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  With his other hand, Ali reached down and fumbled with his pants zipper.

  No! He was going to rape me! I screamed as loud as I could. “Somebody help! Help! Please!”

  As Ali finally managed to undo his zipper, a ding came from the elevator.

  The doors slid open. I could barely see through thick tears pooling in my eyes. I shoved Ali away and darted out into the lobby. Straight into a wall.

  Wait. Not a wall. Strong hands grasped my shoulders.

  “Addy? Addy!”

  “Graham?” I collapsed into his arms, letting out sobs I couldn’t contain.

  “What happened?”

  He must have checked out the elevator because he tensed, his chest hard as granite, his heartbeat pounding beneath my cheek where he held me pressed against him.

  I lifted my gaze to him. His face was a dark red, his breathing coming in quick gusts. “Graham.”

  He glanced down. “Are you hurt? Did he… He didn’t—”

  “No… No. I’m f-fine.” Fresh tears washed down my cheeks.

  Graham kissed the top of my head and then gently pushed me behind him. “Stay here.”

  “But—”

  Graham peered over his shoulder at me. “Please, Addy.”

  I nodded and pressed back against the lobby wall. What was Graham going to do?

  Ali zipped up his pants, smoothed down his hair and stepped from the elevator as if he owned the building. He glared at Graham. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to see my fiancée.”

  Ali sneered. “Ah yes, Adelaide showed me the tiny trinket you call a ring. How pathetic.”

  Was Ali crazy? Didn’t Graham’s size and the way he was fisting his hands at his sides tell him he was in danger?

  Graham took a step toward Ali. “You have been harassing Addy. She doesn’t want to marry you. When I told you to leave her house, I was content to leave it be. But now you’ve gone way too far. Do you know what happens to men who try to rape women on a college campus?”

  Ali waved as if he wasn’t concerned. “I am a prince. Your feeble rules do not apply to me.”

  Graham took another step closer, forcing Ali to step back. “Everything in me wants to punch your smug, obnoxious face right now. I’m giving you one last chance. Leave now. Don’t ever come back. Do it fast before I change my mind.”

  Ali shook his head. “I’m not afraid of you. You’re worthless. A nothing. I’m royalty. You would never dare touch me.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes. And what happened in the elevator between me and Adelaide is none of your concern.”

  Graham’s booted foot tapped rapidly on the carpet. “You have three seconds to leave.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. You cannot tell a prince what to do.”

  Graham harrumphed. “I don’t give a rat’s ass who you are. You were about to rape the woman I love.”

  “She wanted it.”

  “That does it!” Graham grabbed Ali by the collar and picked him up as easily as if he were a child. He flipped him over his shoulder like a sack of flour and stormed through the lobby and out the door. Two girls and three guys were just coming in, but when they saw Graham’s murderous expression, they jumped to the side.

  Graham took long strides to the waiting limousine where the driver, holding open the door, stood with his mouth agape. I hurried after Graham, not sure what he would do.

  Without hesitation, Graham dumped Ali on the back seat. “If you dare come back here, contact Addy, or even look in her direction ever again, I will not be able to contain my anger. Because what you just saw was nothing. If I choose to, I could crush you like a grape. Have no doubt.” Graham squeezed his own fist until his skin turned nearly white. Ali’s eyes grew large and then he turned his head away, mumbled something to the driver, and within a matter of seconds, the limousine was careening away from the building.

  Graham’s shoulders relaxed and he opened his hands, fingers no longer fisted. He turned. “Addy.” And held his arms open.

  I ran to him, pressing my face against his chest, feeling safe now that his arms were around me.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, but tears still poured down my face. When would they stop? I couldn’t control them.

  Graham kept one arm around my shoulders, but turned me around and led me back inside the building. A group of about a dozen students were staring out the window at us, but I didn’t even care. Let them stare.

  As we stepped to the waiting elevator, doors wide open, I hesitated. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”

  Graham tugged me closer. “If it gets stuck again, I’ll be with you. Don’t worry.”

  I blinked and gazed up at him. He was right. There wasn’t anything to be afraid of now. If we were together, that’s all that mattered. I nodded and we stepped inside right before the doors closed. I flung my arms around Graham’s waist, not wanting to be more than a few inches from him. With my eyes closed, I pressed my face into his chest and breathed in his scent. I had such total trust in him, I didn’t even pay attention as we left the elevator and walked to my room. Graham was taking care of things, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.

  “Got your key, Addy?”

  I reached into my pocket and handed it to him, wanting nothing more than to be alone with him and to just hold him.

  Graham led me inside and closed the door before walking with me to the bed. He pulled me down on his lap. Without a word, he reached down and removed my sandals. I heard them clump to the floor. He brushed a few stray strands of hair from my face and lifted my chin so I was looking straight at him.

  “Addy, are you sure you’re all right?”

  I shrugged. “Can’t believe… he was going to…”

  “Shhh. I know. I think maybe you’re in shock, honey.”

  I frowned. “Yeah, I guess. Thank goodness you were there when the doors opened.” I tilted my head. “Wait. What are you doing here in the afternoon, anyway?”

