Page 44 of Love Me Forever
He laughed and hugged her to him. “I am as hungry as you, only my stomach does not protest loudly.”
She sat up with excitement. “Let us make a grand meal to celebrate.”
“Aye,” he said, running his hand up her arm. “Our love is something that should be celebrated.”
She felt no shyness with him. How could she when he had touched her in all ways possible? She leaned down and kissed his cheek, then tenderly kissed his lips.
In a soft yet strong voice she said, “I love you.”
* * *
Brianna grew strongerevery day and found joy in every moment she spent with Royce. They laughed often and loved just as often. She sometimes wondered if perhaps it was all a dream and that she would wake to find herself recovering from her accident. She would pinch herself time and again to make certain she was awake and then laugh at her own foolishness.
Then she would worry that she had unwisely fallen in love and then admonish herself for being foolhardy with her own worrisome thoughts.
Royce was the complete opposite of her. He simply accepted how he felt and insisted that she felt the same way, so, therefore, there was no problem.
“Your brother will clearly see how much we love each other and consent to our union,” he said to her one morning when they had taken but a few steps outside the cottage.
The weather had calmed, her pain had subsided, and he had taken her outside once before since she had complained about needing fresh air. It was now a daily occurrence for them to walk near the cottage each day, weather permitting.
Today the sun was strong, white clouds floated in a brilliant blue sky, the air was crisp, and she stood beside him, stunned.
“Our union?” she repeated.
He seemed to think nothing of his remark and adjusted his fur around her. “Aye, we will wed soon after our return.”
“You have decided this?” she asked with a hint of annoyance.
He grinned, shook his head, then leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I have handled this poorly and without thought. My love for you blinds me to proper manners, though if I was to do this properly, then it is your brother I should approach and request permission to take you as my wife.”
Brianna had to smile. “I will be the one who decides whom I wed, and how can I decide that when I have not been asked?”
He laughed and the strong sound echoed in the stillness of the surrounding woods. “We will wed, of that I am certain, but I will appease your romantic side and properly request your hand in marriage.”
If she had not been aware of his tender side, she would have taken affront to his arrogant proposal that they would wed merely because he was certain of it. But she could not be angry with him, for she understood that he spoke from his heart and in his own way. She waited patiently for him to ask.
After he made certain his fur was secure around her, he took her hand and made ready to walk with her.
She stood firm where she was and asked, “Do you not intend to ask me?”
“Aye, in time.”
“In time? Why not at this moment?”
“It will not do.”
Her eyes rounded. “Will not do? And why not?”
“You expect it.”
If her eyes could have widened further, they would have. “You confuse me. You tell me we will wed, you tell me you will ask me, and now you tell me I expect it.” She shook her head.
He took her in his arms. “I am not your common man. I am strong in my thought and opinion, and when I make a decision, there is no changing it. I am used to following my own way of things and having my own way.”
“I have become accustomed to the same luxury.”
He smiled. “Then we will match wits often.”
