“Yes,” he whispers, his forehead pressing to mine. “Yes, Blake. I’ve been waiting for you to say we could have the whole thing.”
The words break something open in my chest, but this time it doesn't feel like pain. It feels like air getting into a room that's been closed too long. Luca kisses me, careful at first because everyone's careful with me now, then less careful when my hand slides into his hair and holds him there. The kiss is wet with his tears. Mine too, probably. I don't care. I only care that his mouth's warm and real and that he's saying yes against me between breaths, again and again, as if I might not believe him the first time.
I take the band from the box, and he gives me the hand that already carries the first promise.
That nearly undoes me. His fingers are shaking. So are mine. The new band slides beside the old one slowly, catching for one terrifying heartbeat before settling into place, and Luca lets out another broken little laugh when it fits. He stares at it like he's afraid to blink. I brush my thumb over the band once, then again, needing to feel the proof as much as he seems to need to see it.
"They look right," I say.
"They feel right." Luca wipes his cheek with the heel of his free hand, then immediately looks offended by his own tears, which is so painfully him that I almost smile. "You're going to take the new meds exactly the way Quentin says. You're going to eat whatever Grayson puts in front of you. You're going to rest before your body has to beg for it. And if a laptop appears anywhere near this bed, I'm giving it to Rosalie."
The warning should make me defensive. It would've yesterday. Maybe even this morning. Now all I hear's the fear beneath it and the promise inside it. Luca's not trying to make me smaller. He's trying to keep me here long enough to keep choosing him.
I turn his hand palm-down and touch the band again. "You're terrifying with jewelry."
His laugh comes out soft and ruined. "Good."
I look up at him, at his tear-bright eyes, at the set of his mouth, at the love in him sharpened by everything we almost lost. "I love you," I say, because the ring's not enough and never will be. "I should've made it bigger years ago. I should’ve taken the time to really make a big deal of our wedding, Cupcake. But I love you, and I'm here, and I'm going to stay."
Luca bends until his mouth hovers over mine. His thumb rests along my jaw, gentle and possessive at once. "Then let me take care of you."
I nod because I don't trust my voice, and Luca kisses me again, softer this time, while the bands presses cool against my cheek. Then he carefully begins to adjust the pillows.
"Move over," he says quietly. "I’m not sitting in that chair anymore tonight."
"The nurses will have a stroke, Luca. There’s barely enough room for my ego in this bed, let alone both of us."
He doesn’t argue. He just maneuvers himself onto the narrow mattress, mindful of the wires and the IV line in my arm. When he finally settles against my side, his body fits into the curve of mine like he’s been waiting to do it for days. I let out a breath, my hand finding his automatically. The bands are cool against my fingers for a second before it warms between us.
For a while, we just lie there. His head rests on my shoulder, and I can feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing. The double band keeps catching on my skin every time our hands shift, his scent sweetening a little.
Luca lifts his head after a minute and looks at me. His eyes are still wet at the edges, but there’s something else in them now, a hunger that’s only intensified.
He leans in and kisses me. It’s slow at first, careful, but there’s no hesitation in it. When he pulls back, his hand stays on my chest, right over my heart.
“I need to feel you,” he whispers. “I need to know you’re still here.”
I swallow. “Luca… I’m not exactly in peak condition right now.”
“I know.” His voice is soft but steady. “That’s why I’m doing this.”
He shifts down the bed carefully, pushing the hospital gown up as he goes. His hands are warm and sure as they wrap around my cock. He strokes me slowly, watching my face the whole time.When I start to reach for him, he gently presses my hand back down.
“Let me,” he says. “Please.”
I let my hand fall back to the sheets. He takes me into his mouth, and the wet heat of it makes my head tip back against the pillow. He’s careful with the angle, mindful of the wires, but there’s nothing tentative about the way he moves. He takes his time, wet pulls of his mouth keeping me present, his tongue dragging along the underside of my cock before he sinks back down. Every few strokes he pulls off just enough to breathe, his lips shiny and red, before taking me in again.
When he finally pulls off, he strips out of his pants and climbs back over me. He straddles my hips, one hand braced on the headboard as he reaches down between us. He’s already slick. I can see it glistening on his fingers and the inside of his thighs when he wraps them around my cock to line me up. The first press of him against the head of my cock makes both of us go still.
Then Luca sinks down slowly. He’s so wet that I slide in easier than I expect, but he’s still tight, and I feel every inch as his body opens around me. He takes me in small movements, down a little, then up again, then down further, working himself open on my cock with careful rolls of his hips. Every time he sinks lower, I can feel the slick coating my cock and balls. By the time he’s fully seated, I’m breathing hard, my hands moving to grip his thighs.
He stays there for a moment, eyes closed, just breathing. I can feel him clenching around me in small, rhythmic pulses, like his body is still adjusting. Every little flutter and squeeze makes my cock twitch inside him.
When he finally opens his eyes, he looks down at me. His voice is low when he speaks. “I love you, Bear,” he whispers. “I love you so fucking much and I thought I lost you.”
“You didn’t,” I push. “I’m right here, Cupcake. Right here,” I murmur, dragging him down into a kiss. “I love you, too. Always have. Always will.” He sighs against my lips, still swiveling his hips.
I let out a stuttered moan as he straightens back up and continues moving. It’s slow at first, deep, rolling motions that drag my cock almost all the way out before he sinks back down again. Every time he takes me in, a little more slick pushes out around my cock, warm and messy between us.
