Chapter Twenty-Eight
Vic
The room was quiet except for the soft sound of their breathing and the occasional creak of the old bedframe.
Vic moved slowly above Bonnie, every thrust deep and deliberate, like he was trying to memorize the way she felt around him.Her legs were wrapped tight around his waist, her hands sliding up his back, nails grazing just enough to send sparks down his spine.Their eyes stayed locked the entire time—no rush, no games, just the two of them, stripped down to nothing but truth.
He could feel her everywhere.Not just her body—her soul.The way she opened for him, trusted him, and met him stroke for stroke like they’d been made for this exact rhythm.When she came, it was with his name on her lips and her heart in her eyes, and Vic followed right after, burying his face in her neck as the pleasure crashed through him like a perfect, endless fill.
They stayed tangled together afterward, sweat cooling on their skin, hearts gradually slowing.Vic brushed damp hair back from her face, pressing soft kisses along her jaw.
“I love you,” he whispered against her skin.“Every damn part of you.”
Bonnie’s fingers traced lazy circles on his shoulder.She was quiet for a long moment, then said softly, “I used to think forever was something other people got.But lying here with you...it doesn’t feel so impossible anymore.”
Vic’s heart swelled so much it almost hurt.He smiled against her neck, then rolled to the side, reaching into the nightstand drawer.His fingers closed around the small velvet-covered box he’d been carrying for weeks.
He turned back to her and placed it gently in her hand.
Bonnie’s eyes widened as she realized what it was.
***
Bonnie
Bonnie stared at the small velvet box in her palm, her heart suddenly hammering so hard she could feel it in her throat.
She’d been extra careful for so long—building walls, keeping things light, protecting the music and the life she’d fought tooth and nail to create.Love was dangerous.Love meant giving someone the power to break you.
But here he was.
Vic Montrose—steady, fierce, patient, and so damn good it sometimes took her breath away—lying beside her with love written all over his face.
She opened the box with trembling fingers.
The ring was simple but perfect—a beautiful vintage-style band with a sparkling center stone that caught the low lamplight like it had been waiting just for her.
“Bunny,” Vic said softly, voice rough with emotion.“I know we’ve had our timing issues.I know you’re scared.But I’m not.I want you.All of you.The fire, the fight, the late nights, the music, the mornings.I want forever with you.Marry me.”
Tears blurred her vision as she looked up at him.
“I didn’t think I’d ever want this,” she whispered.“Didn’t think I could let myself need someone this much.But you...you make me want everything.You make the music better.You makemebetter.I love you, Vic.So much it scares me and thrills me at the same time.Yes.A thousand timesyes.”
Vic’s face lit up with a grin so wide and joyful it made her laugh through her tears.He slid the ring onto her finger, then pulled her into his arms, kissing her like he never wanted to stop.
“I love you,” he murmured between kisses.“Forever.”
“Forever,” she echoed, holding him tight.
She hadn’t been looking for her forever.
But somehow, against all her rules and all her fears, she’d found it anyway.
