Page 29 of Gracefully Yours

Safe to say, not one bit of that explained why I had asked her to marry me. Or the pain it sent to my heart when she referred to what I had just proposed to her as a fake marriage. But I’d take what I could get with her, wouldn’t I? I always had.

So I’d give her the wedding of her dreams, let her have the family she had always wanted, and if she never loved me as anything other than a friend… well, that’d be okay, too.

She giggled, and I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I just never thought I’d be living the plot of a marriage of convenience novel, or be agreeing to a fake marriage.” She laughed again, wiping her eyes before looking at me.

It doesn’t have to be fake.What was I thinking? I was out of my mind. I just couldn’t help it when she started talking about wanting a family at dinner the other night. What was she going to do, have someoneelse’skid?

She wasn’t mine, and I knew it. She’d neverbeenmine, because I’d been a coward for too long. Too scared to lose her and too terrified to make a move. I couldn’t sit around and wait any longer, though.

For her, I could be that person. We both wanted the life that I could give her: a marriage, a house,kids. A life with laughter and joy always surrounding us.

But calling it afakemarriage? I groaned to myself. Sure, I’d play along for now, but I was going to make her see that it was the truth, that my feelings for her were real. And hopefully, in time, she’d return those feelings back to me.

“Okay. Any other concerns you need me to ease? Or things we need to figure out right now?”

“Um…” Charlotte bit her lip. “Just that… I want to do all that typical couple stuff, I guess. Even if we’re only faking it. After watching Angelina and Benjamin’s wedding this summer… I want that. I want to have a wedding. It doesn’t have to be a huge one, but one with all our friends, where we get all dressed up.”

My sister was blissfully happy with her new husband, who she’d met at a work retreat despite insisting that she hated him. They loved to argue, but they loved each other even more. I was just glad she found someone deserving of her, because Benjamin was a really great guy. I enjoyed spending time with him when we all hung out together.

She tilted her head at me, like she was contemplating something. “If I’m only doing this once, I want to do it right.”

Something made my heart beat faster at that admission. I liked that—that she would bemine,and no one else’s. It fulfilled a strange, growly possessive part of me I wasn’t sure what to do with.

“Of course. But… Are you sure you don’t want to have a big wedding? I don’t mind, you know. Whatever you want.”

She shook her head. “My mom would probably insist, but… No. I want the dress, and the photos, and the memories, but I think who’sthereis more important. And that’s just all the people who we love, who are actually important in our lives. And… us, I guess.”

“I think that’s perfect.”

“You do?”

I nodded. “And I think you should move in with me.”

“What?” Her mouth dropped open, like she hadn’t even considered us living together, even though we’d just agreed to get married.

“Charlotte.” I sighed. “Please let me help you with your apartment. I know you’ve stressed about it, and I want to help. I want to take care of you.” I tilted her chin up, bringing our gazes together. “If I’m going to be your husband, let me help you.”

She sighed as I wove my arms around her back. “Move in with me,” I said against her hair, keeping her squished against my chest as I repeated it.

“I heard you the first time,” she mumbled. “But…”

“Come on. We’re going to live together eventually if we’re married, right? You can just move in now instead.”

“I don’t know…” She looked around the room. “I have a lot of stuff. I don’t want to… take over your space.”

“Our space.”

She looked at me with a befuddled expression on her face. “Our?”

“Yes.Ours. Besides, my house is enormous enough for the two of us. You can use the extra bedroom for a sewing room for your dresses and orders. And you’re always over here, anyway. It just makes sense.”

I hoped that appealing to her with logic would make her ignore how illogical all of this was. Getting married, living together, faking the relationship… All of it.

“Okay. You’re right… Wewouldlive together if we were in an actual relationship. I just… have to give notice to my complex.”

I nodded, relieved to get her out of there. “Do you want me to come with you? I can take care of it.” Even if she could do it herself, I still wanted to be there for her. I was okay with her depending on me whenever she needed it. Shewasgoing to be mywife, after all.

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