you honestly think I wouldn’t want to be with you?” Nicolas
asked.
Old
insecurities were hard to ignore and her eyes welled up with tears. No one had
ever wanted her. Her parents obviously had no feelings for her. Even her foster
parents hadn’t really wanted her. This man though, claimed to want her after
having just met her. Did she dare to believe this could all be true?
Perhaps
this wasn’t happening at all. That was it, she was
still unconscious, merely dreaming. Yeah, that explained things.
It
sure was a nice dream though…
“Mandy?”
Nicolas was standing before her now, looking concerned. “Are you alright?”
“I
don’t want to wake up,” she whispered.
“What?”
“This
is a dream, it has to be, but I don’t want to wake up. Is it so wrong to hope
that I’ve lapsed into a coma?” Nicolas and Jonathan burst into peals of
laughter. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
A
hard pinch on her arm had her scowling at Jonathan. “That hurt! Why on earth
did you pinch me?”
“To
prove to you that you are not dreaming, nor are you in a coma. This is all real, sweetie,” Jonathan gave a sweep of his arm to encompass the
entire room. “I told you my brother would love you.”
“Let’s
not get ahead of ourselves, we just met after all.” She didn’t want to scare
him away that was for sure. Not that she had to worry much about that. He
seemed perfectly content to stay very close to her, if his arm around her
shoulders were any indication. She flashed back to the way he had kept her on
his lap earlier as well.
Hmmm …I
could get used to this.
Starved
for affection most of her life, Mandy relished the feel of his arm around her
and snuggled into his side.
“Well,
we have the rest of your vacation to get to know one another, so let’s start
over dinner, shall we? Garrett should have dinner ready by now, so let’s head
down.” Nicolas offered her his arm, in a truly old-fashioned, but totally
gentlemanly way, and escorted her down to the dining room, with Jonathan with Anna
following. He must have noticed she was cold, since he ushered her into the
study where her bags had been placed and then waited outside while she slid
into a pair of jeans.
The
dining room was magnificent. A dark stone floor, high ceilings with great wood
beams, and enormous windows that were frosted from the cold all added to the
enchantment of the castle. Two candelabras were lit and placed on the long
table, giving their dinner a romantic glow.
Roast
beef, potatoes, peas, and fresh baked bread were awaiting them along with four
glasses of wine. The aroma of the food was enough to have Mandy closing her
eyes on a deep inhalation. She hadn’t had a big home-cooked meal in ages.
“This
looks wonderful,” Anna gushed as she took the seat which Jonathan held for her.
“Yes,
it does,” Mandy agreed. “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a big
home-cooked dinner and actually ate at the table.”
“Where
else would you eat?” Nicolas inquired with a charming grin as he helped her to
her chair.
“Growing
up, I usually ate alone in my room. My foster parents weren’t really big on
family time. They claimed it was so they didn’t get attached to the kids they
fostered, but I know it was because they were a little afraid of me. When I was
younger, I had a hard time controlling things if I got overly emotional,” she
explained. “It worked out for the best though. It made me stronger in the long
run. Nobody to rely on but myself, you know?”
“You
can rely on me,” Nicolas offered and Mandy smiled.
“Thank
you,” she wouldn’t deny the fact that his offer only endeared him to her even
more, but she was still the new kid on the block, so-to-speak, so she’d just
play things by ear for now.
Dinner
went well. Everyone exchanged childhood stories though Mandy kept hers short so
as not to
asked.
Old
insecurities were hard to ignore and her eyes welled up with tears. No one had
ever wanted her. Her parents obviously had no feelings for her. Even her foster
parents hadn’t really wanted her. This man though, claimed to want her after
having just met her. Did she dare to believe this could all be true?
Perhaps
this wasn’t happening at all. That was it, she was
still unconscious, merely dreaming. Yeah, that explained things.
It
sure was a nice dream though…
“Mandy?”
Nicolas was standing before her now, looking concerned. “Are you alright?”
“I
don’t want to wake up,” she whispered.
“What?”
“This
is a dream, it has to be, but I don’t want to wake up. Is it so wrong to hope
that I’ve lapsed into a coma?” Nicolas and Jonathan burst into peals of
laughter. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
A
hard pinch on her arm had her scowling at Jonathan. “That hurt! Why on earth
did you pinch me?”
“To
prove to you that you are not dreaming, nor are you in a coma. This is all real, sweetie,” Jonathan gave a sweep of his arm to encompass the
entire room. “I told you my brother would love you.”
“Let’s
not get ahead of ourselves, we just met after all.” She didn’t want to scare
him away that was for sure. Not that she had to worry much about that. He
seemed perfectly content to stay very close to her, if his arm around her
shoulders were any indication. She flashed back to the way he had kept her on
his lap earlier as well.
Hmmm …I
could get used to this.
Starved
for affection most of her life, Mandy relished the feel of his arm around her
and snuggled into his side.
“Well,
we have the rest of your vacation to get to know one another, so let’s start
over dinner, shall we? Garrett should have dinner ready by now, so let’s head
down.” Nicolas offered her his arm, in a truly old-fashioned, but totally
gentlemanly way, and escorted her down to the dining room, with Jonathan with Anna
following. He must have noticed she was cold, since he ushered her into the
study where her bags had been placed and then waited outside while she slid
into a pair of jeans.
The
dining room was magnificent. A dark stone floor, high ceilings with great wood
beams, and enormous windows that were frosted from the cold all added to the
enchantment of the castle. Two candelabras were lit and placed on the long
table, giving their dinner a romantic glow.
Roast
beef, potatoes, peas, and fresh baked bread were awaiting them along with four
glasses of wine. The aroma of the food was enough to have Mandy closing her
eyes on a deep inhalation. She hadn’t had a big home-cooked meal in ages.
“This
looks wonderful,” Anna gushed as she took the seat which Jonathan held for her.
“Yes,
it does,” Mandy agreed. “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a big
home-cooked dinner and actually ate at the table.”
“Where
else would you eat?” Nicolas inquired with a charming grin as he helped her to
her chair.
“Growing
up, I usually ate alone in my room. My foster parents weren’t really big on
family time. They claimed it was so they didn’t get attached to the kids they
fostered, but I know it was because they were a little afraid of me. When I was
younger, I had a hard time controlling things if I got overly emotional,” she
explained. “It worked out for the best though. It made me stronger in the long
run. Nobody to rely on but myself, you know?”
“You
can rely on me,” Nicolas offered and Mandy smiled.
“Thank
you,” she wouldn’t deny the fact that his offer only endeared him to her even
more, but she was still the new kid on the block, so-to-speak, so she’d just
play things by ear for now.
Dinner
went well. Everyone exchanged childhood stories though Mandy kept hers short so
as not to
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