Page 138 of Gabriel

“Unless…” I could hear Nikola shift, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Unless you don’t want this marriage.”

I let out a sardonic breath. “I do… so fucking much,” I admitted. “I just don’t like how it came about. The furthest thing from romance I could possibly think of.”

“Tough shit,” Nikola said.

“Exactly. You think how my marriage came about was romantic?” Matteo agreed. “Most of the marriages in our world come about in a fucked-up way. Look at my parents, look at yours. So, guess what? You treat her well, love her, and make her happy, and that’s all that matters.”

“Unless you want to let someone else marry Amara?” Nikola baited.

“You’re really pissing me off, nephew.” My voice was dark. “Any man who touches her will die.”

I clenched my teeth, the mere idea making me sick to my stomach.

“Ahh, the Colombian is finally coming around.” Nikola seemed way too pleased with himself. “Trust your Latin roots, Uncle, and just use Amara as your partner, sight or not. You love her, she loves you… It’s quite simple.”

“She loves you, your persistence and charm, not your eyes,” Matteo added. “I know we hate emotions and want to be the force that protects the ones we love, but the fact of the matter is that our women are strong and capable. So let’s fucking treat them as equals.”

It was how I felt too, but it didn’t diminish the slight feeling of inferiority now that I was blind.

“Thank you both for visiting me,” I said, pushing my hand through my hair. “This conversation is over.”

“But—” Nikola, forever trying to be the annoying one.

“But nothing. I want Amara here, not you two bozos.” I heard the two shuffle, and I added, “Thank you both. This helped.”

I could hear their collective sighs. “Anything,” Nikola drawled. “Now, get to work, Uncle.”

“See you, Gabe,” Matteo said, then the door shut softly behind them, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Alone, I pondered on Nikola’s and Matteo’s words long after they left. The doctors and nurses came and left, and I still couldn’t shake off the worry of what the future would look like if my vision didn’t return.

The door creaked open and her familiar scent wafted through the air.

“Ah, my future wife,” I greeted her.

“How did you know?”

“Your perfume. Besides, nobody walks quite like you do.”

She chuckled, pulling a chair over. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded, her small hand taking mine.

I shrugged. “You have a specific way that you walk. It’s a good thing.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Our fingers intermingled. “How did the visit with Matteo and Nikola go?”

“Okay.”

A heartbeat passed before she asked, “Just okay?”

I considered my words carefully, not wanting to sound like a wimp. But I also didn’t want to lie and pretend that everything was normal. If this thing between us was going to work, we’d need to have a heart-to-heart conversation and be partners in everything, including emotions.

“I think you deserve better than me,” I said honestly. “The idea of you with anyone else kills me, but we have to be honest. I cannot give you everything, and I certainly can’t protect you in my condition.”

“Firstly, I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself and you,” she retorted wryly. “Secondly, I don’t want anyone else.”

Selfishly, I liked what she said, although I didn’t think she was seeing the whole picture of what our future would be.

“How the hell am I going to make love to you?”