Page 266 of Caterina
A small laugh escapes her.
“I did not understand that right away,” I say. “Or maybe I did and chose to ignore it because I used to be better at lying to myself.”
“Used to be?” she whispers.
“I still have areas that need work.”
Her mouth trembles.
I reach for the paper and take it gently from her hand.
“This was never just a job after that. You were never just a principal. Not to me. You became the most important thing in my life before I had any right to admit it.”
Her eyes shine now.
“Adrian.”
“I still protect you,” I say. “I will always protect you. You, our child, this house, the life you want. That does not change.”
I fold the paper once, slowly.
“But I cannot be your bodyguard anymore.”
Her face tightens again, fear moving through the emotion. “Why?”
“Because the line is gone.”
She says nothing.
“It was gone before I touched you. It was gone before you came to my room. It was gone before I almost died here. I kept calling it duty because duty was safer than admitting the truth.”
Her hand settles over her stomach again.
I look at it.
Then back at her.
“You are not my job, Caterina.”
Her eyes spill over.
“You are my life.”
She presses one hand to her mouth.
I step closer.
“And I think there is another title that suits me better.”
Her breath catches.
I reach into my jacket again. This time, I pull out the ring.
She goes completely still.
The ring is not subtle, but it is not ridiculous either. Caterina would hate ridiculous. A deep oval diamond in a gold setting, elegant and strong, with two smaller stones on either side.
Perfectly suited to her.
