“I want you to give me another chance. I want to spend the rest of my life proving I’m worthy of your trust.” He sucks in a breath. “I want to be your family. For real this time.”
He drops to one knee.
My heart stutters.
He pulls a small box from his pocket and flips the top open. “I’ve been carrying this around with me, hoping that I might run into you somewhere. Sometime.” A simple, elegant diamond ring glitters in the center of the velvet cushion, the facets sparkling under the streetlights.
“The first ring was part of a contract. A business deal.” His lips curl into a smile. “This one is just me. No families, no alliances, no obligations. Just me, asking you to be my wife. Because I love you. Because I can’t imagine my life without you. I can’t live it without you, Adriana.”
My lips fall open as I stare from him to the ring and back to him.
This man who broke my heart. This man who came for me when I’d been taken. This man who’s been falling apart because I walked away.
This man I love, despite everything.
“You hurt me,” I whisper.
“I know.”
“If you ever lie to me again?—”
“I won’t.”
“If you ever keep something from me?—”
“I won’t. Iswear.”He reaches for my hand. “You’ll know everything. Always. Even the things you don’t want to hear.”
I trace my finger over the diamond. I’ve been disappointed by so many people lately. So much betrayal. So much deception.
But then there’s Lochlan. He fought through a warehouse full of Russians to save my life, even after I shut him out.
He’s made mistakes. He’s not perfect.
But he’s perfect for me.
And I can’t imagine living a life without him in it, either.
So for the first time since I left him, a real smile stretches across my face and I push through the wall I’ve been hiding behind.
“Yes,” I say, my voice choked with tears.
His eyes light up, eyebrows flying up. “Yes?”
“Yes, you idiot.” I’m crying now, really crying, and I don’t even care. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His smile could rival the brightness of the sun if it wasn’t the middle of the night. He fumbles with the ring in his haste to get it out of the box and onto my empty ring finger since I no longer wear the original one. It fits perfectly.
He jumps up and cups my face before crushing his lips to mine in a kiss so deep and so soulful, I almost swoon. My hands fist in his shirt to keep him close, tears still streaming down my face.
“I love you,” he says against my mouth.
“I love you, too.” I pull back far enough to look at him. “But I swear to God, Lochlan, if you make me regret this?—”
“I won’t.” He kisses me again, silencing my next thought. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret this.”
We stand there on the bridge, holding each other, and for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe.
It’s not going to be easy. We still have enemies. My father is still recovering. Eamon is still out there somewhere.
