wasn’t sure which was most prevalent.
The anger was directed at Lorrie’s father for putting them in this position. Marrying this girl wasn’t the problem. He would marry her tomorrow if she would say yes. But he wasn’t sure she would say yes, and that was what terrified him. If he asked her now, she would think he was only doing it because her father had forced him to. And that was partly true. He was willing to do whatever he had to in order to make sure Lorrie wasn’t taken from him.
“I don’t understand,” Lorrie said in a rush. “Why would he do that?”
Reaching for her, Curtis pulled her back into his arms, not wanting to let her go. He loved the smell of her hair, the smoothness of her fingers when they snuck up the back of his shirt, the crush of her breasts against his chest. He wanted to kiss her, to lay her down on the ground right here and show her how much he loved her, how much she meant to him. He wanted to make love to her a million times, to let her feel every part of him and know that there wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t in love with her.
Cradling the back of her head, he held her against him, briefly wondering if she could hear the erratic beat of his heart. The fear was making his blood pump harder.
Fear that she wouldn’t believe that he wanted to marry her and not because of her father.
Fear that he would never see her again.
Fear that if he didn’t marry her, she would move on and end up falling in love with someone else.
The last thought was what had him tightening his hold on her, his palm cradling the back of her head perfectly as he held it to his chest.
“I love you,” he whispered. “God, Lorrie. I love you more than anything. I need you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“Daddy can’t keep us apart,” she said adamantly. “He just can’t do it.”
But he could, and that was what terrified Curtis. “I’ll be eighteen in a coupla months, Lorrie. Technically, he can keep us apart then. I’m not willin’ to take that chance.”
Lorrie pulled back enough to look up at him. “What are you saying?”
It was now or never.
“I’m sayin’ I wanna marry you.”
When she started to pull away, he kept his arms banded around her.
“Wait,” he pleaded. “Let me explain.”
Lorrie shook her head. “There’s nothin’ to explain. We’re too young to get married, Curtis. And I don’t want you to marry me ’cause my daddy told you to.”
Curtis released her but cupped her face with his hands, forcing her to look up at him. “From the day I met you, I knew you would be my girl, Lorrie. You captivated me with your pretty blue eyes and your sassy little mouth. Even though you irritated me at the same time, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I knew you would be my girl forever and a day.” He took a breath. “No man is gonna force me to do anything I don’t wanna do. But more than that, no man is gonna take you away from me. You hear me? Do you understand what I’m tellin’ you? I love you. With every breath I take. I would be honored if you’d be my wife.”
Her blue eyes were wide as a tear trickled down her cheek. Curtis knew she was having a hard time believing him, but he needed her to. He needed her to know that he would go to the ends of the earth for her.
“Before your old man came over to my house, I’d thought about marryin’ you, sure. I don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring. You’ve seen the newspapers. Bad things are happenin’. We’re at war. My brother’s over there fightin’, and we don’t even know if he’ll ever come back. That could be me, Lorrie. When I turn eighteen, I’ll be expected to go over there. It’s all so messed up. I know that. You know that. But that don’t mean I don’t think about marryin’ you all the damn time.”
“I’m only fifteen, Curtis.”
“That doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to me.” Although it really did. Curtis knew Lorrie wasn’t ready for
The anger was directed at Lorrie’s father for putting them in this position. Marrying this girl wasn’t the problem. He would marry her tomorrow if she would say yes. But he wasn’t sure she would say yes, and that was what terrified him. If he asked her now, she would think he was only doing it because her father had forced him to. And that was partly true. He was willing to do whatever he had to in order to make sure Lorrie wasn’t taken from him.
“I don’t understand,” Lorrie said in a rush. “Why would he do that?”
Reaching for her, Curtis pulled her back into his arms, not wanting to let her go. He loved the smell of her hair, the smoothness of her fingers when they snuck up the back of his shirt, the crush of her breasts against his chest. He wanted to kiss her, to lay her down on the ground right here and show her how much he loved her, how much she meant to him. He wanted to make love to her a million times, to let her feel every part of him and know that there wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t in love with her.
Cradling the back of her head, he held her against him, briefly wondering if she could hear the erratic beat of his heart. The fear was making his blood pump harder.
Fear that she wouldn’t believe that he wanted to marry her and not because of her father.
Fear that he would never see her again.
Fear that if he didn’t marry her, she would move on and end up falling in love with someone else.
The last thought was what had him tightening his hold on her, his palm cradling the back of her head perfectly as he held it to his chest.
“I love you,” he whispered. “God, Lorrie. I love you more than anything. I need you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“Daddy can’t keep us apart,” she said adamantly. “He just can’t do it.”
But he could, and that was what terrified Curtis. “I’ll be eighteen in a coupla months, Lorrie. Technically, he can keep us apart then. I’m not willin’ to take that chance.”
Lorrie pulled back enough to look up at him. “What are you saying?”
It was now or never.
“I’m sayin’ I wanna marry you.”
When she started to pull away, he kept his arms banded around her.
“Wait,” he pleaded. “Let me explain.”
Lorrie shook her head. “There’s nothin’ to explain. We’re too young to get married, Curtis. And I don’t want you to marry me ’cause my daddy told you to.”
Curtis released her but cupped her face with his hands, forcing her to look up at him. “From the day I met you, I knew you would be my girl, Lorrie. You captivated me with your pretty blue eyes and your sassy little mouth. Even though you irritated me at the same time, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I knew you would be my girl forever and a day.” He took a breath. “No man is gonna force me to do anything I don’t wanna do. But more than that, no man is gonna take you away from me. You hear me? Do you understand what I’m tellin’ you? I love you. With every breath I take. I would be honored if you’d be my wife.”
Her blue eyes were wide as a tear trickled down her cheek. Curtis knew she was having a hard time believing him, but he needed her to. He needed her to know that he would go to the ends of the earth for her.
“Before your old man came over to my house, I’d thought about marryin’ you, sure. I don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring. You’ve seen the newspapers. Bad things are happenin’. We’re at war. My brother’s over there fightin’, and we don’t even know if he’ll ever come back. That could be me, Lorrie. When I turn eighteen, I’ll be expected to go over there. It’s all so messed up. I know that. You know that. But that don’t mean I don’t think about marryin’ you all the damn time.”
“I’m only fifteen, Curtis.”
“That doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to me.” Although it really did. Curtis knew Lorrie wasn’t ready for
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