Page 53 of Gabriel (Legacy of Heathens #4)

I wished I could see her face. Just a flicker of expression—her eyes narrowing, her lips pressing together, the tilt of her head. Anything. A clue. A thread to follow in this darkness that I couldn’t crawl out of. But instead, all I had was silence and a sea of black behind my eyelids.

Then—soft as a breath, almost too quiet to believe—I heard her.

“Me,” she murmured.

Her voice had never sounded like that before—barely above a whisper, fragile in a way that didn’t suit her. Amara was fire, all sharp edges and wild grace. But now?

Now she sounded almost scared.

“I don’t think I heard you right, preciosa .”

An audible gulp bounced off the walls. “I don’t deserve this, and I certainly don’t deserve your mercy or saving, but I’m still asking you. Will you marry me?”

My heart stuttered. “What did you just say?”

“It’s messed up, I know,” she said, her words stumbling over each other. “And the furthest thing from romance, and you… You’ve been so wonderful and deserve so much more—so much better—than me and this fucked-up situation.”

It wasn’t exactly how I envisioned the next step in this relationship to go, but life rarely went the way we planned.

“I have one question before I answer that,” I stated somberly. “Tell me why you’re asking me to marry you.”

The soft beat of the clock was so loud between us as I waited for her answer.

“I don’t want to lie to you,” she said softly. “It wasn’t something that crossed my mind, especially after I cost you so much. And I’m sure you don’t want me, not after what my siblings and I have done to you. Kian demands it so we can keep the peace.”

Disappointment flooded me and refusal was already on the tip of my tongue, but then she continued, “But that’s not the only reason, Gabriel.

I love you. I’m not sure where, when, or how, but somewhere along the way, I fell for you.

There isn’t a man on this planet who’s more patient, kinder, or greater than you.

There isn’t a man I want as much as you.

And there isn’t another man who I love. Only you. ”

My chest fucking trembled, and I swore I felt like an emotional wimp, but I loved every word I heard. And fuck it, I wanted to hear it again.

“Repeat that,” I instructed, my voice raspy.

“God, really?” she breathed. “You didn’t hear me?”

“I’m blind, Amara. Not deaf.” I blinked, but darkness still dominated, and I cursed silently. “I want to hear you say it, hear the emotions in your voice. I fucking hate that I can’t see you, so I depend on hearing your feelings in your voice.”

“I love you, Gabriel,” she said slowly. “I crave you. I desire you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but if you don’t share those feelings, I wouldn’t blame you.

And dammit, if it causes a war between our families, then so be it, but I will not fight you.

You can do what you will with me, because I deserve your wrath, and I will forever mourn what we had. ”

“So you’re asking me to marry you because you love me or because you want to prevent the fallout of your actions? Or are you asking me because Kian demanded it of you?”

“I guess all of the above,” she admitted. “I love you, but I don’t deserve your forgiveness, so I wouldn’t have the courage to ask you to marry me if not for Kian’s stipulation.”

I sighed. “I don’t like that Kian’s putting ultimatums on you.”

“Honestly, I deserve for him to cut me off from the family after my actions.” I could hear shame weaving through her words. “I deserve no better.”

“Amara, you deserve the best,” I countered.

“Your brother was ready to wreak havoc, and Kian is furious. Not at him, but at Elira, Jet, and me.” She hesitated.

“In fact, Raphael was prepared to murder us all and go after Kian, so I told everyone that I’m pregnant.

” A beat passed. Then two. “I’m not. Obviously, I’m not.

And I don’t care that I lied to them all, but I don’t want to lie to you. ”

“ Santo Cristo ,” I muttered.

“I know.”

I laughed, although it wasn’t exactly full of joy. Too much shit had happened. “This must be the most romantic proposal the world has ever seen.”

“It wasn’t exactly something I practiced or ever dreamed of doing. And I know how badly I fucked up by kidnapping you. If I hadn’t… This is all my fault.”

“If I’m honest, Amara, this sounds like a proposal out of guilt.”

She let out an exasperated sigh—part frustration, part surrender.

“No, Gabriel, I’m not proposing because of the guilt. And I know the timing is horrible, don’t you think I know that? I’m proposing because I like you.”

