Page 69 of Lords of Ruin: Savage

And that scares me most of all.

She straightens, rolling her shoulders back as she reaches for a clipboard. “Let’s take a break. I don’t want you pushing past your limit.”

I exhale, reluctantly letting go of the band. My muscles tremble as I shift on the table, and before I can stop myself, Willow is there, steadying me with a hand on my arm.

Willow clears her throat. “We’ll try another set in a few minutes. Drink some water.”

I smirk, reaching for the bottle she hands me. “Bossy.”

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny it.

I take a slow sip, watching her over the rim. I should stop this. Whatever this is.

But as Willow turns away, already preparing for the next exercise, I know one thing for certain.

Stopping is the last thing I want to do.

I watch Willow move: the way she bites her lip in concentration, the way her fingers glide over the clipboard, following my doctor's orders to the letter. My chest tightens, not from pain, but from a deeper, more terrifying realization. I can’t live without her. I don’t even want to try.

A smug smile tugs at my lips as I set the water bottle down. “You know, Willow, if you keep taking such good care of me, I might start thinking you’re in love with me.”Just as much as I am in love with you.

She scoffs, but the blush creeping up her neck betrays her. “What do you think?” She looks at me through her eyelashes, a pout on her lips. “Am I in love with you?”

“Maybe.” I shift slightly, wincing as my muscles protest.

Willow shakes her head, exasperation flickering in her eyes, but she doesn’t move away when I reach for her wrist, my fingers curling gently around her pulse point.

“I mean it,” I say, my voice quieter now, more raw. “You keep me together, Willow. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She swallows, her lips parting like she wants to say something, but I don’t give her the chance. The words come before I even think them through.

“Marry me.”

Her eyes snap to mine, wide and unguarded. “Vincent-”

“Marry me,” I repeat, firmer this time, my grip on her wrist tightening just slightly, like I’m afraid she’ll pull away. “I still love you, Willow. And I don’t want to waste another damn second pretending I could ever live without you. You can’t live without me either, and you know it.”

Her lips part, but no words come out. I see it in her eyes—the hesitation, the war waging inside her. She’s already told me no once, but that was before. Before I realized I couldn’t live, couldn’t die, couldn’t exist in any way without knowing she’s my wife.

I don’t let go of her wrist. I don’t let her slip away. Not this time.

“You can say no again,” I tell her, my voice steady, sure. “And I’ll ask you again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. Until you finally understand that there isn’t a world where I stop wanting you, where I stop needing you to be mine.”

Willow exhales shakily, but she doesn’t pull away. That’s a win. A small one, but I’ll take it.

“Vincent—”

“I don’t care how long it takes,” I cut in, my fingers tightening around hers. “I don’t care if you tell me a thousand times that it’s too complicated or too soon or whatever excuse you think I’ll accept. I won’t. Because the only thing I know, the only thing I’m sure of in my entire life, is that you are my dream, Willow.”

Her breath hitches.

I lift her hand, press it against my chest, right over my heart. “This? It’s yours. Always has been.”

She shakes her head like she doesn’t believe me, like she’s trying to guard herself, but I see the way her eyes shine, the way her lips tremble.

“You don’t mean it,” she whispers, her voice barely audible. “You’re just?—”

“I mean every damn word.” I tilt my head, my eyes locked onto hers. “So tell me no again, if you really want to. But just know, I’m not stopping. I’ll ask you every day, Willow. Because I already know how this ends.”

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