Page 199 of Rose
He tried to speak again, but she stopped him, leaning down and pressing her lips to his.
She kissed him like she’d been holding her breath for days. Deep, desperate, every ounce of fear, love, and relief poured into the way her mouth claimed his. When she finally pulled away, she replaced the oxygen mask over his face, her fingertips lingering against his skin.
More tears slid from Savior’s eyes, the guilt in them sharp and unhidden.
Ahzii saw it instantly.
“Baby,” she murmured, her hand resting over his, “I can tell by your eyes what you’re thinking, and it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you. Olivia and Sin told me everything… and I ended that nigga myself.”
His brows lifted at the last part, confusion breaking through his pain. It made her laugh, the sound a little shaky but real.
She told him everything. How Cain had really been Lazarus, how his twin had taken his place, the deception that almost took everything from them.
“I think I deserve to be Mrs. Carter now,” she teased, trying to soften the heaviness hanging in the air.
Savior tried to laugh but broke into a cough, the burn in his throat forcing his eyes shut.
“Sorry, baby. I forgot I can laugh you right out them drawls,” she smirked, earning a weak glare that only made her laugh harder.
Then his gaze shifted down to her small stomach. His hand moved slowly, rubbing it with a tenderness that silenced her.
“Yeah, Sav… I’m pregnant. We’re pregnant.”
The words didn’t feel as heavy this time. Saying them to him made them feel lighter.
His hand came up to her face, calloused fingers brushing her cheek in a silent confession she didn’t need to translate.
“I love you too, Savior.”
She suddenly froze. “Oh shit… I have to tell the family.” She started to get up, reaching for her phone, but his grip closed around her wrist, firm but gentle.
I just want to be with you alone right now.
He didn’t speak it, he signed it.
Her lips curved into a soft smile. She’d taken a sign language class in college with Kyre, and right now she was glad she had.
“How do you know sign language?” she asked, surprised.
His look was calm, certain.I know everything.
She laughed. “I forgot… you know everything.”
Savior had learned every language his work demanded. Sign language had just been another tool, until now, when it became a language only they shared in this quiet, fragile moment.
He pulled her into his arms carefully, and she lay against his side, mindful of his wounds.
The steady rhythm of his heartbeat in her ear. The sound of his slow, deep breaths. The soothing glide of his hand over her back.
The man who had loved her. Cherished her. Saved her.
He was back.
And for the first time, she believed love was worth rising for.
Epilogue
Bloom
