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“Elias, hey. Have you ordered yet?” Truce hurried to us, brows pinched but wearing a smile once she reached the register.
“Not yet, just walked in the door.”
“Oh okay, perfect timing. Your table’s back there. The one in the corner. Sorry, it’s the best I can do. We’re swamped tonight.”
“You’re always swamped.”
Her smile expanded. “True. Sorry to run, but if you need anything…”
“Handle your business. We’re good.”
Her eyes darted between me and Cress before she nodded and was on the move again. I turned to the woman at the register who didn’t seem pleased but she begrudgingly took our order, handed over a number, and moved on to the next customer.
We made it to our table. Cress sat directly across from me perfectly still, hands folded in her lap, eyes fixated on me but not saying a word. After a long moment she eventually lifted a dark brow while she regarded me under slightly curled lashes.
She wanted to figure me out but she never would. I rarely ever exposed myself to anyone. I wouldn’t with Cress.
“Shouldn’t we be talking.” Her chin tipped in defiance.
“Ladies first.”
“Bullshit.”
I chuckled, allowing my fingers to flex where they rested on the table. “You questioning my manners, Cress?”
“I’m questioning you treating me as a lady. So far I’ve been handled like a possession that you and my brother feel you have the right to negotiate with.”
“You’re neither.”
“Then what am I to you, Elias?”
“My future wife.”
“This is an obligation, not a choice.”
“For you maybe. It’s my choice to make you an Omari. No one is forcing my hand. If that were the case, your sister would be sitting here right now. Not you.”
As I expected she didn’t give in to the weight of my confession. Yes, this was an obligation but not one I was conflicted about.
“I need to know what you expect of me. From this…”
“I expect you to be my wife. To find a middle ground so you and I can make this work.”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Then you’ll have to clarify.”
“What are your expectations formeas yourwife? Do you have any or is this just for show?”
I regarded her closely for a moment. The tension in her shoulder, the slant of her eyes, and the way the corners of her mouth tugged down into a slight frown.
“I never imagined that if I chose to marry it would be like this. I also never imagined falling in love with a woman to the point of feeling as if I couldn’t live without her. No, I don’t have expectations for you as my wife because to be quite honest, there had never been a plan for me to have one but I can adjust.”
“Adjust,” she mumbled.
“Cress, I’m not wrapped up in some fantasy that we’ll live some magical happily ever after. However I am a man who values the importance of trust, loyalty, and respect. As long as you can commit to giving me those three things, then we’ll figure out the rest as we go.”
“That’s too broad and vague.”
