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He kept the same gaze, unaffected by my emotion like the statue he was. He wore the same intense expression I saw him wear the night we met. He wasn’t transparent like most people were, keeping his thoughts and feelings buried under those pounds of muscle. He kept his hand on mine and gave me a gentle squeeze, his skin warm to the touch. “Despite everything that I was, you still loved me. Despite all the odds we had stacked against us, you still fought for me. You asked your family to accept me even though there was no chance that was going to happen…but you also remained loyal to them. Now that I know them so well, I understand why you’re so committed to them…because family is everything. And I’m honored to be a part of yours.”
More tears fell, and I didn’t understand why he was doing this to me. He was making me feel a million things at once as my family sat there and watched me cry.
“The moment you put that bullet in my shoulder, I was yours. You’re a fighter, the strongest woman I’ve ever met. You put me in my place more times than I can count. You hold your own in a fight and do more damage than you receive. I fell in love with all those qualities, but it took me a long time to figure out where they came from. They’re Barsetti traits…traits you inherited from a wonderful family.”
This speech was longer than I anticipated, but I didn’t ask him to stop. I didn’t ask him to stop making me cry.
“You will always be a Barsetti. I accept that because I’m willing to share you.” He pulled his hand away from mine and then moved to his knee on the floor.
“Oh my fucking god!” I covered my mouth with my hands when everything clicked into place. Carmen squealed from the other side of the table, and my mom and aunt did the same. I watched him move to one knee and pull the small box out of his pocket. “Shit, this is really happening.” I thought I would wake up one morning, and there would be a ring sitting on my finger. I never expected Bones to actually ask because he wasn’t the kind of man that asked for things.
He opened the box and pulled out the ring.
A ridiculously huge ring with glorious diamonds everywhere. “Holy shit, that’s big.”
Bones didn’t crack a smile as he grabbed my left hand and slipped the ring onto my finger. The rest of my family stood up so they could watch the events unfold. “I asked your father’s permission. I asked your family’s permission. But I refuse to ask for yours. Marry me.” He was true to who he was, never giving me a choice because that wasn’t his style. He gave my family the respect I wanted because it was important to me, but between the two of us, it was different.
It was exactly how I wanted him to ask me— not to ask me at all. “Yes.” My arms circled his neck, and I moved into his chest on the floor, letting those powerful arms wrap around me. That embrace would be there every single day for the rest of our lives. He was the only man I’d ever loved—the only man I would ever love.
My family clapped and cheered, their applause filling our new home with happiness. They filled the silent corners with memories, bringing a new energy into the home where we would start our lives. The house had been sitting there for hundreds of years, but now it was starting over—with us.
Bones pulled his head back so he could look at me, his palm cupping my cheek. His thumb brushed away the tears that streamed down my cheeks. He’d only showed his emotion twice in our relationship, both times was when he almost lost me. That emotion wasn’t there now, but I knew that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy. He kissed a new tear that just fell from my eye. He gathered it on his lips before he moved to my other cheek and kissed me again.
“I wish I would stop crying…I can’t help it.”
“You know I like it when you cry,” he whispered so only I could hear. He finally kissed me on the mouth, giving me a PG kiss that was appropriate for the rest of the family to witness. “You’re mine…for the rest of your life.”
“Even if you gave me a choice, I would still want to be yours for the rest of my life.”
He finally gave a slight smile. “A man doesn’t give his woman a choice. He loves her without permission. He protects her without her watching. And he remains faithful to her when she’s not looking. You’re my prisoner…but I’m glad you’re a willing prisoner.”
