by Erica Vetsch
Tears pricked her eyes. “It’s impossible. How could you even think of going forward with the engagement? You let me believe you were a fraud, that you had dallied with me then run off to marry another woman—” Her hands fisted at her sides.
When she tried to turn away from him, he pulled her into his arms. She pushed at him, struggling in his embrace, but he held on.
“Annie, stop it. Stop it!” He hugged her tight. “Let me explain.”
“You can’t. You can’t explain anything. Do you know how much you hurt me?”
Sobs crowded her throat. As much as she wanted to loathe him, to lash out, to wound him, she couldn’t.
When she stilled, he loosened his hold but didn’t let her go. Instead he stroked her shoulders and hair, whispering against her temple. “I’m sorry, but hear me out.” He put his finger under her chin and raised her face. “We have a lot of lines to untangle, but I want you to know I love you with all my heart, and I’d never knowingly hurt you. I had no idea who Grandfather was arranging for me to marry, and I certainly didn’t think he’d go ahead with his plans after I left town.”
She could barely take in his words. Too much heartbreak, too many guilty secrets stood between them. He said he loved her, but how could she be sure?
“Annie, please.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead. “I don’t want there to be any secrets between us ever again. I ran away from Duluth because I was ashamed. I felt so guilty over the wreck of the Bethany. I wanted to start a new life. But the guilt came with me. I thought I’d never be happy again. But then I met you. I’ve wanted to tell you the truth so many times. I wish now I had.”
“You broke my heart when you left. You were engaged to someone else.”
A smile tugged his lips. “Actually, when you think about it, I wasn’t. I was engaged to you.” He grasped her hands, his eyes pleading with her. “Annie, I promise you I was going to end the engagement my grandfather had arranged for me and find you as soon as possible. I don’t want to spend another day without you. When you weren’t on the ferry this morning, Eli had to nearly tie me down to keep me from setting sail for Sutton Island right then.”
Hope leaped in her heart. “After everything, all the secrets, you still want to marry me? You’re willing to forgive me for not telling you who I was and why I’d run away?”
“I’d be a real hypocrite if I didn’t forgive you, wouldn’t I? You had secrets from me. I had secrets from you. Annie, my love, I’m done with secrets. I’m done with being haunted by the past. From this moment on, I’m just Noah—Nick, if you prefer—forgiven by God, and I hope, by you. Say you forgive me for being so stupid as to walk away from you without telling you the truth. Say you love me as I love you. And please, darling Annie, say you’ll marry me.” He stepped back and opened his arms, waiting for her response.
All the walls of hurt and hiding crumbled from around her heart. Without hesitation, she went into his embrace. “I do forgive you, and I do love you.” Her heart pounded at admitting it aloud for the first time.
His eyes glowed with warmth and love, making her heart beat faster. “There’s only one more thing I need to hear from you before I kiss you like I’ve been wanting to all night.”
“And what’s that?” She stroked her fingers down his cheek, delighting in the roughness of his stubbly whiskers. A stray thought flitted through her mind, wondering why he hadn’t shaved. His question blew the thought from her mind.
“Anastasia Michaels, will you marry me?”
She cupped his cheeks and stared deeply into his blue eyes. “Noah Kennebrae, I would be honored.” Her arms slipped around his neck.
He lowered his head and kissed her, lightly at first but then deeper. His kiss was everything she remembered and better.
When they pulled apart, he caressed her hair. “I love you, Annie. I don’t think I can call you Anastasia. Will you mind? You’ll always be Annie to me.”
“I love you, too. I won’t mind a bit, Nick.” Her heart threatened to burst with happiness.
“Your father will be breaking down this door soon.” He smiled into her eyes, pulling her close for another kiss, then rested his cheek on her hair. “There’s only one thing that worries me.”
“What?” She nestled her head under his chin, reveling in his embrace, almost weak from relief and joy.
“Do you have any idea how my grandfather is going to gloat? He’s won again.”
She smiled, hearing the laughter in his voice. “You don’t sound like you mind very much.”
A chuckle rumbled under her ear. “I don’t suppose I do at that. But when he hears the whole story of our little marriage masquerade, he’s never going to let me live it down.”
Annie sighed, loathe to return to the party. “Marriage masquerade. That’s what it’s been, hasn’t it? But no more.”
“No more, my love.” He hugged her tight.
For my wonderful church family at Cornerstone. Thank you for all your encouragement.
A note from the Author:
I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:
Erica Vetsch
Author Relations
PO Box 721
Uhrichsville, OH 44683
ERICA VETSCH is married to Peter and keeps the company books for the family lumber business. A home-school mom to Heather and James, Erica loves history, romance, and storytelling. Her ideal vacation is taking her family to out-of-the-way history museums and chatting to curators about local history. She has a bachelor’s degree from Calvary Bible College in secondary education: social studies. You can find her on the Web at www.onthewritepath.blogspot.com