Chapter 71

I'm sitting at my desk in the Alpha's mansion, looking over some of the notes that I made during my last check up appointment with Emmett. Thankfully, his recovery has gone very well, though he still needs even more rest than he did before.

Everyone "in the know" is even more protective over him than we used to be. He's also given up his afternoon tea completely, which is sad but understandable. I wonder if the poor man will ever be able to drink tea again.

Honestly, it just makes me so angry. This whole thing. I glance up at the closed door, comforted in the knowledge that Anton is standing just outside of it. No one can get in here without Anton knowing it, and my window is so high up that I'm not particularly concerned about someone breaking in that way.

I'm safe. For now.

There's a murmur of voices outside in the hall, and I tense for a moment until the door swings open and Marcus strides inside, smiling cheerily at me.

He looks wonderful, as always. He's wearing a light gray summer suit and has on a sprightly peach-colored tie. His blue eyes shine beautifully in his dark tan face, which is open and relaxed.

"Evelyn!" he says. He's obviously in a good mood. "I have an idea. Let's go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us. It's been too long since we went on a date that doesn't revolve around…" he glances at the door behind him. "Well, you know."

"That sounds wonderful," I say, meaning it. "But I don't have any date clothes with me." I gesture at my office outfit, a navy pencil skirt and a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows.

"Don't worry about it," Marcus says with a wink, taking me by surprise. He seems so carefree; it's a wonderful change from our usual tense and worried conversations. "I've got it covered."

"Going to surprise me, then?" I ask, playful.

"I would've surprised you long before now, if we were dating under less trying circumstances," he replies. "It's time I rectified some of that. Pick you up at your office door at five?"

"It's a date."

He leaves, nodding at Anton, who nods back and closes the door.

At around three, there's another knock on my door. Anton appears in the doorway with a mischievous grin on his face, one hand behind his back.

"What's this?" I ask, setting down my pen.

"Special delivery from your paramour," Anton says. He presents a dress bag to me with a flourish, accompanied by a little bow.

"My paramour," I laugh. "Anton, you're ridiculous."

"It's in my job description, Doctor."

"I'm sure it is. All right, let's see what you've got for me." I stand up from my desk and walk around to take the bag from Anton, zipping it open.

Inside is a gorgeous dress, in a perfect cross between fancy and casual. It's navy blue, high necked and with a full waist. Very 1950s, I think. I love it.

I say as much to Anton, turning it so that he can see the full effect. He hums in approval.

"Very pretty dress," he says. "Marcus has good taste."

"That he does," I say. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky in finding Marcus. Despite everything, we still managed to find one another. I just hope that when I finally tell him who I really am, he will forgive me for keeping it a secret for so long.

I shove the thought aside. Now isn't the time to worry about that. Tonight, I just want to have a nice, normal date with my nice, (almost) normal boyfriend. Like any other 20-something woman in the city.

Tonight, I just want to be myself. As much as I can be, anyway.

I instantly like the restaurant Marcus has chosen, the minute we walk through the door. It's not so upscale that it's overwhelming or makes me feel self-conscious about my behavior, but it's not so downscale that I feel overdressed. A perfect medium, I think to myself happily. Just like my outfit.

The hostess greets Marcus by name with a genuine smile, and she shows us to a nice table at the window. The view outside is nice, too: a perfect view of the busy street. I do like to people watch sometimes, seeing what everyone is wearing as they walk along.

"This is perfect," I say to Marcus, who is scanning the wine list. "Just the vibes I needed tonight."

He grins at me from across the table, pausing to order a bottle of Merlot, then turning his attention back to me.

"I thought you would like it," he says. "I strongly recommend the cioppino, by the way. This place is a hidden gem - some of the freshest mussels you'll find in the city."

I love fresh mussels, which Marcus knows very well by now, so this is an unexpected delight. The server returns with our wine and pours it for us, the rich red liquid glimmering in the candlelight.

"Thank you," we both say to the server at the same time, then smile at one another. I'm perfectly content with Marcus. We don't even have to talk - though of course I love talking to him. I just also like simply being in his presence.

"The dress is lovely, by the way," I say. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"No trouble at all," Marcus waves a hand. "It looks as beautiful on you as I'd imagined it would."

I blush slightly, smoothing the skirt with my hands under the table. There's a short silence, and then the server returns to take our order. I ask for the cioppino, of course, and Marcus does the same.

After the server leaves again, there's another pause, and then Marcus leans across the table.

"Evelyn…" he starts, then stops. He begins again. "Evelyn, there's something I wanted to ask you about."

Suddenly, I'm nervous. I slide my palms down the silky skirt of my dress again, this time out of anxiety.

"What is it?" I ask.

"This isn't how I'd envisioned doing this," Marcus says, looking almost as nervous as I feel. "But it feels like the best way, considering everything. Evelyn, you know that I admire you very much, and I enjoy your company."

"I feel the same, about you, I mean," I say, wondering where he's going with this. Is he about to break up with me?

"I'm glad," he smiles, then continues. "And while you know it's important for me to be married, to be considered for the position of Alpha's heir, I hope you know that that is in no way the motivating factor in what I'm about to ask you."

Oh. Oh! Oh, my god!

He's going to propose.

"Evelyn, I'll put it plainly. I love you. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you consider doing me the very great honor of–"

"Marcus," I whisper, cutting him off. He stops, already looking crestfallen.

"Marcus." I clear my throat, try again. "Let me be perfectly clear. I love you, too. I do. And yes, yes, I want to marry you."

"But?"

"But I can't, not yet. There are…things that you don't know about me. I know that you know that."

"I do," Marcus says. "And it doesn't bother me. Not at all. My father knows the full story, and he trusts you completely, as do I. I don't need to know - not now, not ever, in fact, if that's how things turn out. I want you, exactly as you are. I don't need anything else."

I reach across the table to grip his hand tightly.

"That means more to me than you will ever know," I say. "It does. And it only reinforces my decision: the answer is yes…but not yet. Not until I can be totally, wholly honest with you.

"I know that that puts a kink in your plans regarding your position as heir, so if you can't wait, I will completely understand…"

"Don't be ridiculous." Marcus's voice is firm. "I will wait as long as you need, Evelyn. There's no one else for me. And this changes nothing between us. I know you're right, even." He sighs. "A marriage can't start with secrets."

"I'm so glad I'm finally able to tell you that I love you, though," I say. "Because it's true."

His eyes blaze with emotion.

"I love you, too. I very much do. I consider this evening a full success, knowing that we were able to at least be honest about our feelings. And my answer did get a yes, after all. In fact, this just means that I'll be able to propose again - properly, with a ring." He laughs, and so do I.

Marcus lifts up his glass, and I copy him. We clink them together and sip.

"To our future," says Marcus.

"To our future," I echo, glowing inside.