Page 87 of Partnering with the Artist

Zakery provides a very intelligent, “Huh.”

“Huh?”

“I neglected to tell them. That is occurring to me right in this precise moment.”

My mouth drops open. “Youwhat?”

Sliding his fingers into his hair, Zakery lifts a shoulder. “Viktor already approved letting you be my muse. I smuggled you into the seamstress mouse position. Nothing really changes if we get married now. You’ve already been spending half your nights here, completely not bothering my brothers. So. Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters! I’m going to be their sister! Morana will be their sister! They’ll be our brothers!” I’m…going to havefour older brothers. Four of them. A whole army of brothers. I shall never be hurt again, probably, and whoever Morana falls in love with better be prepared to lose his kneecaps in the event he ever hurts her.

“Speaking of your sister, I assume you’ve told Morana? Doesshe have doubts? Is that why you are having them, too?”

I straighten. “I haven’t told her yet. But I have an excuse. In that I haven’t committed to the idea of it yet.”

“If you don’t want to move in, you don’t have to move in.”

“Are we getting married or not?” I ask. “If I don’t have to move in, if we don’t have to have awedding night, why are we getting married right now?”

He laughs, tapping my lips with his knuckle. “Because, princess, I love you. Marrying you isn’t about playing house. It’s about saying you’re mine and I’m yours. Even if we’re apart. Even if we don’t go further for a while. I know I love you. I know I want you. I know. So I want everyone to know.” Leaning back on his hands, he nods, affirmative. “Including the US government. They’ll not get taxes out of you for your modeling, but they may have our marriage papers. Bless.”

Bless indeed…

He’s really painting this as very low stakes.

“Speaking of the government,” he murmurs, “we will need to apply for a marriage license this week, unless you firmly decide that you don’t want to go through with it within at least the next sixty days. If you think you might want to, we can have it on hand, even if it’s not next Sunday that it happens. If we get it, and you decide you’d rather not, it’s okay. We can just apply for another one later.”

Ah.

Yes.

Right.

Well.

That’s all good and fine and reasonable, isn’t it? Ducks in a row, options available and displayed clearly, for any eventuality.

It kind of makes me want to shake him. “How are you so perfect, Zakery?”

He beams. “It’s what I was raised to be.”

I wince. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey…” He curls a knuckle under my chin. “That was a joke. I like being perfect to you. Other than my brothers, you’ve seen the most of who I really am, andtheydon’t think I’m very perfect, so I really appreciate the part where you do.”

Everything inside me wants to curl up in his arms and go to sleep until this stress passes, even if I know that it’s only going to get worse ifthe daycloses in and I haven’t dealt with it. Softly, I say, “What if you regret marrying me, Zakery?”

“Why would a mere mortal regret marrying a goddess?”

“I’m not a goddess. My only merits are that you think I’m pretty and I can sew.”

“Sewing is very important when I’m little more than a patchwork of broken parts, Maelin.” Pushing himself toward me, he locks his lips with mine, stealing some apprehension in a kiss. “Also, I don’t think you’repretty. I think you’re divine, my every unsuspecting fantasy come alive, the first and only woman I have ever dreamt about, the first and only woman I have ever kissed or wanted to touch.” He touches a kiss to my chin, my cheek. Leaning over me while I sit on the floor beneath the dais step, he touches his forehead to mine and exhales warm air across my lips. “Pretty.” He scoffs through a smile. “I believe I have told you to stop insulting yourself so.”

“I’m not good enough,” I say. “I can’t even follow simple instructions. I’ll disappoint you somehow. I just know it.”

“Is that the truth you believe, or the lies you’ve been fed?”

“I…” Swallowing bitterness, I whisper, “I don’t know. What if you’re the one lying?”

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