Seaglass (23 page)

“I think you kept a safe distance around yourself…I think we both did.”

“I was afraid.” He exhaled and ran a hand through his own wet hair. “I was afraid you’d bolt if you saw…” he trailed off.

She felt her heart give a hard thump. “Knox—“

“I didn’t think you’d dump me because of my eyes—nothing like that.” He rushed on. “I just thought it would be too much. More than you bargained for.” He shrugged, unable to look at her.

“I was scared to talk to you about your eyes. You never talked about it…not really. I didn’t want to bring it up and remind you…” She trailed off.

“So back to my original question.”

“What changed tonight?” She asked.

He nodded.

“You let me in.”

Again, his grin was lightning quick. “I did?”

“When I offered to go home and give you space, you said you wanted me here anyway.” She watched his eyes flit back and forth as he replayed their earlier conversation.

“In the past, I would’ve stopped you from seeing me…like that.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t think about it.”

“I’m glad.”

Knox turned off the water and grabbed two big white towels off the towel rack. “I guess Dan’s really doing a number on my psyche.”

“I guess I should send him a thank you fruit basket.” She smirked as she wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the shower.

“Wise ass.” He mumbled as he followed her sexy form back to the bedroom.

He watched her, as best he could, as she dropped her towel and retrieved her pajamas from her drawer. As much as he cursed his crappy eyesight, there were moments—few and far between—but still, moments where the lighting was just right so that she was cast in silhouette. He didn’t know if he’d ever seen anything so beautiful. She was the real deal, he knew.

Of course, as Dan liked to remind him, they still had hard work ahead of them. They both had a lot of walls and a lot of defenses around those walls. But for tonight, for whatever magical reason, the walls were down.

“Knox?” She asked, smirking.

“Huh?” He snapped his attention back up to her face.

“You were a million miles away.”

He moved forward, still clad only in a towel around his waist, and held her by the hips. “Not that far. I was thinking about you.”

“What about me?”

“That I want you here. I want you here forever.” He shrugged and dropped his eyes. They had avoided speaking in terms of longevity; preferring instead to concentrate on the present. He didn’t want to scare her off. He wanted to give her time to acclimate and find her footing again. The last thing he wanted to do was to pressure her. No. She’d had a lifetime of being controlled. If she wanted to be with him, she’d have to make the decision of her own volition.

“You want me here forever?” She asked as she kissed the sensitive spot just beneath his jaw.

“Hmm.” He moaned as his hands ran under her pajama top and found her soft skin.

“Then ask me.”

His hands froze instantly.

“What?”

“Ask me.” She held onto the sides of his face with her hands and implored him to look at her. As always, he was simply undone by the brilliant blue of her eyes.

He smiled as he took her hands and kissed them.

“Will you marry me?”

His voice, his eyes, his body. It was all so overwhelming, yet it was as comforting as a soft pair of slippers. She could wrap herself up in him and stay there forever. It had taken her a long time to trust herself that she could not only make it on her own, but that she could be a true partner to Knox.

Tonight, the tumblers had aligned and the last lock had opened. She’d been allowed entry all the way into his heart. She didn’t know if he understood the significance of her being allowed to stay with him when he wasn’t well, but she did. He’d tried and he’d worked hard, but he’d still held a part of himself away from her; a part that he’d been embarrassed to let her see. Tonight, he’d let down the last of the walls.

She laid her palm against the side of his face and felt the heat from his skin. Something new had been born tonight; something precious. For whatever challenges came next for either of them, they’d now and forever have each other.

“Yes.” She answered as she stretched up onto her toes and kissed him.