The moment had come several times. A romantic dinner, a walk on the beach, a quiet evening by the fire. Each time, Robert had felt the words rising in his throat, the question he wanted to ask, the future he wanted to claim.

And each time, he had stopped himself.

Not because he didn't love Emma. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone, more than he had thought possible after the disaster of his first marriage. Not because he didn't want to marry her. He wanted nothing ...