Page 18 of The Hero
Marlowe lowered her voice and looked earnestly into Kendric’s brown eyes. “I’ll feel safest whereveryouare, be it here or in some other safe house. But you’re tired, Kendric. Please don’t lie and tell me you’re not. And it could take hours to find another safe location.
“Does it really matter if we get married? If it ends up being legal in the States, so be it. We can get a divorce once we’re home. Or an annulment. If it makes our host happy, helps us evade the authorities, and means we don’t have to be separated or sleep under some bush ... why not? But if you truly hate the idea—and I won’t blame you if you do—then we can go. I trust you.”
He stared at her for a long moment with a look she couldn’t interpret. Then, finally, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You’re right. If it means we can stay together, stay safe, and you can have that shower I know you want so badly, we’ll do it. But I’ll be damned if I cheat you out of this ...”
To Marlowe’s surprise, Kendric dropped down to one knee. He took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it before looking up at her.
“Marlowe Kennedy ... will you marry me?”
Surprisingly, her eyes filled with tears. This wasn’t real, she knew that, but somehow it feltveryreal. And right. The look in Kendric’s eyes was loving and patient and ... determined.
“Yes.”
He grinned at her, then stood and hugged her hard. His lips by her ear, he whispered, “I seem to have misplaced the ring, but I promise to get one on your finger as soon as I can.”
Marlowe giggled. “Misplaced?” she asked when he pulled back a fraction.
“Yup.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need a ring.”
“Try tellingherthat,” Kendric said, motioning behind her to their host.
Turning, Marlowe saw the woman had a huge smile on her face and was practically vibrating with excitement. When she turned back to Kendric, the smile had left his face and he looked as serious as she’d ever seen him.
“This’ll be fine, Punky. I promise.”
“I know,” she whispered.
He turned to the woman and said, “All right. If you can make the arrangements, we’ll get married. Here. Now.”
Their host beamed. “Yes! Good. Bathroom upstairs. You first.” She pointed at Marlowe. “I will find you the dress.”
“Go on,” Kendric said softly. “Take your time in the shower. I’m sure our host needs some time to put this ceremony together.”
“Okay. Kendric?”
“Yeah?”
“If you really don’t want—”
“I do,” he interrupted her.
“Okay. I just had to ask.” She smiled. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s do this,” Kendric echoed.
The woman behind them started talking a mile a minute in Thai as she walked over and grabbed Marlowe’s hand.
“See you later?” she asked Kendric as the woman led her away.
“Later,” he agreed.
The last thing Marlowe saw before turning a corner was his gaze glued to her own.
Bob had been wrong about their host needing time to put together a wedding ceremony. By the time he’d stepped out of the shower and put on the traditional gold pants and red button-up, long-sleeve shirt that had been procured for him, their host was waiting impatiently.
She led him down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he got his first look at Marlowe since she’d been led away less than an hour earlier. He was momentarily frozen by the sight.
