He cuts me off with a kiss.
When he pulls away, his hand slides to the back of my neck. “You’re okay?” he asks again, slower this time.
I nod. “I’m okay. I promise. It actually feels good to finally tell the truth. I read somewhere that talking about it gets rid of some of the weight of the anxiety. I don’t want to let it win anymore.”
He watches me for a moment longer, like he’s deciding whether to believe me. Then he turns his head slightly, voice dropping even lower. “I’m so proud of you, Lily.”
The tears threaten to spill again. God. I’m sick of crying so much. The last few days have been so much. “Stop it. You’ll make me cry, and I think I’m going to run out of tears soon, Drago. Even happy ones.”
He smiles. “I just want you to be happy. That’s all I need in life.”
I push myself up on my tiptoes. “I am happy with you. That’s all I need in life. You.”
He presses his forehead against mine. “I need to go speak to your father,” he says.
My stomach twists.
I open my mouth, but he’s already shaking his head.
“No,” he murmurs. “Not an argument. Not a fight. I’m not going to spend another day with this sitting between us. We both need him in our life so I’m going to get this shit figured out with him.”
My throat tightens.
He brushes his thumb along my cheek again, softer now.
“I’m going to handle it,” he promises. “But I need to know you’ll be okay while I do.”
I nod, but my fingers curl into his shirt like I can’t help it. “Are you going to… do something stupid?” I whisper.
That pulls the faintest smirk from him, one that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Baby,” he murmurs, leaning closer, lips brushing my ear, “the only stupid thing I’ve done lately is thinking I could survive without you. It will all be fine, just trust me.”
He threads his fingers through mine and squeezes.
Heat blooms in my chest despite everything.
“I won’t be long. I’ll come back soon.”
I kiss him again. “Did everything go okay with Declan?” I ask quietly.
“Yeah. It did. I’m confident with our plans; now everything is tied up. So in two days, we should be free.”
I know he’s tense about these peace talks. Like he knows there’s going to be nothing peaceful about it. All I can do is stand beside him and support him however he needs me.
“I can’t wait,” I tell him.
And then I watch as he goes and says hello to the guys, and Hallie slides in beside me.
“Oh, he’s got it bad for you, Lily,” she whispers.
I can’t tear my eyes from Drago. “I know. It’s cute, right?”
“Cute? It’s hot as hell.”
I laugh. “He is hot as fuck isn’t he?”
“I can’t comment, Conan is the only man I see.”
