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“Returned? But…” My stare shot to Fayette. “That’s—Did you know?”
“No.”
“My grandfather didn’t say a word. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me. We were right there. We were there at the table together.” My jaw flexed as my teeth clamped. “He tries to keep things as complicated as they come. I just want to get along. I want all of us to be happy. All he wants to do is argue.”
“He loves you.” Fay reached for my hand. “It’s what the two of you do. Besides, he has his reasons. If anything, he does it to push you more into what you want. I know. He’s told me some things.”
“Like what?”
Fay smiled, pausing as a maid rushed up with her jacket. I helped her slip it on before turning us to head to the back door.
“Continue. What has my grandfather told you?”
“Well, he did say he’s been banished from this family twice.”
I jerked to a stop. “Twice?”
“That’s right. Once over refusing marriage to a woman he kissed in the stables, and the other because he refused to come to America with his father. He stayed in France and made his own money, but then his dad called. He wanted your grandfather to come here to help him, so he did.”
“I can’t believe it. He never told me that. Twice?”
Fay laughed, bumping her shoulder into me as we continued on.
“I knew he wouldn’t banish you forever. He wanted you to find your own way. Your own passions. Which you did. You love cars. You’ve started something that you can make entirely your own. That’s all he wanted for you when he realized how unhappy you were.”
I opened the back door, not able to stop shaking my head. Who was this man who’d raised me? George knew the real him; Fayette got to see. I didn’t. At least not the good parts. He kept that hidden underneath his anger and drive for success. Why? I didn’t understand.
“Oh, Aimon, this is beautiful.”
Lights led down the double staircase and were strung along the tops of the path, highlighting the way to a brightly lit gazebo in the distance. Although night, the glow from above gave glimpse to the winding shapes of hedges that stretched out for acres. Amongst them were fountains and benches. I could remember so clearly running through the mazes, burning my energy as a child while my mom read. And now, it’d be Lucia doing the same thing.
We headed down the stairs, moving amongst all the green. A coolness hung in the air, leaving it slightly chilly, but perfect for me.
“I can’t believe I didn’t come out here sooner. This is gorgeous.”
“It is.” I couldn’t help but grab her hand. “It used to be my favorite place. My mom spent a lot of time out here. After she passed, I’d walk the gardens, looking for answers. As if they or she was hidden in the hedges. I missed her horribly the first few years. I was so lost and angry. Charles did little to help.” I stopped, blinking through clarity. “I never realized he was grieving the loss of his own daughter. I…can’t imagine. It didn’t register before. I never saw his side. The more I think of it, the worse I feel for acting out and pushing him away. I made his life a living hell. Twenty years later, I’m still doing that, Fay.”
She wrapped herself around my bicep, leaning the side of her head against me. “You still have time to make the best of it.”
“I do. I will.” We entered the gazebo, stopping in the middle. Instead of sitting her down, I turned her to face me. The way the light from above highlighted her face, my heart couldn’t help but become entirely hers. I’d wanted nothing more for longer than I could remember. When dinner came, I’d prepared for an all-out war to stay close to the woman I loved. I didn’t have to. I had her. Or I could… “My grandfather’s actions towards us, towards you, were not honorable or kind at the beginning. Desperation can do crazy things to a man faced with fear. I’m afraid, too, Fay. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to spend another moment apart. Now, it doesn’t look as though we’ll have to. You said you wouldn’t marry me if you couldn’t have a real husband. Would you say yes to me if you could?”
Fay’s fingers gripped into her shirt as she searched my eyes.
“Are you asking me to marry you, or are you curious about my answer?”
I reached down, pulling the ring from my pocket, and getting down on one knee. Tears filled her eyes as she glanced at the diamond, and then back to me. “I would love nothing more than for you to marry me. Will you be my wife, Fayette?”
The smile that took over her face had every worry, every anxiety I felt, disappearing into the shadows that surrounded us.
“Yes. I will.”
Chapter 23
Fay
“Dearly beloved”…Dearly beloved? The phrase repeated in my head, circling my thoughts like a moth to a flame. It was begging for my attention. As if I had time to weigh the words or what they meant right this very moment. Dearly beloved: to love dearly. An address to the guests of our wedding, obviously, but why was that phrase standard in almost every wedding…to…this…day? And aside from that, who were all these people sitting in the chairs behind us?
Who was I kidding? No one mattered. Nothing did but the man whose stare hadn’t broken from mine from the moment I appeared at the end of the aisle. Was this really happening? Was I really here without my parents, marrying the man I loved…alone?
