Chapter 10 - The Bed We Choose
Three months later.
Christmas Eve at Whitmore House was quiet, beautiful, and blanketed in six inches of fresh white snow.
The grand ballroom, which was supposed to have hosted four hundred high-society guests for a extravagant wedding months ago, was now warm, dimly lit, and filled with a small gathering of twenty people.
Mrs. Gable, Chef Jean-Luc, the groundskeepers, Nurse Gable, Mary Hale, and Eleanor Whitmore all sat around a long, beautifully decorated mahogany dining table filled with roasted turkey, fresh pastries, and sparkling wine.
Laughter and warm conversation echoed against the tall oak-paneled walls.
Near the high floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the frozen lake, Erin stood holding a glass of sparkling cider. She wore a breathtaking dark emerald-green velvet dress that sculpted her elegant frame, her dark hair styled in soft, natural waves around her shoulders.
Nathaniel stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her gently against his chest.
"Thinking about last year?" he whispered into her hair.
"I was thinking about that silver ice bucket," Erin said, leaning her head back against his shoulder with a quiet laugh.
Nathaniel chuckled, kissing the side of her neck. "I threw that bucket into the lake three months ago."
"Nathaniel! That was antique silver!" Erin gasped, turning in his arms to face him, her hazel eyes sparkling with amusement.
"It had bad memories," Nathaniel said, his expression softening into profound affection. He reached into his velvet jacket pocket and pulled out a small, dark blue velvet box.
Erin’s breath caught in her throat.
The ballroom grew quiet behind them as the guests at the long table noticed what was happening near the window. Mary Hale smiled through happy tears, while Eleanor Whitmore clapped her hands together softly.
Nathaniel slowly dropped down to one knee on the polished hardwood floor.
He opened the velvet box, revealing a flawless, five-carat antique diamond ring set in platinum—the original engagement ring that his grandfather had given to his grandmother sixty years ago.
"Erin," Nathaniel said, his voice deep, steady, and filled with an emotion so vast it echoed through the high ceilings. "Four months ago, someone told you that you didn't belong in this house. She told you that you would never sleep in my bed again."
He looked up into her eyes, taking her right hand in his.
"She was wrong. You didn't just belong in this house, Erin—you brought it back to life. You saved my mother, you saved me, and you showed me what love actually looks like."
Nathaniel took a deep breath, his hazel eyes locking onto hers with unshakeable conviction.
"Will you marry me, Erin Hale? Will you share my life, my home, and my bed... for the rest of our days?"
Tears of pure, unadulterated joy spilled down Erin's cheeks. She didn't hesitate for a single second.
"Yes," Erin whispered, her voice ringing clearly across the quiet room. "Yes, Nathaniel. A thousand times, yes."
Nathaniel stood up, sliding the platinum ring onto her finger, and pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips against hers in a deep, passionate kiss that made the entire room erupt into cheers and applause.
Outside, the snow fell softly over the rolling grounds of Whitmore House.
May you like
The cold was gone. The shadows had melted away.
And for the first time in its long history, the grand estate was not defined by wealth, status, or icy pride—but by the warmth of a love that had bloomed from the coldest morning of their lives.
