“I understand English perfectly well,” she sasses right back at me.
There it is. It’s exactly what I wanted from her. It tells me that everything is going to be okay. She won’t carry today around with her forever, even though it’ll linger.
“I’m going to make you my wife,” I repeat myself. “Then come the babies and the happily ever after.”
I settle back even deeper into the pillow and let out a contented sigh as if my words are the most obvious, and comforting, thing in the world. To me they are.
“Then come the babies and the happily ever after,” she parrots the words, but they’re filled with awe when they come from her lips.
“Yup,” I pop the p and peer over at her. I hate that she’s so far away. “For this part, I do need you to come closer.”
She starts to shake her head, but when she looks at my face, she stops. I don’t know what she sees there, but it has her standing up and perching on the edge of the bed.
I reach up and cup her cheek in my hand, my thumb moving over the soft skin right near her bottom lip. “Beautiful,” I breathe out the word as my eyes roam over her face.
For a moment there, when I was on my back as warm blood started to seep out around me, I was afraid I’d never see her again. That kind of fear is something I never want to experience again. I’ll do anything in my power to ensure that she’s always safe. Her and any kids we’re blessed enough to have.
“Titus,” her tone is an admonishment while she blushes softly, and her lips tip up into a coy smile.
“I love you, Ezra.”
For a moment, my words hang between us and then they land. I watch the impact like I’m experiencing a super nova.
Shock.
Relief.
Understanding.
Love.
Her face shows every one of her emotions. She doesn’t try to hide them from me; she never has.
“I love you,” she gasps out the words like she’s coming up for air.
A huge smile spreads across my face and her smile matches it. She blinks a few times and shakes her head in disbelief. My hand slides into her hair to cradle the back of her skull. When I pull her forward, she resists slightly, but I’m not having any of that.
“You have to seal it,” I rumble, “with a kiss.”
She rolls her eyes and lets out a huff of disbelief, but she still leans closer. The peck she gives me isn’t nearly enough, but she tries to pull back almost immediately.
I don’t let her go and hold her in place. The moment she moans into my mouth, I know I have her right where I want her.
My tongue slides past her lips as I deepen the kiss. Her hands grip the hospital gown covering my chest, but I can feel the way her movements are careful because she doesn’t want to hurt me.
“Say it again,” I murmur against her lips.
“I love you, Titus,” her words are breathless.
I swallow them down, loving how sweet they taste on my tongue. The last thing I want to do is pull away from her, but the door opens and my woman jumps back from me like she’s just been electrocuted.
All I can do is smirk at her wide eyes and flushed cheeks. She’s fucking adorable.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I look toward the voice to find a woman in a pair of scrubs half in and half out of the room, “but I just wanted to come by and check on you.”
“Oh,” Ezra starts to fuss, “please come in.”
She gets up off the edge of the bed and I’m not quite fast enough to catch her. The look she shoots me as she sits in the chair again is probably meant to be scary, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark considering her lips are still pink and plump from our kiss.
