Page 92 of Saved By A Dark Billionaire
"I can't lose you, Lucas. Please, be more careful," I whispered into the air.
"You won't lose me, Rose. I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon. That includes dying." He wrapped his good arm around me, holding me tight against him. He kissed my forehead as he squeezed my arm. I could feel the tenderness of his actions. He loves me too, and I hope it's as much as I love him. I bit my cheek as I recalled the words Hailey spoke to me this afternoon. I won't know if I don't ask. He won't know if I don't tell.
"Lucas?" He hummed in response. He was tired. I could hear it.
"I want to tell you something, but I'm worried it will freak you out. I don't want to scare you away, but I also want you to know how I feel. I don't expect you to feel the same way. I will patiently wait until you do, if that's the case."
I paused for a moment, waiting for him to respond, but he didn't. I looked up to find him peacefully sleeping. His face was relaxed, showing me a side to him I had not seen often. I'm usually the first to fall asleep, but not always the first to wake. I could count the times I've seen Lucas asleep, in one hand. I smiled as I looked at him, happy to see he was getting some rest. What I was about to tell him can wait for another day.
I carefully slid my phone out of my pocket and shot Leo a text. I told him to go ahead and leave. I'll stay here tonight with him, because there's no way I can leave his side. I let myself fall asleep beside him. It was a tight squeeze, and a bit uncomfortable, but there's nowhere else I would rather be.
I was woken up by a nurse in the middle of the night and asked to move to a little cot. They were worried about me hurting his arm, and they needed easy access to him. I hated to leave the warmth of his embrace, but I did as they asked.
"You stayed with me, Rose?" His hoarse voice woke me easily in the silence of the room. I peeked at him through my lashes, giving him a small smile. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, stretching my body to try to wake myself better.
"Of course. I didn't want to leave you here alone," I answered him.
"Thank you," he said, giving me that delicious smirk of his. The one that made my heart soar and my core dampen.
"How are you feeling?"
"Sore, very, very sore."
"I'm sorry. I'll get a nurse and see if they can give you anything."
"Don't bother. I don't want you to leave." He shook his head lightly.
"Don't be silly. You're in pain, it'll only be a second." I got off the cot, heading towards the door.
"A second too long." I heard him whisper as I left. I found the nurse, and she said she'd be down soon to take him back to surgery. They'll be fixing his arm today. Thinking of him in surgery made me nervous even though the chances of anything bad happening were slim. When I returned to the room, Lucas seemed almost upset. He patted the bed beside him again.
"We need to talk," he said, making me all kinds of nervous.
Lucas' P.O.V.
**Please, if you're willing, listen to Photography by Cody Fry as you read.**
My Rose stayed here with me last night. She had slept beside me until they made her move.Stupid nurse. I couldn't believe she would willingly choose to sleep in a small cot like that rather than in a large bed. I want to tell her how I feel….how Ireallyfeel. She is everything to me and she needs to know it. I need her to know, but I'm also scared I'll frighten her away. She can be so skittish at times.
"What's wrong?" She asked, seeming shy. I didn't mean to worry her, but I need her to know I am being serious.
"Come here," I said, patting the bed again. She slowly made her way towards me.
"I'm here," she announced as she sat on the edge of the bed. I used my good hand to grab hers, holding it tight in case she tried to run away.
"I need to tell you something, but you can't run away after," I said, smirking at her sweetly, but my heart was beating quickly. She gave me a small nod in understanding, letting me continue. "I've told you I love you already, but I need you to know what I mean when I say that. I don't say it lightly, and I certainly don't confuse it for the attraction I have for you. You're the one thing that keeps me from suffocating in my own darkness. The person who brings me hope when the world is crashing down on me. I told you that you saved me, and I meant it. You've brought light into my life again. One that I refuse to let go of. I don't want to fall into that darkness again." Her eyes were on me as I spoke, but I couldn't look into them. I wanted to pour out my heart to her, and looking at her would only tie up my tongue.
"When I say I love you, I mean that I cherish you. That you are the most important person in my life. When I say I love you, I mean that I will be by your side always. That I will support you in whatever you do. When I say I love you, I mean that I will not let you get hurt. That I will protect you with everything in me. When I say I love you, I mean I am happy as long as I have you. Do you understand what I am saying, Olive? I love you in all sense and meaning of the word."
It was silent for a while, causing me to look up at her finally. Her eyes were pink and misted as she bit her lip. She nodded her head at me, but I couldn't tell what she was feeling or thinking at the moment.
"When I say I love you, I mean that I will give you all of me. That you will have my heart and my soul with you always." She started, making my heart swell and my eyes tear instantly. "When I say I love you, I mean that I will stick by your side through thick or thin. That I will not leave you, even when you send me away. When I say I love you, I mean that I will fight for you. That I will fightwith you,if it's for your own good. When I say I love you, I mean that you are my everything. That I will place your needs before my own. I love you, my Knight, in all senses of the word." I nodded my head, feeling overwhelmed and elated by her confession. She was on the same page as me, if not further in.Don't worry, Rose, I'm right there with you.
"No running away?" she asked me.
"No running away." I confirmed, pulling her towards me. Our moment was cut short before I could kiss her the way I wanted to. The nurse had come in with the anesthesiologist, and they had begun to prep me and roll me out to surgery.
"I'll be here waiting," she promised in a hushed voice.
