“How are you feeling?” I ask, breaking the silence.
She glances at me, her expression softening. “Better. Thank you.”
“Good,” I say. “Do you want to go to the diner after this?”
She nods slowly, setting her fork down. “I should. There’s a lot to do. They’re expecting me to look over the accounts and probably help out front, too.”
I frown, the image of her standing behind the counter, overwhelmed and exhausted, flashing in my mind. “I meant what I said to your mother, Olivia. I will hire someone to help manage the diner in your absence. You’re on break. Let yourself rest.”
Her forehead creases, then she shakes her head lightly. “I can’t ask that of you.”
I reach across the table, grabbing her hand firmly but gently. “Iwantyou to ask that of me. I want you to ask the world from me, Olivia. Let me be someone you can lean on.”
Her lips part slightly, but she doesn’t respond right away. Her gaze drops to the table, her lashes casting soft shadows over her cheeks. “I can’t let myself get used to this,” she says softly, more to herself than to me.
Frustration ripples through me, though I manage to keep my voice level. “Why?”
She hesitates, her fingers tightening slightly around mine. “Because this…this isn’t my reality. You’reeverything, Nathaniel. And I’m…just me. I can’t start relying on you to rescue me.” She pauses, then adds even more softly, “What if you…get tired of me?”
Her words hit me like a blade, sharp and unexpected.
She isn’t just doubting my devotion—she’s doubting her worth. It’s the most direct she’s ever been about her fears, and it twists something deep inside me.
I lift her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Olivia, I asked you to marry me in New York. And I meant it.” My voice is low, insistent—honest words finally spoken aloud after weeks of silence. “I’ve been giving you space, waiting for you to be ready. But nothing has changed for me. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”
She gives me a weak smile, the corners of her lips trembling. “That wasn’t a formal proposal,” she murmurs. “There was no ring. You said it in the heat of the moment.”
Desperation surges in my chest, a tidal wave that threatens to drown me. What more can I possibly do to prove myself to her? How can she not see that for me, she’s the beginning and end of everything? She can’t possibly fathom the depths of my obsession, can’t understand that I will never let her go—not even if she begs.
“Is that what you need?” I ask, my voice laced with intensity. “A formality? I’m sorry, baby. I was careless. I let my desperation to have you forever cloud my judgment, and I gave you less than you deserved.”
Her head snaps up, her expression stricken. “No,” she says quickly. “Don’t apologize. I don’t need?—”
“Then why won’t you believe me?” I cut in, my voice breaking with a mix of anguish and frustration. “Believe that I’m here for all of it—for all ofyou.”
She looks away, her shoulders sagging. “Because I’m not good enough for you,” she whispers. “A man like you doesn’t end up with someone like me.”
I can’t hold back anymore. I slide out of my chair and drop to my knees in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “Don’t say that,” I plead, my voice raw. “Don’t ever say that. There is no one else for me, Olivia. There never will be.”
She tries to look away, but I cup her face, forcing her to meet my eyes. “If you run, I will chase you. If you hide, I will find you. There is no one on this earth who could take you from me, and if they tried, I would destroy them.” My voice drops, every word dripping with conviction. “You aremine, Olivia. The same way I am yours. Do you understand?”
She nods, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, but I can still see the flicker of doubt in her gaze.
The silence that follows is heavy, but I don’t push her further. We finish the meal in silence, my mind already racing with plans.
When she finally lets me coax her into bed, her fatigue taking over, I watch her for what feels like hours, the weight of her earlier words sinking deep into my chest.
I berate myself for my oversight. I should have done more. I should have given her something solid. Tangible. Impossible to doubt.
But that will change. I will give her the proposal she deserves—one so perfect, so undeniable, that she won’t be able to refuse.
One way or another, she will understand that she is mine.Forever.
FOURTEEN
olivia
I wake slowly,reality trickling back in piece by piece.
