It didn't make sense to me why Lucas might do such a thing. He offered to help me around the farm, and I have taken him up a few times. But somewhere along the way, it started to feel like he wanted more from me than I wanted to give him. He was like a brother to me. I had done nothing to lead him on or make him hope that I cared for him in any way beyond friendship. And yet, I could almost hear him say that he had done this to prove himself to me. His recent temperament all showed me just what a volatile person he was.
“Agotia?” Alex knocked on the door gently before pushing it open, his head popping around the corner. “Asta said you've been hiding in here. That you left after breakfast, claiming not to feel good. Is everything okay?"
The concern in his voice made my heart ache. Keeping what I suspected about the snuff boxes from him would be difficult. I tried to remind myself that this was not a real marriage, but that had the opposite effect on me, making me more upset than anything else.
“I’m fine. Just a little run down. But I feel better now. Is dinner ready?”
I pushed past where he stood in the doorway, hoping he wouldn't catch my lie. His hand caught me around my waist, dashing all my hopes.
“Tell me, what’s wrong?”
The way he whispered his request solidified that he was not the kind of man to request anything. He demanded and accepted no excuses, yet he was asking for me to communicate with him, and I couldn't do it.
"I just didn't sleep very well," I lied. "New place and all. It's nothing."
The look in his eye told me he didn't believe me, but this time as I tried to step away, he let me go. As we entered the dining room, I could hear his footsteps echo behind mine. Asta was dashing around the room, setting food trays down and lighting candles. It was a beautiful feast that I hadn't been expecting.
“What’s all this?” I asked no one in particular.
“Thank you, Asta. I can take it from here.”
His dismissal of her had my heart racing as I thought about our first dinner together.
“Alex?” I questioned as he pulled out a chair for me.
“Is it not natural for a man to do romantic things for his wife?”
"Ah," I said, unable to keep the sadness from my response as I realized that this was all part of the ruse.
“Do you not like it? We could drive to another town if you would rather have something else for dinner.”
"No, this is fine. It's wonderful. Thank you." The words sounded forced, even to my ears, but I could do nothing now. "Tell me about your day."
I did my best to keep up with the conversation, but I could tell that he and I both knew there was a puzzle in the air. Even if this was a fake marriage, I hated the idea of keeping my concerns from him. Alex was my friend, too; he deserved the truth just as much as Lucas deserved the chance to make things right. It was just a matter of which one would come first. Just as I had decided to come clean with Alex, he pulled out a little velvet box and set it on the table.
"I know that marriage with me, like this, is not what you envisioned for yourself. You didn't get the proposal, the wedding, or the honeymoon you deserve, but I can at least give you a right ring."
He pulled open the lid of the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring, emerald cut and so big, I was sure it would dwarf my finger. The gold band that matched the one already on my finger highlighted the tiny diamonds surrounding the central jewel. It was breathtaking and, by far, the most expensive piece of jewelry I had ever seen.
“Alex, I can’t accept this.”
“We have been over this, Agotia. Yes, you can. I insist."
He pushed back from the table, picked the ring out of the box, and crossed to stand beside me.
“Your hand, please.”
It was the second time he made a request of me tonight, and I found I could not deny him this time. He clutched my hand in his and bent to one knee, making me gasp.
“There is no one else here, Alex. What are you doing?” I whispered, trying to still my racing heart.
“Agotia, when I asked you to marry me when we said our vows, I felt some things were left unsaid. I want to tell them now, and then you can decide whether you want this ring." He waited for me to nod before he continued. "As your husband, your problems will become my own. Your restless nights and hard days will be my responsibility to fix. Your laughter will be the tonic to my soul. I promise to be your friend before I am anything else. I promise to put your best interests above my own. And I promise that you will never have to walk through anything alone. Will you accept my ring?”
I tried hard to convince myself that this was all for the show. That Asta was secretly recording this from the living room, but as I looked around, I only saw Alex on his knee in front of me, offering promises I knew he could break because it was a fake marriage. I wished more than anything that he could give me his heart and a life together filled with children and memories. I hoped that this wasn't fake.
“Yes,” I whispered.
And as he slipped the ring on my finger, nothing I felt for him at that moment was fake.
