Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(40)

A tiny thrill runs through me at the eagerness in his gaze. Seventeen-year-old me might have melted on spot, but I’m no longer the shy, insecure teenager anymore. Twenty-four-year-old me has a lot more to contemplate, to ponder, to mull over. Especially when we’re talking about marriage—a life-long decision here.

“Edward, I know that you’re desperate for me to get my memory back, and trust me, that is on top of my priority list as well. I wanted the earth to swallow me up when I didn’t recognize Bianca. But don’t assume that everything will be magically resolved once I recover my memory. It’s not enough.”

There’s a note of surprise in his tone. “I am not quite certain what you mean by that.”

“Did I ever tell you about why my parents separated?”

“I believe I had asked you, but you didn’t feel like talking about it.”

“My parents met in college. I don’t know how long they knew each other . . . maybe a few days? I think my mom’s friend introduced them to each other, and they got drunk at a party and went wild. I was the result. My mother’s family is pretty religious, and they wouldn’t let her have an abortion.”

“What’s an abortion?”

I explain. Clearly, the concept doesn't exist in Athelia either.

“Anyway, my grandparents on my mother’s side practically forced my parents to marry. Mom dropped out of college to have me. Dad’s family could afford to support us. His parents were dentists. But after a few years, when Dad made plans to go to medical school, well, they started quarreling more and more.”

“I suppose your father no longer cared for your mother.”

I gave a hollow laugh. “He never really cared for her in the beginning. He told my uncle that he just thought she was hot . . . it means he thought she was sexually attractive. If she didn’t get pregnant, he’d never even dream of marrying her. He blamed her for ‘pulling his leg’ for the several years he had to stay home and take care of us.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but your father hardly seems a gentleman of noble character.”

I suppress a giggle at his description of my father. “Don’t you see, Edward? My parents didn’t really know each other. I don’t want that to be the same between us. I don’t want to stay here just because you are . . .”

“Hot?” He supplies, a twinkle in his eyes.

I blush and take a deep breath.

“It’s been seven years since I left Athelia, and so much has happened—I went to college, I met Jason, I worked for a couple of years . . . I’m not the seventeen-year-old that you knew. And I’ve only met you for about a month. I’m not ready to commit myself to you for a lifetime when I don’t even know you that well. So, what I’m trying to say is” —I clear my throat— “we need to start over. Get to know each other. I want to be sure that I’m staying because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, not because you keep telling me that I’m your wife. Can you accept that?”

“You wish me to court you again?”

“If it’s the same as dating in my world, then yes.” I smile. I still find the term hilarious in an old-fashioned way. “We need to have a . . . a courtship before commitment.”

“I recall that you had mentioned in your world, a man would send gifts of chocolates and flowers to a girl he wants to court.”

His expression becomes determined, and I start feeling uneasy. He looks like he’s planning to drown me in a sea of bouquets the very first thing tomorrow.

“It doesn’t have to be flowers and chocolates in the literal sense,” I quickly say. “Just the two of us spending time together will do. I need to know the man I had fallen in love with seven years ago. I want to know you, Edward, not the prince of Athelia.”

This time, he cracks a smile—a genuine, heartfelt smile that’s unlike the ones he puts on with his princely mask. “I suppose I should be disappointed, or even frustrated, that you wish to wait for us to be acquainted again. But Kat.” He reaches out and takes both my hands in his. “One of the reasons I love you is because you never cared for the crown I wear. Your request to take your time to know me only reassures me that I won’t change my affections. If anything, it makes me want you more than ever.”





19





Edward’s theory is working. My memory has been returning to me in bits and pieces ever since I started going to the places that I’m familiar with when I was still in Athelia seven years ago. It’s great fun, as I get to immerse myself in the settings I’ve read in The Ugly Stepsister firsthand. I visited the greenhouse and had an actual meeting with Galen, I went to Edward’s private garden and found it just as beautiful as the book described, and I rode in the carriage with Bertram holding the reins and took tours in the city.

Although I told Edward that flowers and chocolates weren’t required for our “courtship,” he decided to go ahead and shower me with flowers and chocolates anyway. Probably because flowers happen to be his area of expertise, and he knows that chocolate is one of my favorite foods, right up there with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and bold, full-flavored milk tea.

One day, when I settle down to the tedious letter-writing and reading the paper, I find an enormous box of chocolates sitting on my desk.