I took her hand, and we walked along the promenade. The river reflected the city lights. Other couples wandered nearby. Music drifted from down the street.
“Can I ask you something?” Winnie asked.
“Anything.”
She looked down at our joined hands. “How?”
I frowned. “How what?”
“How could you possibly want this?”
I blinked. “This?”
She gestured vaguely at herself. “The vampire part.”
“Oh.”
The insecurity in her expression caught me off guard. This was a woman who’d survived two centuries, defeated her sire, helped raise children and had built a quiet life for herself despite all the odds being against her. Yet somehow this still worried her.
“Winnie.”
She waited.
I stopped walking and turned to her, putting my hands on her shoulders. “The vampire part is probably the least interesting thing about you.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “That cannot possibly be true.”
“It is.”
“Conrad, I literally drink blood.”
“You also make incredible soup.”
She laughed. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.” I reached for both of her hands and held them between mine. “Your species isn’t why I love you.” The words came easier now. “I love how you treat my children.”
Her eyes softened.
“I love how patient you are with CJ.”
A smile appeared.
“How you listen to Bianca. How you encourage Billie instead of trying to make her less herself.”
That one nearly made her cry.
I kept going. “I love that you carry emergency wet wipes everywhere.”
She laughed.
“I love that you make enough food to feed a small army.”
The laugh got bigger.
“I love that you somehow know everything.”
She scowled. “I do not know everything.”
