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“Are they gone?” I ask, and his head whips up.
“Hey, Wild One,” he says gruffly, sitting straight. “Yes. The house is empty and protected.”
“Did they give you a hard time?”
“No.” He frowns. “I had words with them.”
“Oh, terse words,” I smile.
“A bit.”
“Good. They deserved your displeasure.” I press my palms together under my cheek.
“Did you dream?”
“No. It was nice.” I look toward the window. “How long was I asleep?”
“Long enough that it’s time to sleep again.”
“Why didn’t you join me?”
“I wanted to watch over you.”
“You're sexy when you get all protective,” I hum.
“You think?” He smirks.
“Oh, yeah,” I sigh.
“Prepare for a lot of protectiveness for the years to come,” he says.
“Can’t wait.”
“Mateo brought your car.”
“Not the bike?”
“You really like my bike.” He tilts his head.
“I do. But I like you more,” I breathe.
“Good to hear.”
“Archer, that’s not the correct response,” I laugh.
“No, but it made you laugh.”
“I’ve needed the laughter.”
“How are you doing?”
I smile. “My world could be crashing down, and it wouldn’t matter as long as you're with me,” I whisper, and he inhales sharply. “I love you. I’ve loved you since the second our eyes met.”
“Savy,” he rasps.
“I'll forgive Aria and Granny. I know they had their reasons. When we moved in with Granny, she made everything fun. I didn’t miss out on anything. There was always laughter and love. She taught me to respect my magic and value myself. I swore I would live my life grateful for the good times and all the blessings the universe gifted me with.” I press my hand to my chest. “I could feel your pain. I knew before you told me that your life hadn’t been easy. Still, you love deeply and protect those you love. Rome is your brother in all the ways that matter. Lace told me about you before we met, and she loves you. They were worried about you, and I can understand why. I wanted to heal you because I love you. You deserve a life without pain and anger. You’ve punished yourself enough, and it’s time to move on…with me. I promise to fill your days with laughter and light, just as I did in your dreams.” I sit up and cross my legs, facing him. “I will never let you be caught in a nightmare again.”
“I want to complete the soul bond. Our magic will be tied together, and all of your fears will be eased. Live here with me, wake up with me, and love me forever. My greatest fear was being lost in the dream world. I’ve done anything and everything I could think of to stop that from happening. My scars will always be a part of me, just as yours are, but I’m not afraid of anything because you're my anchor to the real world. I believe in you. I believe in our love and that we can face anything together. I want to be your family and a safe place. Someday, I want to have children, and I know you'll love and protect them just as fiercely as your family. I want them to know how much I love you and can’t imagine living life without you in it. I’ll protect your heart. I know life won’t always be perfect or easy. Our pasts have taught us that anything can happen, yet I’m confident nothing can tear us apart. If you don’t believe it yet, I’ll do it for both of us until you do,” I whisper.
