He blinks, lips parting slightly. “What do you mean?” His voice trembles a little, barely above a whisper.
I let out a quiet breath, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “It’s our house, krasivy.”
He’s staring at me like he didn’t hear right. After a moment, he takes a small step back, eyes flickering between me and the vast room around him. Then, slowly, he starts walking deeper inside, his gaze sweeping across the space, taking in the grand staircase that curves gently towards the second floor, the open walls, the way the light glows off the marble floor.
His breath catches, unsteady, like he can’t quite believe it. And as I slip my hands into my coat pocket, my fingers brush against the small velvet box hidden there.
When he finally turns back to me, his expression is a storm of emotions—wonder, disbelief, love—and it takes everything in me not to pull him into my arms right there.
“I don’t… I don’t understand,” he says softly, voice barely above a whisper, confusion flooding his delicate features. “Please make me understand.”
I take a step closer, my chest tight as I cradle his face with both hands. He blinks up at me, lost. I lean in, pressing my lipsto his once, twice, three times. Soft, trembling kisses that pull the tiniest smile out of him. That shy, beautiful smile that always undoes me.
“This,” I whisper, brushing his jaw, “is our house, baby. I bought it for us… so you could make it a home.”
He blinks rapidly, lips parting as if to speak, but all that comes out is my name; it’s quiet and full of wonder.
“I want to live the rest of my life with you,” I say, voice thick, heart pounding hard enough to hurt. “I want to be part of your future, no matter what it looks like. I want you to have my last name. I want to build that family you dream about…with you.”
His breath catches as I pull the box from my pocket.
“Oh my God,” He gasps, and before he can move, I’m already on one knee, looking up at him.
He covers his mouth, tears shining in his eyes, and in that moment, he looks like everything I’ve ever wanted.
“I don’t want to put pressure on you,” I begin, my voice breaking a little, “because I know you’re still young, and you have so many incredible things waiting for you. But, baby, in the most selfish way possible… I want you to be mine. Completely. And I want to be yours.”
A tear runs down his pretty cheek as he looks at me, starstruck and completely wrecked.
“You make me feel alive, Lucas. You make me feel human. Every part of you — your quiet, your stubbornness, your softness, it’s all home to me. And I want forever with that. I want to wake up next to you. I want to cook for you. I want your laugh echoing through these rooms, your things scattered all over the place, your touch everywhere. I want your dreams here.”
A broken sound slips from his mouth as he rubs his chest.
“I want to grow old with you. I want to call you my husband, if you’ll let me. Because there isn’t a single soul on this planet I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.”
He’s trembling now. His chest heaves with uneven breaths, like he’s trying to stop himself from falling apart completely. And God, I’m shaking too. Vulnerable in a way I never thought I could be. But I love it. I love him. I love that he’s the one person I can be weak with, raw with, imperfect, and real.
And no matter where life takes us, no matter what storm comes, I will love him. I will stand by him. I will protect him from anyone who dares to hurt him, and I won’t hesitate to end anyone who tries, just like I ended Jeremy, just like I ended the monsters who stole his childhood. As long as I live, I will never let harm come near him again.
“So, Lucas Miller,” I say softly, opening the box. The marquise diamond ring catches the light. It’s slender, sharp, and endlessly brilliant, just like him. It’s the most beautiful piece of jewelry I’ve ever seen, but I know it’ll be even more breathtaking on his delicate, slender fingers.
“Will you marry me?”
He lets out a broken, choked sound — part sob, part laughter — and then he’s on his knees in front of me, cupping my face in both hands like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go.
“Oh, Alex…” he breathes, tears trembling in his lashes. “There’s nothing I want more than to be with you for the rest of my life. You know that. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here in your arms and by your side.”
My chest aches so deeply it almost hurts to breathe. His hands on my face are warm, grounding me. I’ve never seen love so naked, so pure, written across someone’s face.
“You saved me, Alex,” he says, voice shaking but sure. “You held me when I couldn’t hold myself. You stayed when I tried to push you away. You made the silence feel safe again. You brought my voice back. You make living worth it.”
His voice cracks as a sob escapes him.
“Every day I wake up still shocked that someone like you could love someone as broken as me.”
I start to speak, to tell him he’s not broken, that he’s the strongest, most human person I’ve ever met, but he silences me with a trembling kiss.
He pulls back, lips brushing mine as he whispers, “If I could give you one thing in life, it would be the ability to see yourself through my eyes… so you could understand just how much you mean to me.”
