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“This”—with apprehension, I reach for her hand and press it over my heart—“this will never be for nothin’. This iseverything.”
Tears continue to fall down her cheeks, and I don’t wipe them away. Each one carries her pain.
“I’m sorry for being so…angry with you. I thought coming back would make everything all right. But things are different now.”
I know she means Shay.
“I still need to do my own test.”
But she shakes her head. “He’s yours. I have no doubt about it. Your strength, your courage run through his veins. He is a Kelly. Shay is an amazing kid, and you’re going to be an amazing father.”
The reality of what she says sinks in—I’m a father, to a son who saved the woman I love. I couldn’t be prouder.
“I will never forgive Aoife for what she did, but Shay is…he is something special. A gift.”
I don’t deserve her. She has accepted Shay when some may not have been so forthcoming. This entire situation is far from ideal, but we will make it work because we haven’t come this far to give up now.
Gripping the back of her neck, I draw us together, brow to brow. I don’t speak. I simply allow this moment of peace to shield us from the world. Now that she’s back in my arms, I’ll never let her go again.
Her steady breaths lull me into a comfortable stupor, but when she nudges her nose with mine, I understand she wants more.
“Yer arm,” I whisper against her lips as she comes in for a kiss. I don’t want to hurt her.
“It’s okay. We just need to be careful.”
“I don’t think that I can,” I reply honestly because the moment I taste her, all I can think of is throwing her onto the bed and devouring every inch of her gorgeous flesh.
She doesn’t seem to mind and kisses me softly.
Her lips mold to mine perfectly—they always have. We fit in every way that there is. We’ve shared many kisses, but this one feels different, like this is really it this time. We know the obstacles that face us, but we’ll tackle them together.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve found my home.
I walk her backward, guiding her toward the bed. When her knees hit the mattress, she lowers herself onto it, taking me with her. Her arm is still in a cast, but she maneuvers herself backward, laying her head onto the pillow.
I ensure my weight isn’t pressed into her as we continue kissing sluggishly. When she cups my cheek, I recoil instinctively. But she doesn’t let me turn away.
“I’m sorry I don’t have anythin’ nicer to offer you.”
The scar on my face is forever, and although it doesn’t bother me, I’m sure it’s not something Babydoll wishes to glance upon for the rest of her life. It’s a reminder of all the awful things I’ve done.
“Don’t be silly,” she whispers, stroking over the jagged line. The stitches are out, but the wound is far from healed. “I love you—every single part of you.”
Each time she professes her love for me, I feel like a miracle has been performed.
“We’re quite a pair,” she says with a small smile, and her words, they incite something inside me, something I didn’t even know I wanted until now.
“Aye, that we are. I—” I pause, suddenly unsure, but I don’t second-guess myself. This was destined from the first moment we met.
“What?” Her hand trembles on my cheek, revealing her nerves.
I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know what the proper way is. But when I look into Babydoll’s eyes and see nothing but love, I realize this is as natural as breathing.
“Camilla, I want you to…I want ye to be my wife. Will you marry me?” Utter shock rocks her, which has me wetting my lips and adding, “Please.”
I give her a moment or two because this has caught us both unaware.
“I don’t expect you to answer right away. But I—”
