Page 43 of Forbidden Bastard
Adrenaline rushed into her veins. He loved her? She couldn’t move.
Since she was a young girl, she’d dreamed of someone like him coming into her life.
Sandi pressed her hand to her heart as her vision went dark. Part of her just didn’t believe him. Maybe she wasn’t in love with him at all, but just wanted his safety net. Her pulse raced as she wasn’t sure. “You love me? Since when?”
He scooted closer and their knees brushed. “I realized it last night. You were perfect and supported me against Francesca. You made last night tolerable.”
Last night when his birth mother had tried to make him feel unwelcome? The royal family had circled around and insisted they stay.
All she’d done was stand next to him and offered to go with him for fresh air, but that wasn’t enough to instill love. It made her human, that was all. “I didn’t do anything.”
He put a beignet on her plate. “Except for Clara, you are more like family than I’ve ever had. Now it’s time to make it official.”
But tonight? Maybe she'd missed that conversation last night as the end of the ball was hazy.
Had the champagne loosened her tongue? Nothing came to mind, but she glanced at her plate and said, “I…”
The rest of her sentence didn’t come.
Charles sat straighter and asked, “Don’t you want to marry me, Sandi?”
She gripped his forearm. “I do. I don’t think we should rush in a day. You have a few weeks left, right?”
“Till my birthday, yes.” He brushed his fingers against her wrist which made her skin feel alive. “But I’d rather start my life in Avce with all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed. And that means you, here, beside me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” She met his worried gaze.
If she loved him, she was making another mistake. But if she didn’t then she was hurting them both.
And she never ever made the right decisions, especially in a rush.
Every cell in her body craved him. How could she not? She took a deep breath and ignored how her stomach knotted. She shouldn’t make him worry. “Okay, let's get married tonight.”
He kissed her wrist and reached for his coffee like all was well. “I’m thinking the patio overlooking the ocean is a good place to make this all official.”
A beautiful spot. Yes. However the vision of herself in her wedding dress hadn’t registered in her mind and she couldn’t imagine the moment she said ‘I do.’ She should be able to. She should imagine every detail, right? Sandi slumped back. “I’m going to need a few cups of coffee.”
He winked at her and ate his beignet. “I’ll have the chef ensure you go to the castle with a full carafe.”
His beignet looked good. She straightened and picked hers up. If only her hands wouldn't tremble. If she made a bad choice this would be for life. Was she in love? How did she know? For now, the coffee was still warm and she licked her lips. “Charles, why don’t we postpone this until next week?”
She bit into the small piece of powder-sugared heaven and her stomach untwisted slightly. She took another bite, then another until she finished. Sandi looked up into Charles’s intense gaze. He said, “You keep changing your mind. Don’t want to marry me?”
Of course she did.Ifher nerves meant she was in love, but what if it wasn’t? She hadn't made a good choice, in years. She wasn’t being impetuous and seemed to be the one in the relationship with a clear mind. Heaven help them both. She picked up her coffee cup again and said, “I just want to make a few choices, like a dress, and take my time, because rushing is bad for me. How about tomorrow? That will at least let me focus on just the dress and my mom.”
He stared at her like they were playing poker--she was never good at that game. He said, “I stand by my decisions. If you trust me, we’ll be fine.”
Trust. Her heart beat echoed in her chest. She focused on the sound and lifted her chin. Rushing was a bad idea so she said flatly, “And waiting one night never hurt anything that was meant to be.”
He blinked and slumped his shoulders. “So you want to get married tomorrow?”
“Yes.” She agreed fast but electricity coursed through her. She wanted to marry Charles. Part of her thought it was the right choice, but in the back of her mind, she had the urge to run away. “Probably. But, do you want to marry me because of Francesca?”
His lips thinned as his cheeks became taut. “She’s not invited.”
Fair. She just needed to find a way to slow down and think. If she was clear, then she’d say she loved him back and be excited that he loved her.
Something was holding her in place and years of bad choices hovered over her head. One day she’d not self destruct. She believed that, even if her parents had mortgaged their home thinking she'd save the day with those stupid medical devices no one wanted.
