“I love you, Blake. More than I ever thought I could love another person. I know how much working there means to you, so the only option was for me to leave.”
“You didn’t have to do that though. We could have figured out another way,” she says earnestly, and it’s so adorable.
“We could have,” I agree, “but this was the right decision for me. I’ve outgrown the company. I walked into that office every single day worried I was going to be hauled into Frank’s office for one reason or another. Worried I’d get fired.
“Having my own place doesn’t eradicate that, but it does give me the stability I’ve been craving. This is my business, and no one can take it away from me. I have all the control here. I feel settled, happy, so please tell me you’re happy too?” I plead, bending my knees so our eyes meet. I need to know what she’s thinking and whether I’ve just fucked this all up.
Instead of being excited, Blake’s only given me reasons not to go through with this, and it’s messing with my head. I thought this would be the ultimate way to prove my love, to show her what she means to me.
“Are you sure?” she asks, biting that damn thumb of hers again.
I take it out of her mouth, kiss it gently, and pull her into me. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life. You’re it for me. Leaving Sampson and Lowell was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. And if at any point you want to come and work alongside me, your office is all set up next to mine,” I add with a wink.
“You gave me my own office?” she asks with a smile.
“Of course. It’s there if you want it now, in five years, or never. I just wanted to give you the option. You’re an incredible lawyer, Blake, and I’d be honored to have you working beside me.”
Blake jumps into my arms, and I catch her easily, holding her as if she weighs nothing. I hug her tighter, breathing her in and knowing in my gut I’ve made the right decision.
She peppers kisses across my face, laughing. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” she says, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “I’m not worth it.”
“When will you learn that you’ll always be worth it to me? That I couldn’t have found a more perfect partner than you when we met all those years ago. We might have lost our way for a while, but it all happened to lead us to here, to now, and to what we’ve built. I still have a long way to go to be worthy of you, but I want to get better for you. I want you to know that you can depend on me when you need me, and that I’ll never leave you again.
“You light me up from the inside out, Blake Adams. I don’t have to ask with you, you justknow. You remember all the small details, all the things that could easily trigger me, and remove them without batting an eyelid. You pay attention to me, you make me smile, and when I’m quiet, you ask if I’m okay. You understand me without me having to explain, and I’m so grateful for that. Actions speak louder than words, firefly, and you speak my love language.”
I kiss her softly. Emotion clogs in my throat as I tell her everything I’ve been holding in for months, if not years. She kisses me back. It’s not like our usual kisses—it's slow, gentle, and so unlike us—but I love it. I loveher.
“I love you so much, Theodore Moore. I cannot begin to tell you how much all of this means to me. I feel so guilty for not putting you before?—”
I place a finger over her lips to stop her.
“Don’t do that, please,” I implore, my brows furrowed. “You had no idea what was going to happen between us. It could’ve gone completely wrong, and you would’ve been out of a job. You did the right thing, not only protecting yourself but also Oscar.
“I give big gestures because that’s who I am. I don’t do it for the praise. Well, I do, you know how much I love being called a good boy”—I wink, and she smiles—“but I did this for me, forus, because Iwantedto. You have nothing to feel guilty for. Just love me and never leave me, and we’ll call it even.”
“I can do that.” She laughs and kisses me. “I love you. I don’t think I ever stopped. I told you the other night that I don’t want a life without you in it, and I meant it. It’s cold and lonely. Since you came back into my life, everything feels like there’s more meaning, more everything, and that’s because of you.
“I know there are going to be hard days, big guy. I know you’re going to struggle, but I’m here. I’m going to be the rock to keep you standing, and if you fall, I’ll be right there with you, guiding you back. Your mental health doesn’t define you, Theo,” she says, cupping my cheek. “You are who you are, and I love every single broken thing about you. Some people will say you need fixing, but you don’t. You’re perfect as you are. You just need a bit more attention than most.” She chuckles, and I chuckle with her, knowing she’s not wrong.
“Marry me,” I blurt out, my heart on the verge of exploding from my chest. My mouth ran away from me again, those impulses still very much there, but I don’t regret it. The words never felt so right. We’ve wasted too much time as it is, and I refuse to lose any more without her as my wife. “Marry me, firefly. Please.”
“Yes,” she replies, no hesitation, only certainty.
I arch a brow. “Wait. You’re usually the one to err on the side of caution. You don’t agree with me straight away; you need to weigh everything up first.” My eyes narrow. “Why are you saying yes?”
She laughs, a full-bellied one. “Because I love you, you big buffoon. I don’t want to waste any more time either, so fuck it. Let’s do it.”
“I think that’s got to be the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I reply, my tone low and laced with desire.
“Wait until I start calling you husband and see what happens then,” she quips, and all the blood rushes south.
“Say it again,” I demand.
Blake smiles, her eyes dazzling me with the happiness shining from them as she purrs, “Husband.”
“Fuck,” I groan. “Can I just marry you now. I know a judge,” I joke, only half serious.
“Let’s go, then,” she says, climbing down from my arms, which feel bereft of her touch.