I snorted. “Before everything blew up, and even mere minutes ago, I could’ve sworn you said you loved me.”

She let out a strangled, almost embarrassed laugh that was caught somewhere between a breath and a confession.

“I do love you,” she murmured. “Although it doesn’t seem you could reciprocate those feelings, so despite the fact that I deserve it, I’m trying to preserve some of my self-respect by not shouting it from the bottom of my lungs.”

That shut me up.

The room was still, and I could feel her gaze on me even though I couldn’t see her. Something unspoken passed in the silence—something heavier than the words themselves.

“This… us …” she started, softer now, but steadier. “We’ve felt inevitable for years. I remember every conversation. Every glance. Every near-miss. Every time you looked at me like you wanted to say something but didn’t. And every time I did the same.”

She paused, and I sensed her leaning over me, like she needed to be closer to say what came next.

“I don’t even remember the name of the first man I slept with,” she continued, voice edged with quiet amusement.

“But I remember everything about you.” She hesitated, then added, “So, yeah. I love you, and I hope… I don’t know…

I hope that maybe you at least like me, that this ridiculous game we’ve been playing wasn’t just a game. ”

I leaned back, the bandages over my eyes suddenly too tight, like they were strangling me. “You have no idea how I’ve longed to hear you say those words.”

She stiffened. “But?—”

“I can’t tie you to me now, but I’ll ensure you’re safe.”

“Why can’t you marry me?” she protested.

“ Preciosa , I might never see again,” I reminded her, my voice rough. “When we have a family, how the fuck am I supposed to help raise one if I’m blind as a bat?”

She let out a long, weary sigh, the kind that carried too much emotion for her to pack into words.

“You will get your sight back, Gabriel,” she said firmly, and when I didn’t respond, she added, softer now, “But even if you don’t, I wouldn’t care.

Not one damn bit. You could be blind, deaf, in a wheelchair.

It doesn’t matter. I already told you, I lied to your family about being pregnant to buy us time, but I meant what I said to you. ”

She squeezed my hand, grounding me again in the warmth of her presence.

“All I care about is you—the man you are. And you’re a good man, Gabriel. You really are. Patient, protective, maddeningly kind, even when I don’t deserve it. And all that wrapped up in a stubborn, impossibly loyal Colombian package. Honestly, I never stood a chance against your charm. Not really.”

I swallowed hard. She was saying all the right things—too right. And Dios, I wanted to marry her. This whole situation was insane, barely stitched together by lies and adrenaline, but then again… so was she. So was her family. I’d stopped expecting normal the second I fell for Amara.

My throat tightened.

“I have a condition,” I said, trying to steady my voice even though my heart was anything but. “You told my family you’re pregnant. So if we’re getting married… we start trying. Right after the vows. No games, no delays. We make that lie real.”

She didn’t answer at first—and that hesitation, though it was exactly what I’d expected, still made something in my chest seize up like a fist. I’d loved her for years, watching her from a distance, memorizing every line of her face like scripture.

I wanted what was best for her. I still did. And maybe that wasn’t me anymore.

But Dios mío , I wanted her to choose me anyway.

Blind. Broken. I wanted her to choose me. Babies or not, I wanted her to always choose me.

Because I had chosen her a long time ago. And I’d keep choosing her for the rest of my life.

Then, finally, she said in a clear and unwavering voice, “Okay.”

My heart stopped, then kicked painfully in my chest.

“Let’s get married,” she said, no hesitation this time. “And let’s work on starting a family.”

“Just like that?” I asked, suspicion curling around my relief.

She let out a tired laugh. “Just like that. I’m definitely looking forward to the exercise of trying to get pregnant.”

I shook my head faintly, a smile ghosting across my lips. “You’re an unusual woman, Amara. That’s probably why I love you.”

She chuckled. “Says the man who’s been stalking me for years and now wants to put a baby in me.”

Her lips brushed mine—soft, sure, and devastatingly real. I smiled against them.

“I love you, Gabriel Santos.”

I deepened the kiss, tasting the weight of her words and the promise they carried. A promise that tasted like fire and forever.

A promise bound by blood, family, and love.