Against Their Wishes

Chapter 25

I am so sorry that I have not been able to update, but unfortunetaly, I have been preoccupied with school and personal matters, but alas! I have finally updated, and I hope you all really like this chapter. I know it is short and I apologize for that, but I did stay up late writing this chapter because people messaged me asking for it. So does that earn me some brownie points? :D  Please vote and comment if you find this chapter enjoyable!

Still holding hands, Gregory led Olivia out into the garden behind the house and over to a stone bench. The sun was shining down on them, almost as if it knew that the couple had just left a dark presence in their wake. As they sat down, all Olivia could seem to do was stare at Gregory. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned to address her.

“Why are you staring at me so?” he asked.

“Nobody has ever done anything like that for me, Gregory, not ever,” Olivia whispered as she gripped his hand a little tighter.

“I only spoke the truth,” he replied.

“Do you really wish for me to stay here with you?” Olivia asked of him, wanting to be sure of the situation.

“How can you ask that?” he said whilst giving her an incredulous look. “Have we not had an amazing time together these past few weeks?” He paused, waiting for her nod of agreement. “Have we not had some wonderful moments together, especially late at night?” Gregory whispered in her ear, causing a deep blush to spread across her face.

“Yes, our time together has been more than I ever could have hoped for. Gregory,” she said as she started to wring her hands together, “there is something I wish to tell you.”

“What has you looking so nervous?” he asked.

“Your reaction I suppose,” she said looking at the ground. She took a moment to steel herself, before looking into the depths of his eyes. “Gregory, I care about you as I have never cared about anyone in my life.” The word ‘love’ had been close to her mind, but Olivia felt that it was too soon to allow those words to pass through her lips. She did not wish to frighten him with such declarations.“I would never have thought it possible when considering our history, but here I am telling you that you affect me in ways I can’t even comprehend.”

As Olivia had been speaking, a smile had started to twitch at the corners of his lips. At the moment, Gregory found he had no use for words but rather chose to act on instinct. Barely had Olivia finished her confession before his lips crashed upon her own in a searing kiss that sent streaks of heat from her head down to her toes. Olivia’s mouth opened in surprise, and Gregory used that to his advantage. He quickly deepened the kiss as her arms wound their way around his neck, and his hands ran through her hair.

Neither knew how much time had passed, but eventually they were forced to separate as the need for oxygen became too great. Gregory lightly kissed her nose as he placed his forehead flush against hers. Olivia’s heart was pounding in time to her breaths as she tried to will herself to come back from the heaven she had been in.

“Is that the reaction you were hoping for?” he asked with a lightness in his voice.

“Oh very much so,” Olivia replied as she pecked him on the lips before pulling away. Gregory took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing her gently before he spoke.

“As I child, I loathed you.” Olivia started with surprise and tried to pull her hand back but Gregory held fast. “You irritated me to no end, and as the years progressed and I found myself as a young lad, my dislike of you seemed to grow. You were stubborn and had a spit-fire temper that drove me absolutely mad.” By this time, Olivia couldn’t hide the hurt flashing across her face, but Gregory would not release her hand.

“Well, I am sorry I was such a menace to be around. If this is how you feel—” Gregory quickly cut her off.

“But then I was told that not only was I to be married, but I was to be married to you. Suffice to say, I did not take it well. How could fate had set me up with someone whose presence I could hardly stand to be in?” Olivia looked at the grass beneath her feet, trying to let the tears stay behind her eyes.

“But, fate knew something that I had never known. It knew that the little girl I had so unjustly cast aside as a little boy would be the woman who would make me happier than I have ever been.” Olivia gasped as Gregory spoke these words, and quickly looked into his eyes. He didn’t give her time to speak as he continued on. “Never would I have had the chance to be with this amazing, beautiful woman who sent my veins on fire if fate had not intervened. No, I would have merely gone on believing that life as a bachelor was the life I should live. Luckily for me, I was pushed into marrying the woman who made me want to be a better man just for the sheer joy of making her happy.

“Oh, Gregory,” Olivia whispered, as the tears that had been threatening to fall mere minutes before now fell out of pure joy.

“You make me better, Olivia. The past is the past, and although those wasted years cannot be made up, I have future shared with years of your company.” Before Gregory could speak another word, Olivia had flung herself into his arms and burrowed her face in his neck. She felt his breath as he breathed in the scent of her hair. Reluctantly, he pushed her away from him and stood from the bench. Her face showed her confusion, but he merely smiled down at her before getting to his knee. Grasping her hands, he spoke words she thought she would never hear come from his lips.

“Olivia, will you marry me? Will you marry me because you want to, and not because our parents wish it to be so? Will you marry me because I have fallen in love with during your time spent here and saying no would only serve to break my heart?” To Olivia’s surprise, she could see nervousness emanating from his eyes as he waited for a response. Her heart had swelled at his words and so much emotion and love was flowing throughout her body that she found it difficult to speak. Olivia lifted her hands from his own and brought them up to frame his face.

“Yes, I will marry you and not because someone is forcing me into it. I will marry you because I want you, I will marry you because I need you, but most of all, I will marry you because I love you,” she declared before bringing her mouth down upon his in a kiss that sealed their love. Gregory slowly came to his feet as he brought Olivia with him, never disengaging himself from their kiss.

Thanks for reading!!!