“Never mind.” She dropped her gaze to her tightly clasped hands in her lap.
His heart slammed against his ribs. “No, not never mind. You had something to say, and I want to hear it.”
He’d not meant the words to be so forceful, but at least it returned her wondrous gaze to his own. Her chin trembled as her hands fidgeted.
“I need something.” The words came out softly, but he heard the ache in her voice.
“If there is anything I can do, it would be my honor to grant it after all you have done for me.” She shook her head and he frowned. “It is true. You do more for others than anyone I know and have done more for me than any of my acquaintance. I’d be a terrible friend indeed if I was remiss in fulfilling any wish of yours.”
He wrapped his hands about hers to stop their agitated movement. Then she said the three words he’d never expected her or anyone to say.
“I need you.”
Grace stilled, waiting for Alan to say something, anything. She’d never laid her heart bare before. It was equal parts terrifying and wonderful. Which feeling would be the victor of the day?
If he rejected her, she’d not only suffer humiliation, but her heart might break into a thousand pieces. Last night, she’d been certain he held her in great esteem, perhaps even loved her. Now she wondered if her heart had run away with her head and she’d only seen what she longed for.
He didn’t move, and she couldn’t stand to look at the shock in his eyes a moment longer. Dropping her gaze, she pulled from his grasp and rose to her feet.
“Forgive me.” She tried to leave, but her skirt caught on something. Frustrated and nearing tears, she looked down. Alan had a white-knuckled grip on her skirts. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to his pleading eyes.
“Stay, Grace. I beg of you.” He shifted to his knees and took hold of her hands. “You cannot make such a bold declaration and then leave without an answer.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, a tear slipped past her defenses.
“I don’t deserve you, Grace, and I’m not certain you know what you are asking for. I may never overcome the instinct to fight when I am startled, and when I have nightmares, I scream and thrash in my sleep. Honestly, I fear for your safety.” He let go of her hands and bowed his head as if waiting for a verdict.
She cupped the bottom of his unshaven chin and lifted his head to meet her watery gaze. “Those are risks I am willing to take if it means I will get to love you for the rest of my life.”
He let out a tiny laugh. “My sister said something similar about her own marriage just last week.”
Grace smiled. “She is a wise woman.”
Alan’s smile faded. “Why would you extend such love to someone as unworthy as me?”
Using her other hand, she smoothed back the blond curls that had fallen across his forehead. “You, Alan Hensworth, are not unworthy. I have never met a man who took self-control as seriously as you do. I feel perfectly safe in your hands.”
Those blessed hands of his rose to fit themselves on either side of her waist, sending an unspeakable thrill through her at his silent acceptance.
“I love you, Grace. I think I always have. Since the first time I saw you, you’ve shined a light into the darkness of my life. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, and God knows I am a terribly selfish man for wanting you as my wife, but I could not live with myself knowing I had denied you the only thing you’ve ever requested of me.”
The tears broke free, streaming down her cheeks in quiet rivulets. Slowly, she dropped to the ground in front of him and he moved his hands to her cheeks, his thumbs wiping away her tears.
“Grace, I would love nothing more than to give myself to you, body and soul, if you would consent to be my wife.”
They were the most beautiful words she’d ever heard in her entire life. Nothing else could satisfy her soul like knowing he loved her.
She tried to answer, but her tears choked her words, so she vigorously nodded her acceptance. The next thing she knew his lips were on hers, warm and hungry. Salty tears mixed with thetaste of peppermint as she slipped her hands around his waist. The joy in her soul expanded, filling her with the most wondrous exaltation.
Wholeheartedly she returned his kiss, moving her lips in a wondrous dance with his. In that moment, her troubles slipped away. Gone was the ache of wondering whether he could ever return her love and in its place a solid reassurance.
She was wise enough to know it would not be easy, but if he would not stop trying to overcome his fears, she would stop at nothing to be near him.
If it were possible, she would have stayed in that moment, kissing Alan as if there was nothing but the two of them in the entire world, but they could not stay on their knees forever. So when he gentled the kiss, she understood.
Their lips parted, and she snuggled into his chest breathing in the scent of him. A mixture of leather and a hint of pine clung to his clothes.
“I love you, too,” she murmured.
