Not surprised.
Not hesitant.
Just… steady.
“Yeah?” he asks.
My heart pounds.
But I don’t look away.
“Yeah.”
Silence.
Soft.
Not heavy.
Not tense.
Just… full.
Then—
“Okay,” he says.
Just like that.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
My breath catches.
“That’s it?” I laugh softly. “No speech? No dramatic moment?”
His hand tightens slightly at my waist.
“I don’t need one,” he says.
I tilt my head.
“Why not?”
He leans in.
Close.
Forehead brushing mine.
Voice low.
Certain.
“Because I’ve known since the moment you walked back into that Tavern… I wasn’t letting you go.”
My heart completely gives in.