Page 150 of Brutal Heir
My head jerks up. Her eyes are open. Glazed, watery, but open. Barely a smile, but it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my whole damned life.
I can’t breathe. “Rory…”
“You got sappy on me,” she mumbles, lashes fluttering.
“Yeah, well,” I choke out a laugh through the tears I’m not even trying to hide. “You almost died, so you can forgive the dramatics.”
Her fingers curl weakly around mine. “You still owe me a ring.”
I drop to my knee beside the bed, pulling the emerald into the light. “I’ve had it for a while now actually, waiting for the moment I thought you’d say yes. Do you think now is good?”
Tears are running down her cheeks, silent and shining.
“Rory Delaney,” I whisper, my voice trembling, my heart pounding so loud I can barely hear myself. “Will you marry me?”
Her eyes widen, lips parting, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop, because everything I am is spilling out of me now.
“Will you let me spend the rest of my life proving to you that you’re not alone anymore? That you’re safe. That you’re loved.” My throat tightens, emotion clawing up as I stare at her, this fierce, broken, beautiful woman who has become the very air I breathe.
“I want to be the man who stands in front of every monster that tries to take your light. The man who will fight beside you, who will fight for you, who will never let you forget how strong you are, even on the days you can’t see it yourself.”
My hands are shaking as I reach for hers, pressing her trembling fingers to my lips.
“Marry me, Rory, and let me spend the rest of my life making sure no one ever tries to steal your fire again.”
She blinks slowly, then chokes back a sob. “Only if I get to pick the wedding cake.”
I laugh. Hard. Joy crackles through me like lightning. “Deal.”
“Then yes,” she whispers, her voice breaking as tears spill over her lashes. She presses a trembling hand to her mouth, a soft, ragged laugh slipping out as she tries to catch her breath. “God, Ale… yes.”
She lowers her hand, her eyes finding mine, and they’re shining with so much love and fear and hope that it steals the air from my lungs.
“Of course I’ll marry you,” she breathes, her voice shaking. “How could I not? You’re the only person who’s ever seen all of me, even the dark, ugly parts, and didn’t turn away. The only one who’s ever made me feel like I’m worth fighting for. Like I’m worth everything.”
She leans closer, cupping my face in her hands, her thumbs brushing away the tears I didn’t even realize were there. Her own tears drip onto her cheeks, but she doesn’t wipe them away.
“I’m yours, Ale. I’ve been yours for a long time. And I want this. I want you. All of it. The good, the bad, the messy,the beautiful.” Her breath hitches, and she leans her forehead against mine. “I want forever with you.”
I slide the ring onto her finger, her skin warm and trembling beneath mine. It fits like it was made for her. Because it was.
I lean in and kiss her, gentle, reverent, like a man kneeling before a miracle.
Because that’s exactly what she is.
CHAPTER 57
SOMETHING SACRED
Rory
The snow taps against the glass of Alessandro’s bedroom like it’s trying to sneak inside. Feckin’ hell, it’s cold. I shift against the pillows, just enough to remind myself why I shouldn’t. Pain blossoms beneath my ribs like something blooming the wrong way.
A hiss escapes my clenched teeth.
“Don’t move.” Ale’s voice echoes from the doorway. Deep. Rough. Possessive as sin.
He steps into the bedroom, sleeves pushed up, a bundle of gauze and antiseptic in one hand, his jaw tight like it’s wired in steel.
