Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
When he spoke again, he was calm. “Dad will never—”
“He deserves a lot more credit than you give him. Because I see the way he loves me, and he would put aside whatever reservations he has about Heath if I asked him to, if I told him this was the man I wanted to spend my life with. And that’s a hell of a lot more than I can say for you.” My body shook because I was so angry, my tears rivers down my cheeks. “Now go, Damien. Take your approval and shove it up your fucking ass.”
Eleven
Heath
I stepped out of the way of the door since I was blocking it.
But I could barely think—because I couldn’t believe that had just happened.
Anna opened the door first and walked out without looking at me.
Damien stared at his sister, in just as much shock as I was. He breathed hard and fast, like he wanted to make his own speech, but he must have deemed it futile because he didn’t. But he was livid.
Catalina turned around and headed back to the couch, moving slowly because the crutches were a brand-new sensation. She leaned the crutches against the couch then slowly lowered herself down, careful not to hurt her foot. Then she looked away, like she refused to watch her brother go.
Damien finally dropped his gaze and moved to the door.
I refused to move because I would seem weak if I did.
He stopped and stared at me, his expression more enraged than I’d ever seen it. It was like he wanted to kill me, wished his first assassination attempt had been successful so he wouldn’t have to deal with all the bullshit my survival had caused.
I didn’t say a word, but I didn’t drop my gaze either. I didn’t give a gloating smile or a sarcastic remark.
Then he walked out.
I shut the door behind him, turning all the locks.
When I turned back to Catalina, her body was pivoted away, her uninjured leg hiked up on the couch, her knee pointed to the ceiling. Her fingertips rested across her mouth, like she was trying to hide a trembling lip.
I slowly moved to the couch and lowered myself to the seat beside her.
She didn’t look at me, her watery eyes shining so bright.
My hand cupped her cheek, and I forced her gaze on me. I looked at her in a new way, a way I couldn’t describe. The feelings inside me were inexplicable. I still couldn’t process what had happened, what she’d just done for me. “That’s my baby…” My thumb swiped across her cheek and caught the tear that fell. She’d turned back into the fiery woman I’d met in the summer, the woman who had a mouth that could win a war. It was the reason I fell in love with her in the first place, and the reason my love had just doubled in size.
She closed her eyes, more tears escaping from under her closed lids. “I’m sorry I hurt you…”
“You just made up for it—a million times over.” I pressed my forehead to hers as I cupped her face. “I want to marry you right now…” I’d told her I loved her barely a month ago, but I could commit to her for the rest of my life right then and there…because I just knew. I knew she was the one. She was my Cassini. “I love you so fucking much.”
She opened her eyes and looked at me. “I love you too.”
My other hand cupped her cheek, and I held her there, my fingers pushing her hair out of her face.
“I want to marry you too.”
Did I just ask her to marry me…and she said yes? I pulled away slightly and looked at her, my breath coming out shaky because I couldn’t believe this was reality, like I was in a dream…a dream where I got everything I wanted. It wasn’t my intention to propose, but now that I knew her answer, it could be. “Did we just get engaged?” I’d never thought about proposing to a woman, never even imagined how I would do it with Catalina, but I knew it was supposed to be a grand gesture, a fancy dinner with flowers, a beautiful ring in a box. I didn’t give her any of that, but it felt perfect…perfect for us.
She looked into my eyes, more tears coming, but a different kind of tear. Her lips rose in a slight smile, and she nodded. “Yes…if you’re really asking me.”
I wanted to pull her into my lap and hold her so tight, but she was too injured to move like that. I couldn’t lay her down and make love to her. All I could do was touch her like this. But it was enough, because I had the rest of my life to do those things. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, I felt the moisture that formed on my eyes, felt the emotion break through the ribs that encased my chest. “Yes, baby. I’m asking you.”