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The response is so perfectly Lily LaBlanc that my chest sings, and I drag her closer to me, so she’s straddling my hips. She fusses about hurting me, but I keep my hands heavy on her waist, so she won’t move.

“I’m serious,” I breathe, pressing the words into her skin as I lift her up in my arms. “I’ve never stopped loving you. Never. Even when I was angry or hurt—I always waited for you.”

“I did too. Always. I would’ve waited longer.”

My eyes burn, and I press a soft kiss to her nose.

“I love you, do you understand that? How deep this goes for me?” I ask, eyes bright as I look up at her. She’s surrounded by all the paintings on her walls—ones I know well because she taught them all to me. “I’ve always loved you.”

“Yeah,” she says. “I know.”

Her fingers trace the tattoo over my heart. The very first lily I had put there, the night after I lost my virginity to her. I put my hand over hers, pressing her palm to where my heart beats wildly.

“Because I protect it, right?” she says.

“Yeah, Lil. Because you protect it.”

I’ll never leave you alone again, I want to say. I’ll never make you face your father without me at your side. You can paint for the rest of our lives, line our walls in artwork, draw all over the ceilings, fill in every tattoo on my body with color—they were all for you anyway.

But I don’t have to voice each promise right now.

Because we’ll have a lifetime for me to prove each one.

I take her slow this time, gentle and soft, all breaths between us, her hands soothing on my body. The worried look in her eyes never leaves, but I try to kiss it away anyway. I make her come twice before I follow her. I fall asleep still inside her, cradling her close to me.

This love is something precious I’ll always keep safe.

Chapter 57

Toren

“Anna says she’s gonna let me go as Nightwing for Halloween this year.”

I smile at Liam then, shaking my head as he sets his backpack down next to me in the skate shop. I’m sharpening his little blades, though I don’t know why the kid even wants to play. Lily says it’s because he likes spending time with me—the same reason he stayed with Oliver, his older brother, who was in the class.

If only he could understand I’d sit here and let him read the comic books to me the entire hour if he wanted. Still, I could tell they were worn in and Koteskiy was still in a meeting when we came off the ice.

“What are you gonna go as?” Liam asks.

My brows draw together. “For Halloween?”

Liam nods.

“Well, it’s quite a while before Halloween, but maybe I’ll go as Nightwing too.”

His face somehow brightens more. “Then we can match! And you can come to the party at my house—or well, it’s Max and Anna’s house but they said I can call it mine too.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm,” he babbles on. “And it’s also Sissy’s birthday, so she’ll have a real party this time.”

I swallow a bit, quietly adding, “You know that’s my birthday too?”

“It is?” he asks, eyes round as he pauses whatever he was drawing to look up at me. I switch one of the skates off the sharpener and to the side, before picking up the other one.

“Sure is. But don’t go around telling anyone.”

“I won’t. Promise.”