  &quot;Just out of curiosity,&quot; She heard him say. &quot;What was your favorite bedtime story?&quot;
  &quot;Aladdin and the magical lamp,&quot; she said
  He arches an eyebrow. &quot;I would have thought Alice in Wonderland was pretty much suitable for young girls.&quot;
  &quot;It was nice too.&quot; Mitchell returned.
  He nodded. 
  They both sat in silence. The only sound was that of the wind and a bird chirping from a far distance.
  &quot;You haven t given an answer to my proposal?&quot; He said, searching her eyes. Perhaps for a clue to whatever she was going to say.
  &quot;But you haven t told me why you needed to marry, all of a sudden?&quot;
  &quot;I thought I had.&quot; He said letting out a slow frustrated sigh. Many a lady would be happy at this offer and jumping at it right now, but here she was, grilling him like he was no longer the most eligible bachelor the medi

  &quot;I will pick you up for dinner tomorrow.&quot; He stated. 
  &quot;No, I will be having dinner with my family tomorrow,&quot;
  Then we can arrange for one during the week?&quot;
  &quot;Probably.&quot;
  &quot;We need to be seen together often now by the public so our engagement won t come as a surprise.&quot; He spoke
  &quot;Can we discuss this some other time?&quot; She said surly. And I think it s time we headed back.
  Michael looked at her skeptically. &quot;You aren t already regretting your decision, are you?&quot; He asked.
  &quot;No,&quot; she said, standing abruptly, losing her balance.
  Michael stood up impulsively and caught her in his strong arm.
  &quot;Are you alright?&quot; He asked, holding her in his arm, drawing her close to him. Too close. 
  &quot;You are okay now,&quot; He repeated to her. Placing her head on his chest. She didn t object. She just laid st

  &quot;Say something Mitchell,&quot; he said.
  &quot;What should I say?&quot; She asked.
  &quot;Damn... Anything... Something&quot; he said gravely. &quot;Just help me out&quot;
  &quot;How,&quot; She asked slowly
  &quot;Marry me.&quot; He spoke.
  &quot;What?&quot; She asked, shocked. It wasn t what she had been expecting. A mistress probably, which she wouldn t have wasted time saying no to. But marriage? He must be joking.
  &quot;Marry me,&quot; He repeated, sounding serious
  &quot;I heard you alright the first time,&quot; she said. Why should I marry you or better still why would you want to marry me?&quot; She asked
  &quot;Because I am attracted to you and you are a beautiful woman,&quot; he said, giving her body an appreciative look.
  Mitchell watched in awe as his gaze roved over her body starting from her head to her toes, pausing at all the interesting places before fina

&quot;Just out of curiosity,&quot; She heard him say. &quot;What was your favorite bedtime story?&quot;
  &quot;Aladdin and the magical lamp,&quot; she said
  He arches an eyebrow. &quot;I would have thought Alice in Wonderland was pretty much suitable for young girls.&quot;
  &quot;It was nice too.&quot; Mitchell returned.
  He nodded. 
  They both sat in silence. The only sound was that of the wind and a bird chirping from a far distance.
  &quot;You haven t given an answer to my proposal?&quot; He said, searching her eyes. Perhaps for a clue to whatever she was going to say.
  &quot;But you haven t told me why you needed to marry, all of a sudden?&quot;
  &quot;I thought I had.&quot; He said letting out a slow frustrated sigh. Many a lady would be happy at this offer and jumping at it right now, but here she was, grilling him like he was no longer the most eligible bachelor the media said he was.
  &quot;I have decided it s time to marry and the woman I choose is you.&quot;

Chapter 87