Page 170 of My Sweetest Obsession

She leaned closer to examine the sheet, her brow furrowed in concentration. “What song is this?” she asked, still staring. “I don’t recognize it.”

“You have to play the notes,” I explained, “and then cipher the letter of the alphabet to a specific note pitch.”

“So, like a code?” Her eyes lit up with excitement.

“Yes, exactly that.” I reached for a small pad and pen I’d hidden nearby and handed them to her.

She smiled, taking the items. “What are you up to, Nico?”

I grinned, a genuine, wide-mouthed grin. “Just play.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, but a spark of excitement danced in them as she turned back to the keys. Her fingers, nimble and practiced, began to play the sequence: G, E, A, A, G, A, E, A, C, G, G, G, A, D. She played it a few times, a soft humescaping her lips, then started speaking aloud, scribbling on the pad.

“G equals W,” she mumbled, hitting the next key. “E equals I... A equals L... A equals L... G equals Y... A equals O... E equals U... A equals M... C equals A... G equals R... G equals R... G equals Y... A equals M... and D equals E.”

“What does that spell?” I asked, rising slowly to my feet. My hand went to the small, paper rose crafted from an old sheet of music, tucked behind the vase on the piano.

She whispered the letters to herself, her eyes still glued to the pad. “It’s spelled W-I-L-L Y-O-U M-A-R-R-Y M-E?”

A sharp gasp escaped her. “Nico. What—?” She spun around, her eyes wide, and found me already on one knee, holding out the paper rose out to her.

“Oh, my god, this is beautiful, Nico,” she gushed, tears welling again.

“Not as beautiful as my angel,” I murmured, my gaze fixed on her.

When she pulled the rose closer, her fingers tracing the delicate paper petals, she let out another sharp gasp. “Oh, my god.”

Tucked inside the folds of the rose was a customized Moissanite ring, two-tone gold, with tiny angel wings intricately carved on the outside of the band, and forty sparkling diamond stones lining the sides.

“Gigi, my angel.” I took the ring from her hand and reached for her left hand, her fingers trembling slightly. “I bind myself to you today, tomorrow, forever and into the afterlife. Marry me. Be my wife. The mother of my children. My queen.”

Her body began to tremble, and she launched herself into my arms, almost toppling us both over. I held firm, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping us upright.

“Yes! Yes!” she cried, pulling back just enough to capture my lips in a hard, raw kiss that stole my breath. When she pulled away, her eyes glistening, she whispered, “I love you, Nico. My greatest sin.”

My grin stretched wider, reaching my ears. I took the ring and, with a tender touch, slid it onto her finger. Then, I lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her arms circling my neck.

“Nico,” she breathed, her forehead resting against mine.

“Yeah, baby?”

She pulled back slightly, wiping a stray strand of hair from her face, her eyes sparkling as she looked down at me. “I have a surprise for you, too.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m pregnant.”

“Wh-what?” I managed, the word barely a whisper.

“We’re having a baby,” she repeated, a soft, joyful smile spreading across her face.

A choked laugh bubbled up from my chest, and then I started laughing, spinning her around slowly, causing her to laugh too, a bright, clear sound.

When I finally stopped, a little dizzy, I carefully sat her on the edge of the piano, snagging her close to me. My hands cupping her face, I said, “I hope you know how much I fucking love you.”

“I do,” she nodded, still smiling, her eyes shining.

“We’re having a baby,” I repeated, needing to hear it, to make it real.

She laughed, a full, uninhibited sound. “Yeah, Nico. We’re having a baby.”

Once upon a time, a devil and an angel fell in love. The devil didn’t know why he was alive until he knew what he would die for.