“You’re all bloody.”
Her words are shaky, voice soft, and when I feel her hot tears on my skin, I swear my heart breaks in two. I never want to hear her cry again.
“I’m fine,” I say again. “Please stop crying, Lily. You’re breaking my goddamn heart, baby.”
“Why are you bleeding?”
I brush back her hair and kiss her head. “Because some stupid asshole tried to shoot me.” When she tenses, I quickly add, “The bullet just grazed me. I’m fine. I promise. All it took was a few stitches, and now I’m good to go.”
She pulls back to stare at me. Her green eyes are still watery from crying, cheeks blotchy, and her hair is a mess.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” I whisper, running my eyes over her. Dragging my finger under her eye, I swipe away the tear that’s just fallen.
“Marry me, Lily,” I say in a rush.
“What?”
I cup her face and kiss her. “Marry me,” I whisper against her soft lips. “I can’t promise you that I’ll never come home bloody again, but I can promise you that I’ll always love you, I’ll always keep you safe, and I’ll always take care of you. Please say you’ll be my wife.”
She still looks stunned by my question, and I swear my heart stops beating until I hear the softyesleave her lips.
Chapter 7
Lily
As soon as I say yes, Ilya lifts me up and swings me around while the men I’d completely forgotten about give a few whistles and several others yell something in Russian that makes Ilya laugh.
I know we’re supposed to be keeping our relationship a secret, but I was worried about him and decided to take a walk. The last thing I’d been expecting was to see Ilya step out of an SUV covered in blood. I’d been terrified, and all I could think about was getting to him to make sure he was okay.
When Ilya puts me down, I chance a quick look at the man who’s the boss to both of us.
“Don’t worry,” Ilya says, noticing my worried look. “I’ve already talked to him.” He looks over at Vasily. “He’s given us his blessing, haven’t you, Vasya?”
Vasily smiles at me and nods his head. “I have. Ilya’s assured me that this won’t affect you helping my son.”
“It won’t,” I tell him. “I love working with Bran, and I’m happy to do it for as long as you need me.”
“It’s going to be a while,” he says with a grin. “We all need ASL lessons from you, and I have a feeling it’s going to take the adults twice as long to learn as the kids.”
I return his smile and say, “That’s usually the case. You can do it, though.”
He surprises me by signingthank youbefore he gives a wave and goes inside to be with his family. The others say a quick bye when Ilya picks me back up and starts walking down the path to my cabin.
“You shouldn’t be lifting me,” I tell him. “You’re hurt.”
“Just a graze,” he reminds me.
I know it’s useless to fight him, so instead I kiss his neck and say, “I was so scared when I saw the blood.” My fingers play with the back of his hair, toying with the silky strands while another shudder runs through me at the thought of him being hurt, of losing him. “I couldn’t take it,” I finally say. “I couldn’t handle something happening to you.”
He kisses my cheek and pats my butt. “I’ll always come home to you,” he says, but deep down I know it’s not really a promise he can make. I also know that I can’t let that fear ruin our time together. I’ve fallen in love with a man who happens to have a very dangerous job. Either I accept that, or I make life miserable for both of us. I don’t want to have that kind of marriage, so I take a breath and give his neck another kiss.
“Okay,” I say.
“Okay?” he asks.
I nod. “I’m choosing to believe you. You said you’ll always come back to me, and I’m choosing to believe that. I don’t want a marriage filled with worry and stress and the inevitable fights it will cause. I want more than that with you.”
I swear I feel his sigh of relief as he gives me another kiss. “I knew you were perfect the second I saw you.”
