Chapter 25 Viviana
I'm pacing the living room when I hear Damon's car in the driveway. I've been waiting forever, my mind cycling through every possible outcome of his meeting with his father and then with Papa.
All Damon sent me was a quick text alerting me of the meeting.
No calm reassurances from him saying everything will be fine.
And definitely no promises.
When he walks through the door, his expression is serious in a way that makes my stomach clench.
"How did it go?" I ask immediately. “What happened? You’re scaring me.”
He closes the door behind him and engages the security system before turning to face me. "I asked your father for permission to marry you."
"You did what? Without talking to me about it first? Are you crazy?"
"I told him I compromised your honor and that marriage was the only honorable solution."
"Oh my God!”
"Listen to me, Viviana. All of it. Because you need to understand what's at stake here." His urgency frightens me even more. "In our world, what we did has consequences. Taking a virgin daughter without the father's permission traditionally ends in marriage or death."
"Death? Whose death?"
"My death. Possibly yours, depending on how your father chooses to handle the dishonor."
My hands start shaking. "But Papa wouldn't—"
"Your father is old school. Traditional. Honor matters more than anything else to men like him. Especially in our world." Damon takes my hands, stilling them. "But there's something else. Something that could change everything."
"What?"
"I researched the old customs, the precedents for situations like ours. When feuding families find themselves in this position, there's one scenario where everyone not only survives but thrives."
"What scenario?"
"A male heir. A son who carries both bloodlines."
I stare at him, trying to process what he's telling me. "You want me to have your baby?"
"I want us to have a future. And a son would guarantee that future. He'd be protection for both families. No one can war against their own blood."
"What if it's a girl?"
"Then we try again and again. Both families would be invested in protecting the marriage, making sure it succeeds."
I can’t believe what he’s suggesting.
Marriage. Children. A life tied to politics rather than love.
"This isn't about what we want anymore," I say. "It's about what our families need."
"It's about both. Viviana, look at me." He cups my face in his hands. "I'm not asking you to be a broodmare or a political pawn. I'm asking you to be my wife. To build a life with me that happens to solve a problem for both our families. This is our only way through this."
"And if I say no to the marriage?"
"Then I respect your choice. But you need to understand what that means.
If you refuse, your father will likely choose death over dishonor.
My death. And you..." He hesitates. "If you're pregnant, if there's already a child inside you growing, refusing marriage would mean exile. Complete separation from your family."
"Pregnant? You can’t be serious? I can’t possibly be pregnant. We haven’t been together that many times."
"It's very possible. We haven't been careful, not since the first time."
I think about the past few weeks, about my body, about signs I might have missed. "I don't know."
"Whether you are or aren't, the choice is the same. Marriage or consequences that could destroy both of us."
"That's not really a choice then, is it?"
"It's the only choice our world gives us. But Viviana..." His thumbs stroke across my cheekbones. "I'm not asking you to sacrifice yourself. I'm asking you to choose the life we both want for reasons that are bigger than us."
"You make it sound simple when it’s actually terrifying."
"It's complicated as hell. But it's also our one chance to have everything - each other, our families' acceptance, a future where our children don't have to choose sides."
I look into his dark eyes and see the truth there.
He's not conflicted about this.
He wants the life he's describing.
With me and our children.
"You've already decided," I realize. “This is what you want.”
He smiles at me and squeezes my hands. "I decided the moment I touched you that I wasn't giving you up. I was never letting another man feel the softness of your skin. This is the best way to make it work."
"What if I'm not strong enough for this? If I can't handle being the bridge between our families? I’m not experienced in those kinds of things. Papa sheltered me from the business as much as he could."
"Then I'll pick you up and carry you through it. We'll figure it out together. You told me once that you trust me. Do you still?"
I nod my head. “You know I do.”
"Then I need an answer, Viviana. Not for your father, not for the families, but for me. Will you marry me?"
Looking at him, at this dangerous man who's willing to risk everything for me, I know there's only one answer I can give.
"Yes, I’ll marry you."
Something fierce and possessive flashes in his eyes. "Say it again."
"Yes, I'll marry you."
"Thank God, Viviana." He pulls me against him, kissing me with desperate hunger. "Whatever happens, whatever we have to face, I’ll take care of you. You’re mind and nothing will change that. I will always protect you no matter the cost."
His hands are in my hair, on my back, holding me like he never wants to let go. I can feel his heart pounding against mine, can taste the determination on his lips.
"This might be the last time for us to be together," he says against my mouth. "Until your father makes his decision."
"Then we’d better make it count."