He pulled his other hand from her side too, since having his fingers dig into her hip wasn't exactly helping him keep control of the whole situation. He held both her hands in his own instead, lifting them up to kiss her knuckles, letting them rest against his chest and over his heart. "I just want to do this right," he said, smiling a little as he leaned away. "I'd love you just the same, but... I don't want to give your father a single reason to not give us his blessing."

More for Mary's sake than his own, honestly. He knew Mary would be torn up if she had to choose between Jim and her own family, and in all honesty, a small part of him feared that she'd go with the latter.