"You kill and manipulate for justice?" Her tone suggests she's trying to make sense of the difference between me and Blackwood.
"To protect you and our child, I do whatever it takes, Olivia. I'll burn the world down for you."
"I don't need that." She doesn't. She's smart and strong and fierce and brave.
"I know. In my defense, what I do would be considered legal in some situations.”
She frowns. “What do you do?”
My lips twitch upward. “I plead the fifth.” I step closer until I'm inches away from her. I gaze into her eyes, wanting to see the love I have for her reflected back to me. “Or you could marry me, and I’ll tell you all.”
She rolls her eyes. “Only because a wife can’t be compelled to testify against a husband.”
I shrug, disappointed she thinks I'm joking. “There’s that, but mostly I love you.” It's ridiculous how much I need her to say it back.
But she doesn't. Instead, she moves around me and undoes the handcuffs.
I take her chin gently, tilting her face up to meet my gaze. “This doesn’t have to be impossible, Olivia. Not if you want it like I want it.”
I search her face, desperate to find some sign of what she's feeling. Her eyes are filled with uncertainty.
"I know I'm not what you planned. But I'm offering you everything I am."
She takes a shaky breath, her gaze locked with mine.
I've never felt so exposed, so vulnerable.
My entire life rests on this moment.
On whether or not she can accept the man I am.
OLIVIA
My hand drifts to my stomach. Our child. A life created between two people who shouldn't even speak to each other, let alone love each other.
Because I do love him. There is no question about it.
Every fiber of my FBI training screams at me to follow protocol. But the woman in me, the one who loves this flawed man and the child we made, can't move.
How can I reconcile these worlds? The oath I swore to uphold the law versus the undeniable pull toward this man.
Can I really build a future with someone whose business operates in shadows?
Can I bring a child into that world?
Dom's hand covers mine where it rests on my stomach. His touch is gentle, but I feel the strength behind it, the promise of protection.
I've spent my entire career seeing the world in black and white, but nothing feels black and white anymore.
"In Nevada, your gambling operations would be legitimate business," I say, testing the words. "In some countries, what you import would need nothing more than proper taxes paid."
Dom's eyes never leave mine, patient, waiting.
I think about my father, the man I idolized who apparently walked both sides of the line. I think about Blackwood, who wore a badge while orchestrating kidnappings and murders.
"The people who hurt Rocco, who killed that agent, they were the monsters," I continue. "Not you."
My hand tightens around his. "I can't promise I'll be comfortable with everything. I can't promise I won't struggle with this. But I know what I feel for you is real."
