Page 98 of Forbidden Sins

As always, my breath catches at the sight of him shirtless, my heart stuttering in my chest.

“You’re not supposed to be in here, princess.” Sebastian sets the book he was holding aside, smiling faintly at me. “You could get in trouble.”

“I’m afraid they’ll take you away from me.” I crawl into bed next to him, on his mostly uninjured side, curling against his chest. “I don’t want to wake up and find that you’re gone.”

“We’re going to have to trust that this is real.” He smooths a hand over my hair. “But I understand the fear. It will take time for this to feel normal.”

The look in his eyes undoes me—pride and love and a fierce, protective devotion that makes my breath catch. I lift my chin, pressing my lips to his in a kiss that starts gentle but quickly deepens, fueled by the lingering adrenaline and the desperate relief of being alive, of being together.

“I want to keep going,” Sebastian murmurs, his breath warm against my lips. “But we might have to wait until the wedding night, princess. I don’t want to risk making your father angry. Not when we finally have what we wanted.”

I smile at him, pulling back slightly. “Sebastian Sinclair, are you asking me to marry you?”

He smiles back, his mouth twisting up at the side in an amused smirk. “I’ll ask properly later, princess. With a ring and all the formalities. But… yes, Estella. I’m asking.” He reaches up, brushing my hair away from my face. “I think your father assumes it’s a foregone conclusion. But I would never be so boldas to assume that you’re mine forever, until you tell me that you will be.”

“Except I said it already,” I whisper, cupping the side of his face with my hand. “A few times, I think.”

Sebastian smiles. “Then say it again, dove. Please.”

“I’m yours,” I breathe. “Your love, your heart, your wife, if you’ll have me as that. I love you, Sebastian. I’m yours forever, if you’ll be mine.”

He sucks in a breath, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m yours,” he whispers softly. “Forever, Estella. No matter what life brings.”

—

The next morning, my father summons us to his study. My heart hammers as I stand there—I’ve been here before, when he told me that I would marry a man of his choice. When he told me that I would marry Vito Bianchi. I’m not entirely convinced that everything I want is going to come true, yet. Not when it all still feels so fragile.

Sebastian and I sit across from him, the massive mahogany desk between us. Early sunlight streams through the tall windows, catching on the silver in my father's hair, illuminating the fine lines around his eyes I've never noticed before. He looks older today, more human somehow.

"I've been thinking about everything that’s happened," he begins, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "About what I witnessed at Vito’s penthouse."

I feel Sebastian tense beside me, ready for whatever comes next. I reach for his hand, interlacing our fingers openly on the armrest between us.

My father's eyes track the movement, lingering on our joined hands before returning to my face. "You love him," he says. It's not a question.

"Yes," I answer simply.

He nods, as if confirming something to himself. "You stepped out from behind that tree, facing a man who could have killed you. You protected Sebastian, just as he has protected you. You trusted him at the penthouse. You believed he would keep you safe."

"We protect each other." I meet his gaze unflinchingly. “We have since we ran from the garden.”

A ghost of a smile touches my father’s lips. “Your grandmother was a strong woman, too, Estella,” he says, reaching for a wooden box at the side of his desk. He taps the top of it, and when I lean forward, I see the Gallo family crest emblazoned into the wood. He opens it, slowly, and I see a gorgeous ring nestled in velvet inside, sparkling in the sunlight streaming in from the window behind him. It’s an emerald cut diamond, surrounded by sapphires, set in platinum.

“This was your grandmother’s ring,” Antony says simply. “My grandfather gave it to her. I meant to give it to your mother, but she wanted something different. I offered it to Vito, but he said he would choose his own ring for you.” He looks at Sebastian. “I’m offering it to you, now.”

I see Sebastian look at me out of the corner of my eye, and I know he’s waiting for my reaction, to see what I want. A part of me wants to turn it down, to have a ring that Sebastian has chosen for me, himself. But a bigger part of me, the part of me that understands duty and family, knows what this means.

This is my father, asking us to keep this bit of tradition with us, when he’s allowed us to break all of the rest of it. It’s him, offering a part of our family to Sebastian. A peace offering. An olive branch made of diamonds and sapphire, and platinum.

I give a small, almost imperceptible nod, and my father pushes the box forward, toward Sebastian.

"Sebastian," my father says. "If you wish to ask my daughter a question, you have my blessing. My full and complete blessing."

Sebastian looks at me, surprise and love mingling in his eyes. He reaches out, sliding the ring from the velvet where it’s nestled, then slides from his chair to one knee before me.

"Estella," he says, his voice rough with emotion. "From the moment I was hired to protect you, I knew there was more to you than I thought I would ever be lucky enough to discover. I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you, even though I tried to pretend otherwise. I didn’t intend to fall for you, princess." He smiles. "But it's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Tears blur my vision as he continues.

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