She'd questioned his motives and his feelings for a year after his return. Which, looking back on it now, she considered wasted time. But how could she possibly have known? How could she have realized how important their time together was, that they'd be robbed of it before long? She'd been so young, practically a spinster by her time but still just barely nineteen. And she'd been so, so hurt. It was easier to keep him at arm's length, to fight him on a regular basis, than to let go and love him all over again.
It had taken time to realize she'd never stopped loving him. And by the time she did, she feared she'd already pushed him too far away. There was a wedding to consider, and it wasn't theirs. And then it had nearly been too late. All the things she'd done, the sacrifices she'd made... She'd earned this. Here, Lawrence. A place where she was allowed her freedoms, the ability to help whenever and whoever she desired. Friends and loved ones and Robin. Most of all, this place gave her Robin and she couldn't be more grateful than she was.
He was so beautiful. An odd term to describe a man, but just the same. Those eyes, that sweet smile so often turned up in a sly grin. She touched her lips softly to his and nodded. "I know you do. Even when you didn't, wouldn't say it... I think maybe I always knew. I was just scared to accept it." Her wonderful husband. "Besides, so what if they get bored? Our wedding, it's about us."