The doctor gives me a halfhearted smile and checks my vitals, muttering to himself. He relaxes noticeably once it’s clear I’m not going to flatline right in front of him, then makes a quick exit.
The door bursts open almost immediately after, and Emily comes flying into the room like a whirlwind, her hair wild, and her eyes even wilder. “Oh my God, Katie!” She rushes to my bedside. “I can’t believe I almost lost you again!”
She wraps her arms around me in an enthusiastic hug that makes me gasp in pain, then she pulls back at once. “Oh no—I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
I stare at her, stunned, my brain still struggling to catch up. A thousand thoughts crowd my head, but what comes out is, “I thought you were mad at me, Em.”
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Of course I was mad at you! You ran away and wouldn’t let me find you. I was seriously worried about you.” She sighs heavily. “And then I finallydidfind you, but you wouldn’t agree to meet me.”
She gives me that half-exasperated, half-affectionate look I haven’t seen in forever, and my chest swells with emotion. “Wait—you actually wanted to meet me?” I ask, my voice a little smaller than before.
She whirls around to glare accusingly at Roan. “You didn’t tell her I wanted to see her?”
He just shrugs with that same unrepentant expression.
Emily’s lips thin dangerously, but she doesn’t rip into him like she obviously wants to. “I’m just so glad you’re okay,” she says, turning back to me, squeezing my hand gently. “We have a lot to catch up on, don’t we,Mrs. Përmeti?”
I chuckle, my heart somehow lighter and fuller all at once. “We’re not married. I don’t know why Roan gave them his last name.”
Roan smirks, stepping closer to the bed. “Yet,” he corrects, his voice quiet but certain. “We’re not married yet, but I’ll rectify that very soon.”
I glance up at him, heart close to bursting. God, I love him so much. And even though he hasn’t said those exact words out loud, I know he feels the same way about me.
For the first time in ages, I let myself believe in something. I let myself believe inus.
Regardless of how it all started, I’m now his world, and I intend to keep it alive and bright for a long, long time.
36
ROAN
Two months later…
“Where are we even going?” Katie murmurs, walking her fingers down the front of my shirt in a way that makes my pulse kick up immediately. She’s sitting so close that her heat burns through our clothes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now, would it, Katina?” I tease, playing with the strands of blonde hair she’s let grow out over the past two months.
One thing I’ve learned about Katie—one of many things that fascinate me daily—is that she can be impatient as hell. And as much as she loves surprises, she absolutely hates the anticipation leading up to them. She calls it ‘sweet torture’.
She groans dramatically, pushing away from me. “Come on, you can’t keep holding out on me when we’re so close to—” She cuts off when the car turns into an open field bursting with yellow dandelions. But I doubt it’s the flowers making her jaw drop so perfectly.
No, it’s definitely the helicopter sitting in the middle of the field.
“Roan,” she breathes. “What is this?”
I can’t resist burying my face in her hair, pressing a lingering kiss to the crown of her head. “Why don’t you come with me and find out?”
My heart is pounding harder than I expected as the driver opens the car door, and I step out, extending my hand to her. Katie looks up at me, luminous blue eyes shining with so much emotion it tightens my throat.
“Come here,” I murmur, forcing steadiness into my voice.
She slips her fingers into mine, stepping out of the car slowly, and I give her hand a gentle squeeze. Her eyes widen as she takes in the field, the helicopter, and the pilots standing at attention next to it.
I keep my gaze locked on her, enraptured by every expression that crosses her face as we walk towards the helicopter.
She trails her fingers along the tops of the swaying dandelions, her gaze bouncing between the flowers and the machine ahead. The wind picks up a little, lifting strands of her hair and making them dance around her face, and my chest expands painfully. She’s so beautiful. And somehow—by some miraculous twist of fate—she’s mine.
When we reach the helicopter, I nod at the pilots and gesture to the woman at my side. “This is Katie,” I say, watching her intently for her reaction. “My woman.”
