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She nodded, but he didn’t miss how she pressed her lips together, a sure sign she was nervous about something. He didn’t get a chance to examine it any further, though, since her mom and sister reentered the room.
They weren’t alone again until they said their goodbyes and headed home several hours later. Grace’s mom and sister had been full of questions, wanting to know about his childhood, his parents, and even if he’d had any pets growing up. For the most part, Grace had remained quiet throughout the conversation, only commenting when someone asked her a question.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he demanded as they made their way back to her house.
It took her too long to answer.
He glanced over and saw her fidgeting, pulling at her fingers. “Grace?”
“You said you want to get married.” She paused. “Soon.”
The wheels started turning in his head, rushing to catch up to what she’d obviously been mulling over for hours already. “Yes. I would like to get married someday.”
Alexander waited to see if she would continue. He figured he’d give her until they reached their destination before he took more drastic measures to get whatever it was out of her. Luckily, she didn’t make him wait that long. “Is there someone else?”
They were at a stoplight, which turned out to be a very good thing seeing as how her question had caught him completely off guard. “No. Why would you even think that? Have I given you any reason to think—”
“No,” she hurried to explain. “It’s just that... when you told my mom you wanted to get married soon, at first I thought you were talking about us, but then I thought you couldn’t possibly. I mean we haven’t known each other for that long and...”
The light turned green and as there was a vehicle behind them he had to drive. As soon as he saw an opening, however, he maneuvered his car off the road and put it in park. He gathered her hands in his, needing to touch her. His heart was pounding in his chest. He’d known her mother and sister would ask questions, vet him to make sure he was good enough for Grace, and when she’d asked about marriage he wasn’t going to lie. And even though he’d known Caroline’s questioning could go down this road, he’d been hoping to put off this conversation with Grace for a little while longer. “I was talking about us.”
Grace swallowed.
Her lack of verbal response worried him. “Do you not want to get married again?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.”
Time ticked by as they sat in the warmth of the vehicle. He held tight to her hands, not letting go. “I know what we have is new and we’re still feeling things out, but if war taught me one thing it’s that life is fleeting. And if you want something, you need to go after it, because tomorrow isn’t a guarantee.”
Alexander cupped her face with one hand, massaging her cheek with his thumb. “I want to fall asleep beside you every night for the rest of my life. And when I wake up every morning, the first thing I want to see is you.” He let that hang in the air for a moment before he continued. “I love you, Grace.”
He could feel her pulse race beneath his palm. For weeks he’d been biting his tongue, knowing she wasn’t ready to hear how he felt. Finally putting it out there was one of the most terrifying things he’d ever done. He had no idea how she’d react.
The only thing he could hear was their breathing and the blood pumping through his eardrums as he waited. Although it was no more than a minute, it felt like an eternity. “What about our agreement?”
There was such vulnerability in her eyes as she stared back at him. He wanted to gather her into his arms and never let her go. “There isn’t anything in our agreement that says I can’t fall in love with my submissive.”
“Yes, I know.” She looked down at where he was still holding one of her hands. “I’m not saying this right.”
He tilted her chin up, meeting her gaze. “There’s no pressure here, Grace. When I told your mother I wanted to get married soon, I didn’t mean next week or even next month.” One side of his mouth tilted up a little. “Although, I wouldn’t say no if that’s what you wanted.”
Her eyes opened wide at his admission.
“What I meant was that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, you will agree to become my wife. If that’s months from now, or years...” He shrugged.
“We’ve only known each other for two months.”
“So?” He released her fingers and cradled her face in his hands as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him. “I’ve been falling in love with you since that moment in your kitchen when you cried in my arms.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to say anything.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Let’s get you home, and then we can talk some more if you want.”
“All right.”
He couldn’t get back to her house fast enough. As the miles passed, he felt her withdrawing again. It made no sense and because he had to keep his focus on the road, there wasn’t much he could do about it at the moment.
When they arrived at her house, he waited until they’d brought everything inside and put it away before leaning against the counter and drawing her into his arms. “Talk to me.”
