Page 118 of Ruthless Savior
"Really." She looks me over too, concern written across her features. "The doctor said you’ve been admitted, too. What happened to you?"
I glance at Ronan, who nods encouragingly. "It's a long story. But Mom, I have some news. Good news."
"Oh?" Her eyes dart between me and Ronan, a look on her face that tells me she already suspected what I’m about to say.
"I'm pregnant." I smile shakily, and the words hang in the air for a moment before she bursts into tears—happy tears I realize as she pulls me into another embrace.
"Oh, sweetheart! How wonderful! How far along? Are you feeling all right? I don’t know what happened, but the doctor said?—”
"I'm fine, Mom. We're fine. The baby and I are both healthy." I settle onto the edge of her bed, taking her hands. "It's early still, but everything looks good."
She's beaming now, practically glowing with joy. "My first grandchild! Oh, I can’t wait.” She squeezes my hands, alight with happiness. “And the two of you… you’re happy?”
“Yes,” I promise her. “We’re happy, and in love, and everything that you hoped for me. Everything is going to be okay, Mom.”
Tears spring into my mother’s eyes all over again. "I knew it," she says, looking at us both with a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "I knew you two would figure it out eventually. The way he looks at you, the way he's been taking care of me—I knew this wasn't just business."
"You did not know," I protest, laughing despite my own tears.
"Of course I did." She turns to Ronan, who's been standing quietly throughout the emotional chaos. "Come here, son."
The word 'son' changes his expression, and I see his eyes turn glassy. He approaches the bed slowly, and Mom reaches up to press a hand to the side of his face.
"Thank you," she says simply. "For taking care of us both. And for giving me a son-in-law and a grandchild. I know you’ll take good care of my Leila, whether I’m here or not.”
"You're not going anywhere," Ronan says firmly. "The doctors say the treatment is working. You're going to be around to spoil your grandchild terribly."
“Oh, I hope so.” My mom smiles, and I feel a glow of happiness, a feeling that everything that’s gone wrong has been righted and then some. We stay for another hour, talking about baby names and nursery themes and all the normal, wonderful things I never thought I'd get to discuss. When visiting hours end and we finally prepare to leave, I feel lighter than I have in months.
As we walk down the corridor toward the elevators, Ronan suddenly stops, pulling me gently into his arms. “I love you,” he whispers, kissing me gently, his hand trailing through my hair as he holds me close. “I will love you forever, Leila O’Malley. And I’m the luckiest man in the world to have you here with me, even after everything that’s happened. To know that you still trust me to keep you safe—it’s the only thing I’ll ever need for the rest of my life.”
“I love you too,” I whisper against his lips. “I’ve loved you for longer than I wanted to admit. And I will always trust that you’ll keep us safe.”
He kisses me again, long and slow, his forehead pressed to mine as our mouths break apart. "Marry me," he murmurs, and I look up at him in surprise.
"I'm already married to you."
"No, I mean, really marry me. Not because you need my protection, and it’s the only way to keep you safe. Marry me because you love me and want to build a life together."
My heart stutters in my chest. "Ronan?—"
"I know we've already had one wedding, but that wasn't ours. That was about necessity." His thumbs brush across my cheekbones. "I want a wedding that's about us. About promisingto love each other forever because we want to, not because we have to."
I feel tears mist in my eyes. "You want to marry me again?"
"I want to marry you every day for the rest of our lives if that's what it takes to prove how much I love you." His voice drops to a whisper. "I want to give you the wedding you deserved the first time. I want to stand in front of our friends and family and vow to love you and protect you and cherish you for as long as I live."
"And will you love me forever?" My voice is a hushed whisper, the hall narrowed down to the two of us, as if no one else is passing by, as if no one else can hear us.
Ronan strokes my cheek with his thumb, his eyes locked on mine. "I promise to love you longer than forever. I promise to protect you and our children with my life. I promise to never take you for granted or treat you as anything less than the center of my world." He kisses me softly. "I promise to spend my whole life trying to be the husband you deserve, and everything you need.”
"Yes," I whisper against his lips, and I feel him smile against my mouth.
"Yes?"
"Yes, I'll marry you again,” I whisper. “Yes to all of it.”
I feel his smile widen, and his arms go around me, holding me like he’ll never let me go. And this time, when he kisses me, it feels like coming home.
