"Hold still or I'm never going to get this thing tied."

Libby pulled on my silk tie until my face was even with hers. "You know, their wedding is so casual you don't even have to wear this." She kissed the tip of my nose and finished making my knot. I took her hands, swinging them out so I could get a better look at her dress.

"Mmmm… good enough to eat," I growled, pulling her close and tasting the delicate flesh under her ear. Her dress was light green with delicate gray leaves and vines. It clung to her in places that made me forget all about the family waiting downstairs. But I was the best man, and Blake had been looking pretty dicey. I didn't have long to get him to the gazebo overlooking the lake. And I knew Libby had promised to help Janet with her gown…

Libby laughed and pushed me away gently. But I could tell by the look in her eyes that my brother and his new bride weren't the only ones who had a night to look forward to. I ran my fingers through my wife's silky dark curls, falling loose and soft around her shoulders. I took her hand with the emerald on it and kissed it, my eyes promising delicious and dangerous intentions…

"India's babysitting tonight," I said, running a fingertip under the thin strap of her dress. I ran it down lower and traced the curve of one luscious breast. "I'm going to have you all to myself…" I drank in the excitement that sparkled in her eyes. "What am I going to do with you…"

Her soft, moist lips parted and I heard her pull in her breath to answer. Then a long, high wail crossed the hall, breaking the moment and I caught her in my arms, laughing. "Whatever you do, it's going to have to wait just a little while longer," she laughed back, kissing me quickly and disappearing out the door. She stopped for a moment and looked back at me, glowing with joy and the happiness of new motherhood. She had been beautiful before. Now, she was utterly exquisite.

"We'll meet you at the lake," she said, smiling. "Fifteen minutes till the ceremony, hours before they've all gone home." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "You'll have plenty of time to decide… just what you're going to do." Her brow twitched playfully. "So will I."

She disappeared, leaving me to take care of Thea's needs. Our daughter had been born with her mother's green eyes and a cry that Libby responded to instinctively. I'd never seen a more loving and patient mother. Every time I watched her take little Thea into her arms, I had the strange sense that there was more love in the room than just our own. In some way, I was sure that Dorothy was with us too, sharing her daughter's joy and supporting her with her love.

I finished dressing and sat for a moment, contemplating the last year of our lives together. Images of Libby's lovely body, rounding with her growing pregnancy… the look on her face when she first held our child… I had everything in life a man could want in that single moment, and yet there had been so much more…

I looked out over the water and could see my family and friends gathered on the sand. Blake and Janet had asked to have their wedding here. They wanted something simple, far less formal than any Mason wedding has ever been. But times are changing and so are some of the old traditions. We were always a strong family, but now we have become even more so. Priorities have shifted, now that Libby and I are parents. Mom and Dad are devoted as grandparents. I've never seen them so happy.

Spencer had come, but he stood nervously on his own. It was still awkward for all of us, but we'd insisted that he come anyway. I watched as Ben shook his hand and sat down beside him.

Spencer had resigned from Mason the day after he'd admitted what he and Elaine had done. But it hadn't been until later that I'd found his handwritten note on my desk. It had been shuffled in amongst some others, as if he'd been too ashamed to face me…

It had detailed Elaine's plan, freely admitting to the wretched part he had played in the scheme. It described how she had seduced him into helping her and, not surprisingly, I had no difficulty believing him. He said he had no excuse for what he'd done, but was committed to repairing what damage he could.

He'd signed over every piece of Mason-Warner stock in his possession, to me and to my family. Though there was nothing he could do about the shares Elaine had purchased, his had been enough to tip the balance back in our favor. That, and a little research of my own…

As soon as the doctor had confirmed Libby's pregnancy, I'd begun to wonder… It hadn't taken long after that to confirm my suspicions. Elaine had kept receipts from her own doctor's visits throughout our marriage, and they'd been left behind in old file boxes after the divorce. In those files, I discovered the real reason she'd never conceived… a simple contraceptive injection, given once every three months. For years, she'd lied to me outright about wanting a child, and in the end had blamed me… And all the while, behind my back, she'd made damned sure there was never a chance of conceiving…

I'd confronted her simply, directly and she'd finally admitted the truth. While I couldn't force her to sell her holdings, I knew she'd no longer cause trouble for us. She wouldn't dare risk the scandal, if the truth came out. My attorney had made significant changes in our original divorce settlement and she'd signed without argument. She was already losing interest in the company., failing to show up for board meetings. The game was finally over…

and she knew she had lost.

I stood up and slipped on my jacket. Pausing for a moment at the door, I watched Libby lift our baby daughter to her shoulder and pat her tiny back gently. Our gaze met over her little shoulder and locked in promise. Nothing in the world would ever matter more than my family. I would spend the rest of my life making Libby as happy as she had made me.

In my wife's face I saw, not only the present and the past, but all the years yet to come. The sounds of happy children. Of skinned knees and birthday parties, first dates… and broken hearts. Thea on her wedding day, as lovely as her mother. And the faraway day when Libby and I would become grandparents ourselves. No matter the shifts and changes of life, no matter the passage of the time, Libby would always be as lovely to me as she was in this very moment. The love of my life, my friend, my wife, the mother of my children…

Mirrors set on either sides of the room caught her beauty, reflecting her back and forth into infinity. This one exquisite woman who had changed my entire world…

She had made every dream come true. Liberty was my family. And in the safety of her love, I was truly and forever home.