Page 139 of Nine Months to Love
“There’s a little more to it than that.”
“Not much.”
She shakes her head, but she’s smiling. “Okay. Fine. Say I’m willing to consider this crazy, accelerated courtship of yours. When were you thinking?”
“Two weeks.”
Her jaw promptly hits the floor. “Two weeks?!” She nearly chokes on the words. “Stefan, that’s insane! I need to find a dress, and we need to send invitations, and book a photographer, and arrange catering, and— No, just no. Two weeks is too soon.”
“Three, then.”
“Stefan…”
“Four. Final offer.”
She squints at my face. I can see her weighing it, calculating, trying to figure out if it’s actually possible.
“You’re serious about this,” she says finally.
“Deadly.”
“Why the rush?”
Because I need you bound to me in every way possible. Because the thought of you changing your mind makes me want to fucking vomit. Because I’ve spent my entire life taking what I want and I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
“Because I love you,” I say instead. “And I don’t want to wait.”
Those are the magic words, apparently. “I love you, too.”
I grin. “So marry me. In four weeks.”
“In the backyard of the manor,” she decides. “With Elena there. She’d be devastated if she missed it.”
The fact that she’s already thinking about my grandmother, about including her, about making this a real family moment—it does something to my chest that I don’t have words for.
“Done,” I agree.
She bites her lip. “I should probably invite my parents.”
I tense. “Do you want them there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? They’re my parents, Stefan. Even if they drive me crazy.”
“Then invite them. But if your mother says one thing wrong?—”
“I know, I know. You’ll throw her out.”
“I’ll do a hell of a lot worse than that.”
She laughs and kisses me. “Four weeks. I can work with four weeks.”
“Good. Now, we just need to get you a dress.”
Her face lights up. “Oh! I haven’t even thought about that.”
“Good thing I have, then. There are shops in Florence. We can go today.”
“Today?!”
