Page 364 of Sin With Me

It’s time.

With the final box in his arms, Roman makes his way outside and across the yard to our van. I follow after him, my heart in my throat as I give our house of horrors a final look.

He sets the box inside and turns around, leaning his back against it. Holding his hand out, I slide mine into his and let him drag me close. He wraps his arms around me, and I sigh happily, snuggling deeper into the safety of his arms.

His lips linger on my cheek as we look out at Barry’s Lake, at the church beyond. At the giant oak with the tire swing.

My throat tightens at the sight.

Our spot.

If only I’d looked out my window that night and saw him standing there, maybe things would’ve been different.

If only I would’ve fought harder to get to him, maybe things would’ve been different.

If only…

“Think we have time for one more ride?” he whispers against my skin. I force a smile to my face as I nod.

“For you? Of course.” His smile is gentle as he tucks my hair behind my ear, his fingers brushing over my cheek.

I let him lead me to the swing, my heart hammering with every step closer. He grips the rope and lets me slide in before rounding me. It swings back and forth as he pushes me, letting the wind float through my hair.

My hands slide over the rope on either side as I hold on. The world soars past in a blur, the wind hitting my face as I go higher and higher and…

“Goldie,” he rasps, pulling the swing to a stop.

I swallow thickly as I glance over my shoulder at him. His head is bowed, his brows bunched. I can’t read his expression, and unease swirls inside me.

Slowly, he walks around me. My breath catches as I watch him drop to his knee.

“Goldie,” he says again, his voice just as strangled. His hand slides into his pocket, and a gasp leaves me as he pulls out a small velvet box. “My Goldie. My golden girl.”

“Ro,” I breathe, tears blurring my vision. “What—”

“You were just a baby when we first met,” he says. “I was too, but I felt so much older. Do you know what the first thing you said to me was?” I shake my head, my hand trembling as I lift it to brush the stray tears from my cheeks. “You told me to pray.”

My breath catches. “Ro—”

“You told me to pray, so I did. I prayed for light in a sea of darkness—I begged for it. And you know what happened?” he whispers, his hazel eyes lifting to mine.

“What?”

“Years later, you were there,” he tells me. “You knelt beside me with your arms wrapped around my shoulders and said—”

“I’ll be your light,” I finish, my voice barely audible.

“And you always have been.” He roughly clears his throat. “On my darkest days, on the days I felt like giving up, the days I felt like nothing was worth living for…I saw your light. I saw you, Evelyn. You saved me.”

“You saved me, too,” I cry, and he smiles weakly.

“Not as much as you did me.”

The box pops open and he holds it in his shaky hands, lifting it higher for me to see. A vintage emerald surrounded by diamonds glistens in the sunlight, and tears flow freely from my eyes.

“Roman.” I stare at it, unable to move, barely able to think. “It’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” he murmurs, and my eyes slide to him. “That was cheesy.” I laugh, shaking my head as he scrunches his nose. “But it’s true.”

---