I have noticed that she hasn’t been on her phone or laptop since I’ve been home. The only time she has left my side is to shower or go to the bathroom.
“Sweetheart, you can’t keep putting this off.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” I closed my eyes as her fingers traced along my eyebrow. “Marco, while you were lying in that hospital bed, I made a promise to myself that if you could forgive me, that I would never let anything come between us again. The only thing that matters right now is you.” I sat quietly, allowing her words to soak in. “You don’t need to worry about that contract. I’m not going through with it.”
“Amelia.” When I made a move to sit up straighter, she pressed her palm to my good shoulder. I tugged her hand away and met her gaze. “Have you really thought this through? Because I don’t want you to resent me or regret your decision ten years from now.”
A ghost of a smile played on her lips. I placed my finger under her chin and tipped it back. “Why are you smiling?”
She linked her fingers through mine. “Because you’re talking about a future with me.”
“Let’s not get too carried away. I said ten years. I could get sick of you in ten and a half.”
She let out a laugh, and I could feel some of the tension fading away. “I missed you so much.”
I studied her carefully. “Are you sure this is what you want? You’ve worked so hard for this opportunity.”
“The only thing I want is to be with you. I didn’t realize how empty my life was without you in it.”
She felt that way now, but would she still feel that way when the dust settled?
I brushed her hair off her shoulder. “I hate that you have to give up your dreams to be with me.”
I tried to put myself in her shoes, and I honestly don’t know what the hell I would do if I were in her position. Being a cop was my livelihood. It was my life, my identity. I searched for something to say that would bring her comfort, but my mind came up empty.
“Marco, when Logan called to tell me you were shot, I was at Ava’s, brainstorming ideas on things I could do to get you back. I had already made my decision. I don’t ever want you to think that I gave anything up for you, whatever I do is for us.”
I felt my throat tighten. “You promise me you are okay with this decision?”
“If it’s you or my career, I will always choose you. I would choose you over anything.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, you will find something else. Your smart, and loyal, any company would be lucky to have you.”
She toyed with the loose string on the blanket. “I’m going to talk to my grandfather tomorrow.”
My fingers flexed on her thigh. “What about Owen?”
She sighed. “He’s going to be pissed, but that’s not my problem.”
My thumb stroked her cheek. How could something so complicated make the most sense?
“I love you,” I told her, but my words didn’t feel adequate enough to display how I felt. “I swear on my life that I will make you happy.”
“I believe you, and I promise to do my best to be the woman you deserve.”
My arms wrapped around her. “What about love me? Do you promise to love me, because that’s all I need from you.”
She rested her cheek over my beating heart and grinned up at me. “Always.”