All Chapters of Will you marry me, Mr. Mayor: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Althea’s POVBy the time I stepped into my room, the sun was already giving way to dusk, painting everything in gentle gold. Shopping bags lined one wall, a reminder of the day’s choices—and the ones I still hadn’t made.I sat on the edge of the bed, letting the quiet settle around me. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t running from the silence. I was letting it fill the spaces inside me, hoping it would clear something out.A knock at the door startled me.“Come in,” I called, expecting a maid or maybe Shaun.But it was my brother. He stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, a familiar seriousness in his eyes.“I ordered dinner brought up,” he said. “Figured you’d want some time away from the main table tonight.”I nodded, grateful. “Thank you.”He stepped inside, hesitated, then sat beside me. For a few moments, neither of us spoke. The air was thick with things we both wanted to say and weren’t sure how.“Are you scared?” he asked at last, voice quiet.I exhal

Althea’s POVNight draped itself over the house, thick and velvet, muffling the usual sounds. For the first time in a long while, I felt the full weight of stillness. Staff moved with extra care—polishing silver for the wedding breakfast, arranging white blooms in the foyer, double-checking seating charts. Their quiet industry was a kind of background music, soothing and nerve-wracking at once.I tried to read in bed, but my mind buzzed too loudly. Every few minutes, I found myself staring at the ceiling, mapping out the next day in my head. The dress hanging in my closet. The vows I barely remembered practicing. The faces that would fill the hall, measuring every move, every choice.Restless, I slipped out of my room. My bare feet made no sound on the hall’s polished floor. I wandered, trailing my fingers along the cool banister, pausing at family photos—my parents on their wedding day, my brother as a child, me in school uniforms. A whole history lined up in frames, all leading to th

Althea’s POVThe applause faded to a gentle hum as the ceremony ended. Congratulations blurred around me—smiling faces, handshakes, polite words from relatives and strangers. The world felt bright and hazy, as if I were moving through a dream I’d half-written and half-inherited.Alexander’s hand rested over mine, grounding me. Each time someone offered a blessing or a toast, I felt the weight of his presence—protective, steady, and just a little uncertain beneath the practiced composure.When the crowd thinned and the formalities paused, we were ushered into a private lounge meant for “quiet moments”—though quiet was the last thing I felt.I sat on a velvet sofa, hands folded around my bouquet, dress pooled elegantly at my feet. Alexander stood by the window, looking out over the gardens, his posture relaxed but his jaw tense.For a while, we said nothing. The silence was thick, but not hostile. Just…strange, like the air before a summer storm.Finally, I spoke, because it felt like if

Althea’s POVSunlight crept across the sheets, brushing Alexander’s back with gold. I watched the way his muscles shifted under his skin as he turned toward me, eyes soft, searching my face for permission and invitation.Last night’s nerves had faded. In their place was a thrumming anticipation—need and curiosity mingling just beneath my skin. The air between us was alive with questions we hadn’t spoken, answers we were only beginning to discover.He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “How are you feeling?” he asked, voice husky.“Nervous,” I admitted, a breath of laughter escaping. “And…excited.”He smiled, soft and genuine, and leaned into me, his lips brushing mine—gentle, searching, patient. He pulled back, gazing into my eyes. “Tell me what you want, Althea.”My cheeks flushed, but his gaze was steady, warm. “I want… you. I want you to touch me.”He kissed me again, deeper this time. His hands traced the line of my jaw, down my neck, fingers

Althea’s POVWhen I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was warmth.Not the kind that came from sunlight, although there was already a soft glow slipping through the curtains, touching the edges of the room in pale gold. This warmth was heavier, closer, breathing slowly against me. For a few seconds, I didn’t understand where I was, why the sheets smelled unfamiliar, or why there was an arm resting securely around my waist as if it had been placed there with every intention of keeping me from drifting away.Then I remembered.Alexander.The wedding.The kiss.Last night.My heart gave one hard beat, and my body went completely still.I was lying on my side, and behind me, Alexander’s chest was pressed lightly against my back, his arm around me, his hand resting over mine. He wasn’t holding me tightly, not in a way that trapped me, but there was something so natural about the way he slept beside me that it made my throat tighten. As if this was normal. As if I had always belonged he