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“I’d do anything for you.” I smile, letting her down, then pull her to sit on the edge of the bed. “But then again, you know that.”
“I’ve always known that.” She returns my smile, but it’s sad.
I pause and look at her. “I have a present for you…nothing big, but still something.” Her eyes light up for me, and I reach by the bed, pull out a long rectangular box, and hand it to her.
“What is it?” she whispers, her hazel eyes widening as she looks from me to the box and back again. The green seems so bright today, and I have to force myself to not get lost in them.
“Open it and see.”
No sooner do I say that than she is taking the bow off, followed by the top, and pulls out a frame. She examines it, and I know the second she sees it because tears spill from her eyes. It’s a photo I snuck back in Seaside. Milla’s asleep on my chest, and I’m smiling for once. I look happy. It’s just a selfie, but it’s still us. Together. My handwritten vows from our wedding are laid over it, like an extra layer on the picture. The ones I said, and the ones I couldn’t tell her the day we rushed to seal our fates together, but the words she should’ve always known.
I wipe the tears spilling down her face and smile at her. “I wanted you to know every single word I wanted to say, because I’d do anything for you. And loving you, Camilla? It’s the happiest I’ve ever been.” Her bottom lip trembles, and I brush it with my thumb, looking into her eyes. “And if it meant that I get to have you forever? I would do this over again, however many times it takes. As long as you’re by my side at the end of it.Forever.”
Camilla sniffles and clamps her bottom lip between her teeth. “I realize I haven’t told you this, Nik. But I want to—need to—get this off my chest.”
“What princess?” I ask her, my stomach dropping with fear. Is she done with me? Does she not want me anymore? Even after all of this? “What is it?”
“I forgive you for killing my brother.” I hold my breath as she continues, stunned that she’s even bringing it up. Talking about Andrea is hard for her. “I know it’s not your fault, and I don’t want you to feel guilty for the rest of your life.”
“I will always feel guilty—” I try to say, but she interrupts me.
“I’m telling you, I forgive you. And I think you should forgive yourself too.”
I ponder that for a moment, grateful for her forgiveness. I know it’s taken a lot—and a long time—to get to this point. A lot of love, a lot of laughter, a lot of tears. But for her, I’d do anything. “Let’s make a promise to each other,” I reply. “We’re never going to let another loss come between us. The life we lead has no guarantees. You know there’s no safety in our world, only in each other.”
I grab her hands and squeeze them once, and her eyes tear up. “I promise, Nik.”
And it’s this promise that binds us forever, for better or for worse. It’s with this promise that I vow to give her what she deserves. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to give her.
Everything.
