Phoenix’s voice is raw rasp. “No, you’re not.”
I am, though.
My dad used to say I was his whole entire world…but he was my world, too.
Now my world is cold and dark.
Phoenix grasps my chin, tilting my face so I have no choice but to look at him.
Leaning in, he closes the distance between us, kissing me with such tenderness a rush of warmth engulfs me.
And then he whispers two words against my lips…two words that make the universe come to a screeching halt before bursting into flames.
“Marry me.”
CHAPTER 75
PHOENIX
“No,” Lennon exclaims as she leaps out of her chair. “You’re insane.”
Funny because I’ve never felt saner.
Lennon’s it for me.
I knew it when I wrote that first letter and I know it even more now.
And while I can’t undo what’s happening, I can give her this.
Proof that she’s not alone. That she has a family.
That even though she’s losing the first man who loved her…she still has another man who loves her just as much.
“Marry me,” I repeat.
Her shocked gaze flies to mine. “No. Stop ask…” She scowls. “Demanding.”
Fuck that. I’ll keep demanding until she agrees.
She takes several steps backward and I take several forward. “Marry me, Lennon.”
A gasp of surprise rings out behind me and I don’t need to turn around to know it’s Mrs. Palma.
Lennon glares hate fire at me. “You’re crazy. We’re not even together.”
That’s my fault.
Sometimes you want something so bad you’ll give up everything to get it, but I learned my lesson.
I know what it’s like to lose her and nothing is worth that.
I just need her to realize that what we have is worth fighting for.
“Would you have wanted to spend the rest of your life with me if I hadn’t fucked up?”
I don’t give a shit what she thinks would have happened between us. I want to know what the thing inside her chest felt.
What it still feels.
She retreats again, only this time her spine meets the wall.
I close the space between our bodies, trapping her. If she wants to run away, she’ll have to get through me, but she won’t be able to because I’m never letting her go.
“Yes,” she whispers, averting her gaze. “I told you, I loved you—”
“Do you still love me?”
The question is heavier than osmium, but I already know the answer.
I fucking feel it. This girl is burrowed so deep in my soul the best surgeon on the planet couldn’t cut her out.
And I know it’s the same for her when it comes to me. She’s just afraid of getting her heart broken again.
But I’ll spend the rest of my life not only putting the pieces together but making it even stronger.
Appearing defeated, her pretty face crumples. “Yes.”
I plant my hand on the wall next to her head. “Good, because I love you.”
Her gaze searches mine. I know she sees the truth in my eyes because her walls are down and she’s finally looking.
But love alone isn’t enough, it needs something else—something essential—in order to thrive and get you through all the fucked-up tests life throws at a relationship.
“Do you trust me?”
I hold my breath. A minute can feel like an eternity when you’re waiting for the woman you love to decide if you’re worthy enough of her.
And while I could stand here, pound on my chest, and shout that even though I’ll piss her off at least once a day for the remainder of our lives, I’ll never hurt her again…it won’t mean shit unless she truly believes it.
That in her heart she knows without a shadow of a doubt that if I could turn back time, I’d choose her.
Her sharp exhale is my only response for a while.
Then she lifts her chin. Her gaze darts over every inch of my face before colliding with mine. “I do now.”
My hand snakes around her waist and I kiss her.
It’s honest and vulnerable. An apology for the mistakes I’ve made and a pledge that I’ll never destroy what she’s given back to me.
It’s an oath. A vow.
“Marry me,” I repeat.
This time, she finally gives me what I want.
“Okay.”
As much as I’d like to stay here worshiping her mouth, we don’t have a lot of time.
I saw how devastated she was when she realized her father wouldn’t be there to watch her get married, but I’m gonna make it happen.