Marriage thus far had been a whirlwind of love and bliss. He hadn't the slightest idea why he'd not thought of proposing to Maeve sooner &mash; he could call her Maeve now — the thrill of it and of having her lying in his arms as they fell asleep together had been enough to have him fall asleep with a foolish grin on his face.

He knew with certainty that he would be happy for the rest of his life as he awoke to his wife's beautifully freckled face. For some reason, he'd once thought her looks to be unfortunate... but he had to have been wrong in the head and not looked properly! She was the most exquisite creature he'd ever laid eyes upon. The dusting of speckles along her cheeks enhanced her features and he'd come to know each and every one of them. He'd secretly been delighted to discover that they were not limited to just the parts of her that had been exposed to the sun.

"You're perfect," He grinned like the love-stricken soul that he was and brushed a loose strand of ginger hair away from her face, "Did you sleep well?"