“And you seriously expect me to believe you were going to agree to a small wedding?” The man was Greek, and it would have been his grandfather in total cahoots with her mother over a wedding that would never be now.
“I want to save you further censure in the public eye, not cause it. And I know you were not looking forward to all the hoopla our families had planned. You are far too introverted for that.”
“So we are agreed on a civil ceremony?”
“I did not say that.”
“I do not want a blessed ceremony.”
She’d managed to shock him with that one. “Why not?”
“To say vows before God means making promises we don’t mean and cannot break.”
“This marriage is for life.”
“You say that now, but you might fall in love…I might want out someday. I don’t want us to promise love when we don’t mean it.” By we she meant him, but she wasn’t going to say so and lay her heart bare.
He was silent for several seconds, and she wished she’d been more specific on stipulation five. His eyes narrowed in thought and he said, “Leave it to me.”
She took that as acquiescence, just glad he hadn’t dug further into her reasoning. “So, you really are okay with all my requirements?”
He sighed. “I can see we will not have peace until we have discussed each one. One, yes, I will propose—but when will be at my discretion. Two, I have no problem with you having a career. I cannot imagine you not using the education you fought so hard to attain. But I would prefer you take a job with my company rather than your father’s,” he said, ticking each point off on his fingers as he went.
“Agreed.” Her father’s willingness to sell her life for his company would take a long time getting past. She didn’t particularly want to work for him any longer.
“Three, no children for five years. You realize I will be jealous of my brother’s fortune until you agree to share that joy with me, but I will not push.”
She nodded, a lump forming in her throat so she could not speak. She’d put that stipulation in so that if they did divorce down the road no children would be affected. And she didn’t want to work full-time once she had a baby. However, she had a feeling she would be craving a child with him long before her stipulated time restraint was over.
Lucky for her that she was not in the fertile part of her cycle, because they had not used protection the night before.
He smiled, reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “All will be well, byba. You must trust me on this.”
She wanted to blurt her love out right then. He was looking at her with such tender care—like so many times in the past. “You are a good man,” she said instead.
His smile was brilliant. “Thank you. Shall we continue?”
“You’ve already covered the lack of a big wedding.”
“But I did not mention number four.”
The promise for total fidelity.
“I…You…” She felt the need to explain, but words were deserting her.
He waited patiently, his expression unreadable.
“You said you’d been with a lot of women. That you hadn’t married any of them.”
“I said I’d kissed many women I did not end up married to.”
“But I knew what you meant.”
“And you assumed I would continue?”
“No, I thought you might get bored,” she said, all in a rush.
“After last night, you thought this?” He shook his head, his expression only too easy to decipher now. Total disbelief marked his handsome features. “Impossible!”