  Graham sighed. “Believe it or not, I had this funny feeling all morning that something was wrong. I didn’t know what. A couple of hours ago, I had this strong sense that you needed me. So, I took off work early and drove up here.”

  I touched his cheek. “Oh, Graham. Thank you. I love you. So much.”

  He pressed his forehead to mine. “Same here, Addy. You’re my whole world.” He ran his thumb over my diamond. “Still want to marry me soon?”

  All of the tension from what nearly happened in the elevator slipped away. I smiled. “Yeah. The sooner the better.”

  “I told my parents and they were thrilled, though not surprised. What did yours say? You never told me.”

  I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I was too chicken to tell them.”

  “You haven’t changed your mind…”

  “No. Never. It’s just, I mean I don’t really think they’ll have a problem with it, but a tiny part of me is afraid they will since I’m only eighteen.”

  “Do you want us to tell them together? We could do it the next time you’re home if you want.”

  “Honestly, I think I’d be less nervous if I did it over the phone.”

  “Want me to step outside, then?”

  I grabbed his hand. “Please. Stay with me.”

  “Of course.”

  I dialed their number, counting off the rings. Come on, answer…

  My fingers tapped on the quilt as I waited for someone to answer. Graham rubbed my shoulder, trying to give me encouragement.

  “Lafollette residence.”

  “Oh, hi Mom.”

  “Addy? Hi honey. Everything all right?”

  I squeezed Graham’s hand. “Hey, there’s something I needed to tell you.”

  “About school? A new roommate?”

  “No, it’s not about school. Uh, no, they haven’t assigned me a new roommate, either.” I rolled my eyes at Graham.

  “Okay. Then what is it, Addy?”

  I ran my finger ov
er Graham’s knee. “Yeah, everything is fine. Listen. There’s something… well, a wonderful thing has happened and I wanted to tell you.”

  “Oh? Well I’m always up for good news.”

  “The thing is, Graham and I are engaged.”

  “What?”

  I couldn’t help smiling. “Yeah, we’re pretty excited, too. The thing is, see, he and I want to get married. Like really soon.”

  “Addy! Are you pregnant?”

  “No, Mom, I’m not pregnant. We just want to get married very soon.”

  “Addy… I… oh wait, your dad just came in.” Mom covered the phone with her hand, but I could make out Dad talking to her. His voice was raised. What was taking them so long? And what was going on?

  Graham waved at me, trying to get my attention. He whispered, “Is something wrong? Why did she ask if you were pregnant?”

  I opened my mouth to answer, but my mom got back on the line. I held up my finger to Graham for him to wait.

  “Addy, your dad and… I don’t… don’t want you getting married now. You’re too young. Just wait until you’re through with college. What’s the rush?”

  “We want to get married now. Don’t worry, I’m still going to go to college, if that’s what has you worried.”

  “We are not behind you in this. If you defy us and get married now, we won’t be paying for your schooling. You would be on your own.”

  My heart nearly stopped. Was she serious? Hadn’t she encouraged me to stay close to Graham, to make sure he knew that he was the one for me? What had changed since she and I had had that great talk during our day out shopping? “But I… no it’s—”

  “We won’t be changing our minds, so don’t even try. Our word is final. If you get married, you’ll get no further financial support from us. Understood?”

  “Y-yeah, I understand… Bye.” I tossed the phone on the floor. What had just happened?

  “Addy?”

  How was I going to tell him? “She said that, um… now wasn’t the right time.”

  “For… what? You mean to talk about it?”

  I shook my head. “No. That, it was too soon. Several years too soon for us to get married.”

  “I had thought they might have had reservations but I didn’t think they would say no. You’re an adult, after all.” He pulled me close. “Maybe after she talks to your dad—”

  “Dad walked in while she was talking to me. He agreed with her.”

  “Oh. Maybe if we try to talk to them again, then…”

  A sob escaped my lips. How much crying could one human do in a single hour? “No. Mom said I could defy them, there was nothing stopping me, but if I did, they wouldn’t pay for my school. I would be on my own.”

  Graham’s throat moved as he swallowed. “It was going to be hard enough to swing paying for an apartment and my school bills. I hadn’t even thought about having to pay for yours, too.” He let out a breath. “Maybe… maybe then we shouldn’t—”

  “No. Please! Don’t say we have to wait.” My world felt like it was crumbling. “I don’t want to. When you asked me to marry you and said you wanted to get married soon, it was like you’d given me the best gift I’d ever received. Like everything that was most important to me would be mine very soon.” I glanced away. “Unless, you… you want to wait.”

  “I don’t. You know that. I was just trying to help you. Be understanding. If we still get married it won’t be easy to—”

  A tiny spark of hope flared. “You still want to? Get married like we planned?”

  “I do. More than anything. You’re sure?”

  “Graham, you are my everything. My heart’s desire. I won’t be truly happy until we’re together. For always.”

  He kissed me, my chest heavy with grief for what I might go through with my parents, but my heart floating on air because he wanted to marry me no matter what.

  “Addy. We’ll make it work. I promise.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Graham

  It hurt my heart that Addy was having such a hard time with her parents. I could understand them not being willing to pay for her school if they didn’t agree with her choice of getting married, but the way they were treating her wasn’t right. Addy had always been close to her parents and now things were just… different.

