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Jules faltered, looking more fatigued and worn down than I’d ever seen her. She fiddled with my fingers.
“It’s my job to take the hard hits, Jules,” I added as gently as possible.
“Then get a boring office job,” she countered.
“That’s not how this works.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line, regarding me with those big brown eyes I’d come to love so much. Lightly, she poked me in the forearm.
“Don’t scare me like that again,” she whispered.
“You know I can’t promise that.”
“Why not?”
I brushed my knuckles against Jules’ cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into my touched.
“I will gladly put myself in the path of a thousand bullets a thousand times over if it means seeing you safe and sound.”
Gingerly, Jules sank into the bed beside me again. She tucked her face into the crook of my neck with a sweet little kiss.
“Is the family business okay?” I asked after a minute.
“Yeah,” Jules replied, muffled. “A bit of fire damage but nothing we can’t handle.”
She sniffed and sat up, brushing a tear away from her cheek. Retrieving a bag from the floor, she pulled out two containers of strawberries.
“I brought you something to eat. Doctors said you would be in here a while and there’s no way I’m leaving you to fend for yourself on Jell-O.”
Jules set the containers on my bedside table as I watched her. She still wore the same clothes from the barbecue on Saturday. Her hair was frizzy, tied up in a tangled ponytail.
“When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep, sweetheart?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Probably with you. In your apartment.”
“And how long ago was that?”
“Five days,” she admitted, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
I reached over and hooked two fingers in the back pocket of her jeans, tugging her toward the bed. When Jules glanced at me again, her eyebrows were drawn together and it looked like everything was catching up to her, wearing her down.
“I love you,” she said softly. “I…I realized I never told you that before. And I thought…” She broke off and swallowed. “I thought I might not get the chance to.”
I coaxed Jules to sit on the edge of my bed. I thumbed at her chin and she curled her hands around my wrist, fingertips idly wandering my tattoos.
“If I asked,” I said, “would you marry me? I’d talk to your parents first. Get you a proper ring and everything. But I just…wanted to know.”
Jules gave a watery smile, lacing her fingers with mine.
“Of course I would.”
I cupped her chin in my hand, drawing her closer. Jules cradled my face in her palms as I pressed a long, lingering kiss to her lips. I wrapped her in my arms, pulling her against my chest as carefully as I could, mindful of the swath of bandages covering my body and we held each other.
***
Three Months Later
Katelyn bounced on my shoulders while Jayden clung to my back and Amelia dangled from my arm. Jules held my hand. Her family had welcomed me with open arms, making me feel like there had always been a place for me in their home.
