Page 130 of Zorro

She shook her head. “No. Your selflessness does. You give and give and give. Can you, just once, think about yourself? You deserve that.”

A breath. Her voice broke slightly on the next line, almost tender despite the sarcasm. “How many Navy Crosses do you need, exactly?”

His eyes sparked. “Wait. Was that a joke? At my expense? I’m so proud of you.”

She smacked his arm. He winced, then grinned.

“I’m just kidding. It’s numb. Doesn’t hurt.” He made one of those faces that realized he’d pushed Buck too far. “You don’t have a rope around here anywhere, um, do you, cowgirl?”

She laughed, exhausted and breaking.

“I don’t know whether to kiss you, fuck you, or ask you to marry me,” she muttered.

“All of the above an option?”

“Martinez—”

He cupped her face in both hands and drew her toward him.

“I couldn’t stay in that bed. Not without knowing.” She buried her hands in his hair, clenched the strands in her fists while her heart rolled over and over. “Tell me you’re coming home with me. I’ll leave the Navy.” She stiffened. “I’ll follow you wherever you go. I’ll…hell, Everly, I don’t know how to breathe without you anymore. Please. Just…come home with me.”

He rested his forehead against her collarbone, his voice breaking. “I love you, querida. More than my own life. I know that scares you, but it’s just the truth. I’ll give it all up for you.”

She trembled, her whole body aching from the magnitude of what he’d just given her.

Lifting his face with both hands, she looked him dead in the eyes, and said, “No.”

His expression went white and bleak.

She smiled softly. “I would never ask you to leave the Teams. That’s your choice to make. Whatever you choose, I’ll stand beside you. I’ve accepted an administrative position with an NGO in San Diego. UCSD offered me Chief of Surgery…and a teaching post.”

Zorro blinked. Hard.

“I’m coming home, Mateo. I’m building a life with you, your team, their wives, your family. I’ll be there when you come back from wherever you go. With your brothers. Every time. I’ll be there. With my heart. My body. My love.” She kissed him, slow and certain. “I’ll weather distance and danger and every fear that ever lived inside me because you’re worth it. Eres mi hogar. You’re my home.”

He exhaled like he hadn’t breathed in days. “Damn…that world just got a fuck-ton lighter.”

She pulled back. “I have stipulations.”

“Oh, counselor. Do tell.”

“One, you call me querida at least once a day. Two, I expect dirty talk in Spanish. Three, weekly dinners with your family. Dani’s already got me booked for coffee. Four—” She leaned in, grinning. “I want to ride Bear’s Paint. That’s nonnegotiable.”

“That horse only listens to him.”

She raised a brow. “He said he’s waiting for a rider with a storm in her heart.”

Zorro groaned. “Fucking Bear. Should I be jealous?”

“Yes. He’s handsome. Quiet. I think he has a teepee.”

Zorro’s jaw dropped. “I’m going to murder him and bury him in that damn teepee.”

Down the hall there was a deafening roar. “Fuck-ing Mar-tin-ez! Where are you?”

Zorro stiffened. “That sounded like my LT. Quick, hide me. You’re only in trouble if you get caught.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Were. You. Discharged?”