  I’d told Uncle Robert that I was quitting soon so he could find a replacement before I left. Part of me was a little sad. I did like working for him but it wasn’t enough anymore. Now that I was getting married, would have another person to consider when I thought of the future, I knew without a doubt I was doing the right thing by going back to school. And the thought of marrying Addy made my heart soar.

  Soon. Very soon we’d be together always. I couldn’t wait. With her having classes this fall and me starting them in January, the most logical time to get married was during the holiday break.

  My phone startled me from my thoughts. I checked the screen and grinned. Addy.

  “Hey there, gorgeous.”

  “Hey.” Her voice sounded distant and weak.

  I tensed, suddenly at attention. Something wasn’t right. “Addy? What’s going on?”

  She coughed. “I… I think maybe I need to go to a doctor.”

  “Honey, is there a clinic at school? Can you go there?”

  “I can.” She coughed again. “I’m so weak. I didn’t go to any of my classes today.”

  Then I knew it was serious. Addy was a dedicated, energetic student. To miss class would only be because of a disaster. “Do you need help?”

  “I hate to ask. I know you’re working. It’s just—”

  “What, what is it?” I gripped the phone so tight I thought it might shatter.

  “I’m so weak. I don’t know why. Ever since I talked to my mom about us getting married I’ve been… I don’t know. Down. Sad.”

  I had seen Addy only a few days before. I knew she was upset about them but I hadn’t realized to what extent. “Maybe you’re run down? And caught a cold or something?”

  “Maybe. Not sure.” Her voice was muffled.

  “Where are you? In your room?”

  “On my bed. I can’t muster enough energy to do anything but lay here. I feel like a slug.”

  As always, I tried some humor to lighten the moment. Would it help? “Aw, honey. You’re too pretty to be a slug.”

  She laughed which morphed into a terrible-sounding cough again. “Oh… sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.” I checked my watch. “Listen. Let me finish one thing I need to do here, and then I’ll be right up to see you. Maybe I can take you to the clinic. Okay?”

  “Thanks. I’m sorry to bother you. I didn’t know who else to ask since Amber left and my parents…” Addy wheezed out something that sounded like a sneeze but could have also been a sob.

  My heart nearly tore in two. “All right. Stay where you are, get some rest. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.” As she disconnected, her cough sounded like she might lose a lung.

  I picked up the pitchfork I’d set down when my phone had rung and started cleaning the horse stall with renewed vigor.

  “Where’s the fire, Graham?” Uncle Robert had come into the barn.

  I didn’t even turn around. “I need to finish this and get up to the campus. Addy is sick and I’m going to take her to the clinic.”

  The pitchfork stopped its forward motion. I peered over my shoulder. My uncle’s hand grasped the handle. “If your girl is sick, go now.”

  “But—”

  “Nothing is more important than her right now. Especially not this.” He tilted his head toward the stall.

  I let out a breath, feeling suddenly deflated. All the pent-up frustration oozed out. “Thank you. I’ll make up the time, I promise.”

  He smacked me on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry about it. Go on, now.”

  I thanked him again and raced to my truck. My foot barely left the accelerator the whole
drive. What normally took two hours was pared down to one and a half. I was so focused on getting there to help Addy, I barely remembered driving there. Before I knew it, I was in front of her dorm, parking my truck in the only space left available.

  Not caring how I appeared to others, I ignored the stares of a group of guys as I ran full out into the building. I punched the elevator button hard, clenching my other fist as I waited for the stupid doors to open. Please let it not get stuck now like it did for Addy.

  It didn’t and when I got to her room, I let out a huge breath, glad to finally be there. I knocked. “Addy? It’s Graham.”

  “Come in.”

  I reached down and turned the knob. She hadn’t even locked her door. Must really feel awful. I stepped inside and closed the door. I could see pink fabric of Addy’s pajamas peeking out from beneath the top of the quilt that she had tucked around her chest.

  “Graham. I’m so glad you’re…” She coughed so hard the bed bounced.

  I rushed to her and knelt down beside the bed. “Oh, Addy, why didn’t you tell me sooner you didn’t feel well?”

  “The coughing didn’t start until this morning. Before that I was just—” She turned her head away and hacked again. “I… I was just weak and tired. And sad.”

  I smoothed her hair away from her forehead, both were damp with sweat. Her skin was clammy and pale. “Are you cold? Do you need me to find you another blanket?”

  “I… I think maybe I need to go to the clinic. Could you…” She turned red-rimmed watery eyes to me.

  My poor Addy! “Yeah. I’m taking you right now.” I went to open the door so it would be easier when I carried her. Then I wrapped her in the quilt and picked her up. She felt lighter. “Have you been eating?”

  “I haven’t had much appetite.” She pointed listlessly to her desk. “My purse…”

  I grabbed it and tucked it under my arm. Not wasting time, I made quick work of exiting the room, kicking the door shut and heading to the elevator. It seemed to take forever for it to land on the main floor. As soon as the door opened, a short blonde stood, ready to enter. When she saw me carrying Addy, she stepped back.