside her husband, now knowing that she was Lady Sophie Harrington, she was truly in heaven.

"I liked the speech you made at the wedding breakfast," she told George as she glanced up into his eyes.

"I meant every word of it," he insisted. "You are not only the love of my life, but my best friend as well. I am so truly grateful to have met you."

He dipped his head down and grazed his lips over Sophie's. Almost immediately, she felt a flurry of excitement tearing through her body. The last time that she was in bed with this man, they had not been married and it was a huge risk, threatening her reputation completely. But now, it was exhilarating, and there was nothing to lose. Only a lot to gain.

Sophie deepened the kiss, massaging his tongue with her own. She loved the way that she could feel the intense pounding of her own heart mirrored in him also.

She made the first move, slowly peeling the clothing off his body. There was no need for her to be coy now and hesitant. She even helped him undress her because she was so eager to feel the intense warmth of his flushed skin against hers.

"I love you," she muttered, her words vibrating between his lips. "So very much."

Once they were both naked, she tugged him on top of her, loving the weight of his body pressed against her. She was flushed, and flames of desire tore through her body. She wrapped her legs around his back, and feeling how hard he was for her only intensified the ache deep within her core. She had been craving this moment ever since she last felt him. His musky scent flooded her nostrils, causing her to inhale deeply. He truly was delicious.

"I love you too, my darling," George reassured her. "You, Sophie, are my world."

As if the world wanted to remind them yet again of the first night they met properly, the heavens opened up and the rain began to lash hard on the roof of the house. Luckily, this time they were both indoors, so neither of them would get soaked. Still, the nostalgia only brought Sophie closer to her husband.

With one thrust, he buried himself deep inside of her, filling her up in the most extraordinary way possible. She arched her back and rolled her hips, grinding against him, calling out his name as she did. She reached out to grab strands of George's silky dark hair because she needed to touch every part of him.

The flames in his hazel-colored eyes truly set her alight.

"Oh, George. You have no idea how good that feels. Do not stop, please."

His lips ran all over her cheeks, her collar bone, her chest… every kiss was more intoxicating than the last dragging her deeper under the waters of pleasure with him. She loved the way that George seemed to know her body perfectly, and he could coax orgasmic bliss from her without much effort. If things felt this amazing already, she could only begin to imagine what it would be like when they really took the time to explore one another.

It was going to be wonderful.

Sophie's nails dug into his skin as George began to shudder all over. She could tell that he was close to the edge as well, which made her toes curl with ecstasy. Her breaths started falling out of her mouth sharp and ragged, her heart racing… there was only one way that she could make this feel better.

So with a bolt of bravery, she pressed her hand to George's chest and rolled him over, so he was the one on his back and she sat astride him. As she rocked back and forth, his eyes hungrily explored her body. She could see that he was desperately hungry for her, just as in awe as she was of him. The love that had been blooming between them ever since they first laid eyes on one another seemed to erupt into something new and thrilling as they tipped one another over the edge into an eternal sensation of joy.

Sophie tossed her head back and allowed her primal screams to come running free. She knew she could be herself with George, that she could let her animalistic side out as they writhed and bucked together in heaven. He was not holding back either, crying her name out endlessly as if he did not know any other words.

As they sunk down on to the bed together in the afterglow, Sophie clutched on to George tightly. Even though she knew that she would not ever have to let him go, she adored the feeling of being in his arms. It made her feel safe and protected from the rest of the world. It allowed her to dream about what their lives ahead would look like for them.

. Now that she was his wife, Sophie could not wait for her life's next adventure. She could not wait to be a mother as well. There was so much love in her heart that she could not wait to share.

"When do you think we shall have children?" she asked George playfully.

"Oh, I do not think it shall be long," he replied with a chuckle. "How many shall we have?"

"At least four! We want them to have one another to play with all the time. And we want them to have very fun lives. Happy lives."

"That sounds perfect to me."

Just like her parents did for her, she would encourage them to find love in life. To find someone that made them happy, because she had very quickly found that there was nothing more important than that. There was nothing else worth living for.

She had been lucky enough to find her happy ever after, and that was all she wanted for everyone else in her life now too, because it really was the most wonderful feeling around.

THE END?