Chapter Forty
Graham’s mind wouldn’tform words as Amelia leaned into his side. Was it the alcohol? Or was it the fact that his friend was being cut open in his own bed right now? Graham prayed he wouldn’t wake when they began to slice into him. He shut his eyes and the world spun. The only thing steady, warm, and soothing was Amelia’s body pressed against him. Whatever the reason, she was looking to him for strength, and he would give everything he had.
Though, at present, he possessed none for himself.
He didn’t want to say it out loud, but he didn’t think Alston would see the other side of this. Amelia would be devastated. Her aunt and cousin would try to take her away from him. Graham would sooner hang before he allowed that to happen. There was no force on this earth strong enough to take Amelia from his side. Not now, not as they sat here together on the brink of heartbreak. No one else would understand their pain. They only had each other now.
He peered down at her, hands laced, nose red, and lashes wet and clumped together. They were alone here, not that anyone cared to chaperone them in this moment.
Graham put his knuckle under her chin and tipped her face up until she met his eyes. Not long ago he’d thought leaving the house was the right thing to do, to sever the connection between them and lessen the pain of their eventual parting, but he was wrong. She belonged with him. And his place was right beside her.
“Whatever happens, I will not leave you. You will not face a single moment of this alone. Do you hear me?”
Fresh tears bloomed in her eyes, and she nodded. “I know you won’t.”
“No more pretending. You will be my wife. You will let me protect you, shelter you, and love you the way you deserve to be loved. Let me be the husband Alston would want for you. We may not always agree, but we’ll figure out a way through as long as we work together.”
A flicker of a smile appeared.
“I will always be here for you, Amelia. Always. Will you be my wife, in truth? So long as I draw breath, you will never want for anything.”
She licked her lips, her limpid eyes swallowing him in their shimmery depths of crystal blue.
“Yes, Graham.”
His heart lurched, relief and terror colliding in him at once. She would marry him? Just like that? That was all he needed to say?
“You’re certain?” he questioned. This was the wrong moment for this conversation, he realized. Her life would change forever if Alston died, and he almost certainly would. She was going to lose the one person who had entered the world with her, grieved with her through the deaths of both their parents, and shielded her from forces that tried to take her freedom from her.
But Graham didn’t know when he would find a better moment. He had to reassure her now that, even though itseemed her world was crumbling around her, he would be here. He would do everything in his power to make it right again.
He loved her. He loved her in so many ways that he couldn’t fathom it. He just loved her. Her taunting smile, her wicked humor, her tenacity, and her courage. He loved her.
“Yes. I’m certain. There is no one in the world more dependable than you or more giving. I could never say no. Not after all you’ve done for me. I didn’t see it before. I was too young and too impetuous to understand that the most important things in life are the people who are there for you. Even when you could barely tolerate me, you were still there. Ready to fight with me andforme. As if you were specifically made for me.”
His throat went dry. “Amelia,” he said hoarsely.
“I want to be worthy of you, Graham. I’ve never felt this way about anything. I am so scared of the words and thoughts that fill me when I think of you. But then, when I look at you, everything seems clearer and easier. I think that is love. You’ve become just as important to me as Alston. There is nothing else it could be. It’s so large, like a stone on my chest that only becomes weightless when you’re near me. Does that sound like love? If so, then I am in love with you.”
His heart ruptured with joy, an antithesis to the heavy sorrow that filled his limbs, and he could not stop himself from kissing her. But this was not the time for seduction. Not when they both waited for Death’s final decision and the loss of the one person they cherished most. He kissed her lightly, a brush of sweet promise against her lips. A vow to a future where they would never be apart.
He touched his forehead to hers. “I know what you mean. I fell in love with you a long time ago. I’ve been living with this crushing weight for years. But now it’s gone. Because now I have you.”
She smiled, sniffing and pressing her face against his shoulder. Graham cupped the back of her head and held her close.
They sat there like that, silent and comforting, until they fell asleep, leaning together on the sofa. They only woke when Petrov roused them sometime later.
“They are done, my lady,” he said gently.
Amelia stiffened. Graham eased to his feet. His body hurt from his bones to the roots of his hair.
“He’s alive?” Graham asked.
Petrov nodded as tears filled his eyes.
“Can we see him?” Amelia asked.
“Yes.”
