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The pretty woman leaned forward and met Wren’s gaze. “Believe me when I tell you that my brother has never been in love before, and since meeting you, the change in him has been drastic. He truly loves you and will do anything for you—including walking away if you cannot get past this.”
Unexpectedly, tears trickled down her cheeks and Wren wiped them away. The way the people in the house had converged to do this for Grant was wonderful. They cared for him dearly and would be there to support him if she decided against the marriage.
“Lass.” This time, her aunt spoke. “Do you love him?”
Wren nodded. “I do.”
“Enough to fight for him?” her aunt asked.
She hesitated. Was she strong enough? In the last months, she’d left the home she’d known forever and had found herself in situations unlike anything she’d ever known. Through it, she’d known it was what one did to survive. This was no different. She needed to be strong and to fight her way through it. “I will speak with him,” Wren said, standing. “Do you know where he is?”
Felicity stood and nodded. “Come.” She walked with her to the arched doorway of the parlor. “In the garden.”
As she walked toward the same doorway she’d been outside of the day she’d met him, she noted that the furnishings were sparse on that side of the house. Only an occasional table, or a pair of chairs flanking a sideboard with a mirror over it. There were a pair of portraits on the opposite wall, people she assumed were Evan’s ancestors.
The garden doors came into view, sun streaming into the house. Grant was not in view, so she went to them, opened the doors, and walked outside.
He stood looking out to the back of the house, his hand resting atop the waist-high brick wall. Fully dressed in his morning suit, he looked every bit a gentleman.
“Grant,” Wren said, watching as he turned, his gaze flying to her. With purposeful strides, he was immediately at her side. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d gone.” He took her hand and led her to the table where they’d shared a meal.
She felt so very different now. “Please sit.”
“I do not wish to sit. I’ve been sitting too long.”
It was hard to read his expression. He was wearing a mask of composure she was sure he’d donned so as not to allow her to know what he thought. It was hard to look at him, so she looked away, at the flowers she always enjoyed. Butterflies floated from one bloom to the next, and she followed their progress for just a moment.
Finally, Wren looked up at him. “The other night when you told me about your past, why did you tell me about the others? You could have just admitted about Lucinda Roberts and left it at that.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Whether one or more women, they are a part of my life. If you are to marry me, I wish for you to know everything.”
It was hard to think past the fact that she wanted Grant to hold her, to feel his strong body against hers. But that wouldn’t solve this challenge they faced forever, it would only bring her peace for a short while. Once she stepped out of his arms, the problem would still exist.
“Even until arriving, I had not made up my mind yet.”
His calm façade fell, replaced with an expression of dread and sorrow. He nodded. “Of course. I realize it is not easy.”
A heaviness settled across her shoulders, and she fought to push it away. Wren opened her mouth, unsure of what she’d tell him. Then, looking into his gaze, she knew. “Grant, I will marry you.”
She waited for a moment of panic or denial, or a feeling that she’d made the wrong decision, but there was none. Instead, it felt right. She felt right.
At first, he stared at her as if not understanding what she’d said. Then he let out an audible breath and swept her into his arms. “Oh, thank God.” With her head on his chest, the thundering of his heart echoed in her ear and immediately she felt as if a heavy sodden cloak was removed from her and replaced with lightness.
“Thank you.” He whispered. “I love you.”
Wren looked up at him. “Kiss me. Assure me with a kiss that everything will be well.”
His mouth covered hers, and he kissed her like never before. This was not a kiss of passion, but one of claim. He was claiming her as his, and as his tongue parted her lips, she gladly allowed it, enjoying the intrusion and reveling in the strength of his embrace.
“Wren,” his deep voice pulsed through her when he spoke against her ear, the breathless word saying so much more than an entire declaration of love. The huskiness was followed with a sniff. He’d been expecting her to leave, to refuse to marry him. And he was not altogether wrong, because in her mind, she could not fathom marrying him because of his past. However, when seeing him surrounded by the people who loved and supported him and then seeing the sadness he tried bravely to hide, she could not walk away.
“I love you,” Wren said, sliding a hand up and down his back. “I cannot live without you.”
He cupped her face with both hands. “I cannot fathom my life without seeing you every single day. I am so very sorry…”
“No more talk of that. Let us put it all behind us and move forward.”
She thought he smiled, but he kissed her then and she forgot about everything other than the taste of the man she loved and her impatience to be more intimate.
“Can we marry immediately?” she asked.
“Is tomorrow soon enough?” Grant asked between kisses.
