Absolutely, Positively

of his arm. Her emerald eyes gleamed with a knowing expression. “You knew he was here because I'd warned you.”

    “Did you?”

    “Yes, I did, and what's more, you heard me. In your mind, Harry.”

    He bent his head and brushed his mouth across hers. “Let's just say that I got one of my insights.”

    “It was a lot more than that.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. When she was finished she moved her head back a couple of inches and smiled. “One of these days I'll get you to admit it.”

    “You're safe.” Harry eased her back onto the sofa and covered her body with his own. “Dear God, Molly, that's all that matters.”

    She touched the edge of his mouth with the tip of her finger. “And you're safe, too. That's all that matters to me.” Her eyes glowed.

    An all-consuming passion exploded within Harry without warning. The rational part of his brain knew that it was very likely a reaction to the aftermath of violence and the fact that he had come very close to losing Molly. But the reasoning was swept aside by the powerful need that seized hold of him.

    “Molly,” he whispered. “Molly.”

    “Yes.” She pulled his mouth down to hers.

    Desire roared through both of them, an elemental force that could not be stopped. Harry fumbled with Molly's clothing and then with his own.

    Half undressed, they came together in a storm of need.

    Need was everything in that moment. Harry did not question its demands. He accepted it, welcomed it, surrendered to it.

    He needed to feel the boundless warmth and life and energy in Molly. He needed to experience the incredible sense of sinking into her, of touching the deepest part of her while she touched the deepest part of him.

    Molly opened herself to him. He surged into her, seeking arcane mysteries that could not be learned in any other way. He craved the secrets of her soul and yearned to show her his own.

    He stepped boldly out onto the glass bridge, knowing that Molly waited for him on the far side of the abyss. As long as she was there, he would not fall.

    He was no longer alone in the whirling darkness.

    When it was over, Harry lay sprawled in Molly's arms, allowing the warmth of her to seep into his bones, all the way to his soul.

    I love you, he thought.

    Molly cradled his face between her hands. “I love you, Harry.”

    It was then that Harry realized that he had never spoken the words aloud. Not once. Incredible. He could not imagine life without her. It was time to tell her what was in his heart.

    “I love you, Molly.”

    She smiled, her eyes bright with laughter and love. “I heard you the first time.”

23

    Harry brought Molly and their newborn son home to the Abberwick mansion on a fine day in spring. He settled both onto the grand Victorian fainting couch in the front parlor and prepared to limit visitors to a reasonable number. It wasn't going to be easy. A long line of Trevelyans, Strattons, and Abberwicks had announced their intention to call upon the new mother and baby. The hall was already filled with gifts.

    Harry stood near the couch and gazed down at his son. Awe and a sense of wonder that exceeded anything he had ever felt for the laws of Newton and Einstein soared through him.

    “Incredible,” Harry whispered. “He's absolutely incredible.”

    “That's just what I was thinking.” Molly gave Harry a tired, but thoroughly satisfied smile. “What do you think of the name Sean Jasper Trevelyan?”

    “A little awkward, but what the heck. He'll be able to handle it.” Harry gingerly reached out to touch Sean's tiny fingers. “Amazing.”

    “If you think this one's amazing, wait until you see the next one,” Molly said.

    “The next one?”

    “There will be a little girl, too, you know,” Molly predicted happily. “In about two years, I think.”

    “You've got plans?” Harry asked indulgently.

    “I saw her, remember? The day she and little Sean, here, saved my life by reminding me of my father's giant toys down in the workshop. We'll call her Samantha Brittany after our mothers.”

    Harry grinned. “Anything you say, my love. I certainly don't have the strength to argue with you. I know the doctor insisted on discharging you and Sean today, but I'm still recovering. It's going to be a while before I can go through that again.”

    “You were wonderful,” Molly assured him.

    “I was a basket case.”

    “Not true. You never left my side.” Molly touched her