Page 63 of Night for Ruthless Whispers

Asher and I have been getting along much better than I could have hoped. It was as if, in a way, I had always known him. Maybe it's because he's so much like his mother. He's a fascinating kid who brings spontaneity and unconditional love into my life.

It was difficult at first, because he was going through a painful loss. His father totally disappeared from the scene, even though Kristine extended invitations for him to participate in Asher's life.

But with Kristine, I managed to gain Asher's trust. We went slowly, and he gradually opened up to me. Now, he's this intelligent and hyperactive child who includes me in every part of his life.

I knew I'd protect him and love him. But now, he's claimed part of my heart, just like Kristine. From then on, all I could think about was this moment. The three of us living under the same roof, being a family.

Kristine seems to feel the same way. She couldn't be happier. Together, we have bought a house in the center of New York, in a residential neighborhood ideal for a family.

I never imagined that this is who I'd become. Someone's partner and the role model for a little boy I love as if he weremy own. But it happened, and only Kristine could achieve that magic.

Kristine makes me feel like all the shit from my past, all the bad stuff, made sense at last. Because I had finally moved on and left it all behind to start my life with her.

“What are you thinking about?”

Kristine's eyes stay locked on mine. She reaches out her fingers and caresses my face tenderly.

“I was thinking about how much I love you,” she says, smiling bigger.

“That's perfect timing and such a coincidence. I was thinking the exact same thing.”

She turns around on the bed and moves toward me. Her hands rest on my chest, and she begins to kiss me very slowly.

I kiss her back. My hands move up her torso and caress her back under her nightshirt.

She pulls away from me, a sigh escaping her lips. Dark hair cascades over her shoulders, creating an isolated atmosphere between us and the world.

“I love you, Ethan Callahan,” Kristine whispers.

I roll us back on the bed. “How much do you think you love me?”

The musical trill of her laughter echoes inside the room.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean... how much do you think you love me?” I shrug. “For example, enough to stay by my side for another year?”

“Of course I do,” Kristine states solemnly, that gorgeous smile drawn over her lips.

I nod and kiss her on the corner of her mouth. “How about two years?”

“That. And even more,” she declares, cupping my face.

“Three?”

“Many, many more,” she whispers. “Ethan, I've never loved a man as much as I love you. You're stuck with me.”

My heart swells in my chest. I turn then and reach into the nightstand drawer, extracting a small velvet box I've had tucked away in there for the past month.

Kristine's eyes widen when she understands what's going on. She looks at the box, and I open it.

“Kristine Stern-Prescott, will you let me love you for the rest of your life? Will you be my wife?”

“Ethan...”

Kristine settles herself on the bed. She sits down next to me, and I mimic her.

“Are you sure?”

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