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“She’s strong, Noel. They both are. But this is going to break her a little, I know that. Look at me, please.”
I fill my lungs with acrid smoke, turning to him.
“I need you to be there for them. To look after them. To do whatever it takes to keep my family together and safe.”
Claws sink into my heart at the idea of a world without him in it. This is the man whose sheer goodness drags me back from the darkness and demons that call me, keeping me in the light. Or, at least partially.
“Cassie is…” he sighs, shaking his head. “Look, she’s more fragile than you know. And I worry that when I’m gone, she might fall apart. She’ll be in several people’s crosshairs, too. When I’m gone, there will be rivals of mine absolutely gunning for her and trying to sabotage her.”
“She and Ella will never want for money or—”
“My family is a three-legged stool, Noel,” he says quietly. “They’re going to need a third leg when I’m gone, or they’ll fall.”
My brow furrows.
“What exactly are you asking me to do?”
He turns to look out over the city, inhaling slowly.
“I’m asking you to do whatever is necessary to keep my family whole,” he murmurs. “I’m asking you to be that third leg if it looks like they might topple with just two.”
He swallows as he turns to me.
“I’m asking you, Noel, if need be, tomarryCassandra.”
My face lines, my jaw grinding as my eyes narrow.
“Christ, Thomas—”
“I’m not asking you to fall in love with my fucking wife, Noel,” he grunts, grinning at me. “And actually, you’d better damn well keep your grimy fucking hands away from her.”
I chuckle, exhaling relief.
“What I want you to be for her, though, is a partner. She doesn’t do well on her own. And this will shatter her, when I’m gone.”
I growl quietly.
“And Ella?”
He snorts.
“She’s a hellion.”
I grin.
“She’s bold and utterly fearless,” he sighs. “But she’s at times blinded by her own brashness and curiosity. She needs someone at her back, making sure she doesn’t leap before at least looking over the edge.”
His eyes lock with mine.
“I need you to be a partner to my wife, and a protector to my daughter.”
I look away, the magnitude and weight of his request suddenly yanking at my shoulders.
“You’re the only one I’d ever ask to do this,” he says quietly. “And I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t mean everything to me. Look, you’ve already got Naomi and Cora. And Cora is Ella’s age. I know they’re not friends or anything but—”
His voice breaks.
“I’m grasping at straws, Noel,” he chokes. “I want my girls to havesomekind of family when I’m gone.”
