Page 28 of Gracefully Yours

“Okay?”

“You mean it?” She asked me. “You really want to marry me?”

“Absolutely.”

Charlotte nodded. “Then… I think we should do it.”

“Is that a yes?” My heart was practically in my throat.

She took a deep breath and nodded.“Yes.”

It was my turn to say it. “Okay.”

I looked at her, cheeks faintly pink on my porch, and opened the door wider. “Want to come in?”

She followed me inside without response, heading into my kitchen and opening several cupboards before I realized she was making herself a cup of tea.

I stood, mesmerized, as I watched her make herself at home in my house. Sure, she’d done it before, but now it felt like it meant something. Because maybe this would be her home, too.

I leaned against the wall that went into the kitchen, just watching her.

She hopped up on the counter as she waited for her water to heat, and finally turned her attention back to me. “We need this to look real. For starters, we need some sort of proposal story. Our friends are absolutely going to kill me if we just say ‘hey, we’re getting married!’ Even if it is a fake marriage.”

Fake marriage? I tried to hide my frown. “Okay. I mean, can’t we just tell them I proposed at dinner?” I’d had a ring in my pocket. I could have given it to her. But for whatever reason, I didn’t. Maybe I was afraid that even if I was down on one knee ring in hand, she’d still say no.

Charlotte frowned. “Daniel. Benjamin flew Angelina toParisto propose.You know Matthew has this giant scavenger hunt planned for Noelle. We need… something. Some cute story. They’re going to think it’s suspicious if we just suddenly say we’re getting married out of the blue, aren’t they?” She continued on. “So we should tell them we’ve been dating in secret or something. Or maybe we can tell them after we’ve officially gotten engaged? I mean, Hunter and Gabbi did that. Dated without telling all of us.”

“Charlotte. Hey. Breathe.” I stepped closer, standing in front of her in the kitchen and squeezing her thigh. “Don’t worry about all of that. We’ll just tell them the truth.”

“Which is?”

That I’m in love with you.

“That you’re madly in love with me, and when I realized, I immediately got down on one knee and asked you to marry me?”

She snorted. “Like that’s believable.”

“First of all, ouch. Second—do you have a better idea?” If she wanted a proposal story, I’d give her one. I’d do whatever she asked, because she was my best friend, and I wanted her to be happy. “We have to pretend to be in love, you know.” I smirked.

She just shook her head at me.

“We’ll come up with something.”

“Okay.” She looked up at me, like the realization had finally sunk in. “Oh my god. We’re going to getmarried.”

“That’s kind of the idea, Char.” I smirked, liking the idea of it just a little too much. Her being my wife.

“There’s probably a million things we have to figure out.” Leaning her head against the cabinet doors, she looked down at me.

“Like what?”

“Like… What happens if we meet someone else? If you fall in love, I… I wouldn’t want to keep you from that, and…”

I squeezed her thigh again. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

I wouldn’t fall for someone else. For the last nine years, I hadn’t. I was an idiot. For not telling her how I felt years ago. For cashing in on our marriage pact instead of just telling her how I felt now. For somehow agreeing to something that wasn’t evenreal.

My beautiful best friend Charlotte, who didn’t know that I felt even an inkling of desire towards her. None, because I had made sure of it. Which was stupid.

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