Marriage by Mistake

mysteriously only when needed.
    Soup was brought, a delicate, nearly transparent bisque, followed by the crispest of green salads in chilled glass bowls. Kelly couldn't eat a thing. Dean, she noticed, didn't seem to have much of an appetite, either.
    The waiter crystallized, somehow understanding they were not going to finish their meals. He whisked the plates away.
    Once he was gone, Dean cleared his throat.
    Okay , Kelly thought. This is it. Finally . She made herself breathe.
    "Kelly—" Dean began.
    "Yes, Dean?" Breathless. She sounded idiotically breathless.
    Dean smiled. Kelly hoped to God he wasn't finding her comical. Lord knew, she felt comical.
    "Kelly," Dean said again. He reached across the table. Kelly was clutching her wine glass. Somehow she managed to loosen her fingers enough for Dean to take her hand.
    His smile faded as he stared at their joined hands. "Kelly, I...don't think I've told you, not in so many words, how very, very much I've been enjoying the time we've spent together."
    "I've enjoyed it, too." Kelly's voice came out high, squeezed around a peculiar obstruction in her throat.
    Dean nodded. "And now, well...I guess..." He lifted his eyes and gazed straight at her.
    Through her nerves, Kelly did her best to look encouraging.
    Dean drew in a deep breath. "Well, I guess..." Suddenly his gaze flicked to the side. He cleared his throat. "I guess I'd like to plan ahead a little bit."
    Kelly blinked and stared at him. He wanted to plan ahead... a little bit ? She blinked some more, trying to reconcile this with the words she'd been expecting. He only wanted to plan ahead a little bit ?
    But perhaps this was a prelude? If Dean were as nervous as she was, he might need to build up to the real thing. Trying to help, she breathed, "Um, okay. Let's...plan."
    Dean's gaze swept to hit her then veered off again. "As far as, well—you going back to Las Vegas, well, perhaps you don't need to."
    Kelly's heart picked up speed again. This was more like it. "I—Right. Why do I need to?" she whispered.
    Dean's eyes came back to hers. His hand tightened around her own. "Kelly. If you—? Well. I'll just lay it out for you. I want to keep things going."
    Kelly stared into his eyes. She held her breath. But he didn't go on. He just looked at her, intense and expectant. He didn't say, 'I love you.' He didn't say, 'Will you marry me, for real?' No, he said he wanted to 'keep things going.'
    Kelly's heart beat very fast. This certainly wasn't a proposal. Yet as she sat there looking into his dark, waiting eyes, she heard herself stammer, "Um, uh...yes. I'd like to keep things going, too."
    Dean's paralyzed gaze relaxed. Meanwhile Kelly wondered if she'd said that? Had she really said that she wanted to keep things going , too? How vague could anyone get?
    But Dean's expression was one of incredible relief. "Good, then." He reached over the table to capture her other hand as well. "It's settled."
    It was settled? What was settled? But Kelly didn't have the heart—or perhaps the guts—to query further. Dean looked so happy, and at least something had been said. She didn't have to leave at the end of the trial period. The relationship would continue and, for right now, that was enough. Their love would certainly grow. Who knew? Perhaps one day, even soon, Dean would come out with the words she really wanted to hear.
    Oh, Kelly didn't know. Was she being pathetic? Or patient.
    Then Dean brought her fingers to his lips. His lashes lowered as he kissed her knuckles. "You won't be sorry," he whispered.
    Kelly looked down at his lowered head. She knew the emotional desert he came from. She knew how far he'd traveled to get to where they sat now. A well of love sprang up in her heart. The gush of love was big enough and strong enough to quell her momentary doubts. "Oh, no," she agreed. "I won't be sorry. Ever."
    ~~~
    There, he'd done it. He'd asked her to stay. She'd said yes. Dean lay beside Kelly in the big four-poster bed of their hotel room and listened to her soft, slow breaths. She was asleep, which she very well ought to be after the sexual exercise he'd given her. Oh yes, everything had gone exactly according to plan.
    So why did Dean feel as if something had been left very undone?
    He frowned at the wood beams in the ceiling. Yes, he felt antsy, anxious, as if nothing had been settled at all.
    Well, maybe nothing had been. Kelly had said she was going to stay, but she hadn't said for how long. Dean hadn't