Chapter 30
She had to have misheard him. “Marry you?”
“Yes.”
“Like a marriage of convenience? You’ll have a ton of mistresses on the side, and I’ll be Precious’ fake-
Aunt?”
“No mistresses. I wouldn’t embarrass my family like that. You will be her real aunt.” He reached his knuckles up to stroke her cheek. “I know it’s not the romantic vision you’ve probably dreamed of your entire life. I know it’s not how I ever envisioned proposing to a woman, but I’m convinced with your tenacity and my stubborn ass, we can make it work.”
“You mean marriage, marriage?”
“Surely you can imagine a real marriage with me. I’m not so ugly.”
1
She blinked multiple times at his comment and the bold way he looked her over, feeling her breath catch in her throat. “You want a real marriage. Like sex?” she was embarrassed as her voice squeaked like Bram’s had at thirteen.
“Why not?” he cocked his head to one side and looked her up and down.
“Because we don’t know each other!”
“Tell me you haven’t had at least one sexual dream about me since we met. I know I’ve had plenty about you.” He was ogling her overtly, “I’m confident the attraction I’ve noted isn’t one sided.”
His arrogance was astounding He wasn’t wrong but sheesh his confidence was not lacking.
“Having sexual fantasy does not equate to anything remotely close to two people who should get married.”
“No but, if I was putting pen to paper and drafting a list of the perfect partner, I bet you have all the qualities.”
“I bet you don’t,” she tossed back in confusion. “Royal, we fight all the time.”
“Passion.” He shrugged. “In time our arguing will be resolved. We’re at loggerheads a lot right now because of this situation but you fascinate me, and I want you.”
“But why? Why can’t things stay the way they were? Why can’t I simply be Precious’ friend who you bring her to see when you go to Pittsburgh for your coffee?”
She wanted to pull away from him, but she had a strange compulsion to lean into him and it was
1/2
unnerving.
“Famke, I believe my brother and his wife wronged you. What they did was wrong.” He held his hand up when she prepared to protest, “Not having a surrogate. I understand why they went this route. But playing the mind games they did and robbing you of an opportunity to be part of Precious’ life in whatever capacity you had agreed upon, was wrong. You missed out on five years of being part of her life. For her part, she missed out on five years of you. Each of my brother’s letters were incrementally more obsessed with finding his way back to you. I bet if he’d lived another six months or a year, the next few letters would have been him leaving Mindy and finding a way to come to you. Their marriage was on the rocks. All the things I have found out since I found those letters and my interviews with their staff all tell me Mindy was battling a mental illness and Prince was at his wits end. He wanted you to be part of her life. He knew you deserved to be part of Precious’ life and I want to deliver this for you.”
“But why marriage?”
“A multitude of reasons but to name a few, Precious is in school now so taking her on trips to Pittsburgh are going to be few and far between. I need someone here for her when I have to work late. I do frequently have long hours and while I’ve adjusted them because of her in my life and I have no regrets doing it, I would feel better to know she had us both here in the event I get tied up. I can’t keep asking my mom and dad to drop what they are doing at the last moment to get her. They raised their family already. It’s their turn for retirement and while they would never complain, she’s their granddaughter after all, they aren’t ready to raise another child. Mostly, it’s for Precious. She is in therapy for trauma, and I know, deep in my soul, having you as part of her life will undoubtedly help her heal. She gravitated to you in the coffee shop, and you know it. You felt it too. Don’t lie to yourself, Famke. You feel the connection you have with her and it’s going to do her nothing but good for this to grow. You can be the steady hand she needs, has always needed. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, and if it means marrying a gorgeous blonde and seducing the hell out of her, I’m all in.” He winked playfully. “I won’t have a single regret about it.”
