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“I love that about you. Your heart’s too tender. You’ll never become jaded.”
“I don’t want to become one of my uncle’s agents,” she said. “They have to become almost inhuman. They classify people as targets, as assets or liabilities. I don’t want to become hardened and brutal.”
“Will you be content? You said that you didn’t want to be on the sidelines of life, you wanted to be in the center, in the heart of it all.”
“And I do, I do want to be in the beating heart of life. And for me, that’s you.”
Drew stroked strands of her hair away so that he could see her eyes. He inhaled the sweet scent of her. His heart filled with so much love he thought it might burst.
“I thought that I needed to change, to become my mother, become something I’m not,” she said. “You stood by me patiently until I realized that I can just be me. Wild, messy, glorious me.”
“You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“Do you think that we could live in Cornwall half the year, and London the other half?,” she asked.
“I think that could be arranged.” He couldn’t stop grinning. This conversation had taken the most wonderful turn. But she still had to hear everything before she made a decision.
“You can give plants rich soil, plenty of water, and access to sun, but they still need time to grow,” he began, attempting to find the words to make her understand. “That’s me, Mina. You’ve given my heart what it needs to grow—a path to connecting with my emotions. I can feel myself changing. I want to change. But I can’t make it go any faster. I’ll need time.”
“I know that, Drew.” She kissed his cheek. “You don’t have to suddenly produce all of the emotions you’ve been holding back for years. I don’t expect that or want it. It’s enough that you’re growing, changing. But there’s something you should know, too. I don’t want to have children yet. Maybe for several more years.”
“I want an heir. But I can wait until you’re ready.”
“Truly?” she asked.
“Truly. I’m hoping to have many adventures with you.”
“We’ve had quite a few already,” she said with laughter in her voice. “We uncovered an extortion plot, rescued your brother, and brought an evil criminal to justice. And then you proposed marriage to me on the deck of a ship with blood-spattered hands, a bruised face, and groaning men lying all around us.”
“About that proposal. I know I cocked it up. I should have fallen to my knees. Framed it as a question.”
“Well?” She glanced at the floor.
He had his orders.
He sank to his knees on the rough wooden floor and clasped her hands in his.
“I love you, Mina. You captured my heart during our waltz, when you were boldly undressing me with your eyes, clearly picturing me lying in bed completely naked.”
“Ha,” she said. “You were the one picturing me churning your butter.”
“Being with you is like sun dancing through leaves. The smell of soil after it rains. The first brave, vivid-green shoots appearing. I vow to revel in your freedom, to foster everything wild and creative in your soul. I’ll always have a bottle of brandy at the ready. And I will always love you completely. Will you share your life with me?”
“Drew,” she said, her voice cracking. “I told you that your heart was soft and squishy.”
“It is. But that’s all right, because other parts of me are hard as granite.”
“Show me,” she said.
“What, right here? In the garden shed?”
“There’s no time like the present.”
“Mina.” He tightened his arms around her. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
And his heart spilled over with joy.
