Page 103 of Burdens

With a smile playing on my lips, I brought a hand to rest over her headstone. “I love you. I’ll be back, I promise.”

I grabbed Amalia’s hand and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. I then moved to walk away, but she stopped me.

Before I could ask her why, she looked at my mother’s grave and said, “I promise to take care of him, Camila.”

A bright smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she looked back at me.

Did I already say I loved this woman?

I mirrored her smile and moved my free hand to cup her cheek. “I love you,” I whispered as I brought her closer to press a chaste kiss on her lips.

Goose bumps scattered across my skin and suddenly, the sun peeked over the clouds, shining brighter as if my mother was smiling down at us.

I know, mamá.

Pulling away, I draped my arm over her shoulders, still holding her hand, and guided us down the path where my car was parked.

Once we were both settled in our seats, I drove us back to our hotel where we’d spend the night before heading home tomorrow morning.

We’d been back at our hotel for the last two hours and were lying in bed after showering, just basking in each other’s presence.

I brushed my hand through her hair, her head resting against my chest, while my other arm was wrapped around her, skating circles over her bare lower back.

This was where I felt the happiest. Amalia made me feel the happiest.

I knew things between us weren’t perfect, but there was no such thing as a perfect relationship. Amalia made me feel safe and loved. She felt like home and I didn’t want to waste more time than I’d already had.

“Marry me, pretty girl,” I breathed out, nervousness creeping up my chest.

She looked up at me, her eyes widening. “What?”

“Marry me,” I repeated. “I shouldn’t be greedy after you just gave me a second chance and you can say no I’d understand, but I want to marry you. I don’t want to keep waiting and delaying what I’ve known for a very long time even when we were apart. I love you. So much sometimes it hurts. I want to do life with you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you, and keep annoying you until you challenge me to a fight. I want you, Amalia Abara. So marry me.”

For a few moments, Amalia just looked at me and couldn’t help the dread plummeting in my gut. Not that it wouldn’t break my heart a little, but I’d understand if she said no.

I was just tired of waiting for the inevitable. I’d wasted so long trying to do the right thing and not feel my emotions to the fullest. But when I looked at Amalia in my arms, I wanted this to be forever.

“Yes.”

A single word had never sounded better.

1 I miss you.

EPILOGUE

NOAH

FOUR YEARS LATER

Holy fucking shit.

I was on the verge of becoming a father.

Me. A father.

I was elated and terrified all at the same time.

My father’s cruelty had left scars that had always made me scared at the idea of having kids of my own.