After saying their goodbyes and taking one last look at the house, Peter and Kelly got back into his car and stared at each other.
“So what do you think?” Kelly asked.
Peter had put the key in the ignition, but he hadn’t turned it on. “I love it.”
“I do too. I think you should do it.”
He wished she would say “we” instead of “you.” Surely, she knew he wanted her to be part of the process. “Yeah. I think it’s too good to pass up.”
“So don’t waste any time. Write up the business proposal and send it to Harrison. He’s not going to agree to anything that’s not excellent, so you’ll know it’s a good plan if he wants to invest.”
“Yeah.” He was staring out at the house, his head still spinning. He was overwhelmed with a sudden fear—at the knowledge that he was about to ask something that could decide his future—and he had trouble speaking through the tension in his throat. “What should I…What should I tell him about the…the management?”
“What do you mean?” Her eyes were wide, like she had no idea what he was talking about.
“Should I tell him it will be just me? Or should I plan on it being both of us?”
“Oh.” She blinked a few times and then jerked her gaze away from his. “Oh.”
He reached out to turn her face toward his. Since the question was out in the open now, he felt more confident, more certain, more sure that this was the right thing. “Kelly, you must know that I want us to stay together. I want us to do this together. You must know that.”
She gave her head a little shake. “I didn’t…I mean, I don’t…You know I can’t move here, Peter.”
“Why not? Because of your grandmother?”
“Partly, but not just that. My whole life is in Savannah. My family.”
“Why can’t I become part of your family?” She looked genuinely torn, upset, which irrationally gave him hope. He knew she’d put up some resistance, but obviously part of her really wanted this, wanted to be with him for real.
“It’s not that, Peter.”
“Then what is it?” She’d turned away from him again, so he gently moved her face back so he could see her expression, so she would meet his eyes. “I know you love me, Kelly. You can’t tell me that you don’t.”
“Of course, I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
“As more than just a friend.”
“Obviously, I like having sex with you, but there’s more than that to a marriage—if we were to make this a real marriage, I mean.”
“It is a real marriage. I just want it to last longer than graduation.”
“I…I don’t know. I’m sorry, Peter. I never seriously thought about moving somewhere else. My whole life is in Savannah.”
“I know. But lives can change. Your life can change.” His hand was shaking slightly, but it was from the intensity of his emotions rather than anxiety. She was caving. He was sure she was caving. He wasn’t wrong about her. She did love him. She wanted to stay with him. “We can build a new life together.”
“Grandmama still needs me, Peter. You know she does. I can’t just walk away from her, just because we get this wild idea.”
“It’s not a wild idea. It’s what I want. And I think it’s what you want too. You can’t tell me you don’t love me, Kelly. I won’t believe it.”
“Yes, I love you, but there are other things I love too. And I’m not going to turn my back on everything else. I’m just not.”
“I’m not asking you to turn your back on your grandmother or anything about your life. I’d never ask you to do that. But if you really love me—”
She jerked away from his touch, like he’d burned her. “So now you’re asking me to choose between you and everything else?”
He groaned, his excitement and emotional momentum starting to get strained with a slight edge of fear. “I’m not asking you to choose. I’m just saying there must be some way to work it out. Choosing a life with me, here in Eden Manor, wouldn’t mean rejecting everything else.”
She swallowed hard. “That’s what it feels like to me.”
“That’s because you’re using your grandmother and all of that as an excuse. You’re afraid, and you’re turning it into an excuse.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “You have no idea what I’m thinking. You think you can just read my mind and automatically know what’s best for me.”
“Kelly, don’t be—”