Dream Wedding(166)

“This is dumb,” she told herself aloud. “Ryan is a wonderful man. I love him. I want to marry him. I should just go accept his proposal.”

Except she’d tried that several times over the past couple of days and every time he told her to wait. He wanted her to have her night of magic.

She tried to relax. In an effort to distract herself, she thought about her wonderful party. All her friends had been there. Ryan had fit in with everyone. He’d made her feel so special.

Gradually, her eyes grew heavy. She fought against sleep because she was afraid, but at last it claimed her. She drifted for a while, then found herself standing on the porch of the Bradley house, staring at the wide lawn. A man appeared in the shadows. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was having a magic dream. The nightgown was about to reveal her destiny.

Even in her sleep, she found herself calling out for Ryan. She needed it to be him. She loved him.

The man continued to walk toward her. His figure was indistinct, then suddenly he was in front of her. All five feet four inches of him. She recognized the gray hair, the craggy face and the scowling expression. Old Man Withers, their caretaker for longer than she’d been alive, glared at her.

Cassie woke up with a start. She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. She’d dreamed about Old Man Withers. What a joke. The nightgown wasn’t going to work for her.

“It’s better this way,” she whispered to herself. “I love Ryan.”

But the sadness inside her didn’t have anything to do with loving Ryan. It was about really belonging to the Bradley family. She was adopted. There wasn’t a legend for her.

Coldness swept through her and she shivered. She didn’t want to be alone so she got out of bed and walked down the hall. Ryan stirred as she opened his door. He raised himself on one elbow. “Good news?”

His eyes were sleepy, his hair mussed. She knew that under the blankets and sheet, he was naked and if she crawled in beside him and touched him, he would want her. He loved her and she loved him back. He’d changed in the time she’d known him. He was a wonderful father to Sasha and he would be an equally wonderful husband.

All her life she’d wanted to belong. She suddenly realized that being a part of something wasn’t about a place. It didn’t matter where she’d been born or who had given birth to her. Home was a state of mind. Home was where her heart was welcome. Home was with Ryan.

She smiled. “The best news,” she said and slipped in beside him.

He wrapped his arms around her. “I knew you’d dream about me. Now you have to marry me.” His voice was sleepy. “I was gonna win you no matter what, but this is better. Let’s get married soon.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

“Good.” He kissed her cheek.

He was, as she’d suspected, completely naked. And he was half-asleep. She really should let him get his rest. Except she found herself wanting him. Not because she’d lost her dream, but because she’d finally found where she belonged—where she’d always belonged. First with her adoptive parents and Chloe, and now with Ryan.

So even though his eyes were slowly closing, she rested her head on his shoulder, then slipped her hand down his body. He made a low sound of pleasure.

“You’re not going to let me get right back to sleep, are you?” he asked lazily as her hand closed over him. He was aroused in a matter of seconds.

“Pay no attention to what I’m doing,” she told him in a whisper. “I’m just trying to relax you.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s very relaxing.”

She continued to stroke him, moving up and down in that slow steady pace he enjoyed. Then, without warning, he rolled over, taking her with him, until she was on her back, staring up at him.

“I love you,” he said, his green eyes bright with a combined blaze of love and passion. “You are mine and I’m going to spend the rest of my life convincing you that you’ve made the right decision.”

“I already know,” she assured him.

“Do you? I think I should start making you sure right now.”

He lowered his head and kissed her. His tongue swept against the seam of her lips before slipping inside to tease and torment her in the most perfect way. They’d learned so much about each other’s bodies in the past several weeks. They’d learned about the pleasures they most enjoyed together. He knew how to touch her to make her sigh, to make her catch her breath, to make her aroused. She knew how to bring him to his point of release in a matter of seconds. There were still wondrous discoveries, but already they were finding their favorite ways to make love.