“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he whispers to me. Silent tears slide down my cheeks.

We sit like that for a long time. Long enough for my tears to stop and my cheeks to dry. Finally, I pull away, straightening my blazer and smoothing my dress in an attempt to pull myself together.

“I’m all in, Viv,” Jace states. “If you want me, I’m all in.”

“I need some time,” I tell him, looking away at the gardens. “This—you—it’s a lot.”

“I get it,” Jace says. “I have to fly back in…” He checks his watch. “Shit. I’ve got to go now, actually.”

“What? You just got here!”

“I know. I left as soon as I could get away, but I still have a bunch of paperwork to sign and some other odds and ends to take care of. Plus, I have to move out of the house they gave me.”

A new thought occurs to me. “Jace,” I say urgently. “Your contract. The money. You can’t—”

“I can and I did,” he replies calmly. “Let me worry about the money. My family will be fine, especially since they’ve been receiving money for the past year from some anonymous grant. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

I blush for the first time in a couple of months. “I couldn’t just do nothing,” I mutter.

“Thank you,” Jace tells me earnestly.

“So, what are you going to do after you move out?” I ask.

Jace looks to me. “That’s up to you.”

“You’d really do it? Give up everything and move here? Get married?”

“Yes,” Jace replies simply.

I shake my head in disbelief. It can’t be this easy. I’ve hardly let myself even dream of this possibility, and here it is. Suddenly sitting right in front of me.

“You don’t really know what you’re getting into. What you’ll be sacrificing.” I can’t help but warn Jace again.

“I know what I’m gaining. And I know I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting not doing this if I don’t. I want to marry you, Viv. I want to have kids with you. That’s part of why I was so upset. Because when I thought you were pregnant, I was shocked, but I was also excited.”

I stare at him, completely overwhelmed. It must be obvious, because Jace lets out a low laugh.

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t follow Mike’s suggestion and just surprise you with a proposal.”

My heart races at the suggestion. I’ve conditioned my body to cringe at every thought of marriage, but the thought of Jace on one knee, looking up at me? It fills me with happiness, not dread.

I let out a small smile. “This is…a lot,” I tell him. “And very unexpected.”

“I know,” Jace replies. “Take all the time you need.” He leans forward and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll understand. Whatever you decide.”

He stands and strides back inside the palace.