shouldn't gravity travel at light speed immediately

Question

if gravity travels at c(light speed), why aren't objects pulled to earth at that speed?

Since the velocity of gravity is 9.8 meters per second squared, will it eventually accelerate until it maxes out at c then hold constant?

And if that is the case, then why doesn't the gravitational pull between objects and earth immediately travel at c like photons?

This post has been migrated from (A51.SE)