Chapter 47
FORTY-SEVEN
LYKOS
She owned my heart and my soul.
She was my woman.
Fucking mine.
And I loved her. I fucking loved her so goddamn much that just the thought of losing her brought me to my knees.
Today could have easily ended differently. She could have turned away from the violence and me. But she didn’t. And the way Aria came to terms with learning that Violet was her biological mother… Thank God.
I watched Violet sleep, her naked body molded to mine. I’d never tire of watching her. Not in one year. Not in ten. Not in fifty.
I skimmed my lips against her temple, and she released a small sigh but didn’t stir.
“You’re the force behind my beating heart. You’re my life. My everything,” I whispered against her temple. “I love you so much. In this life and the next.”
Her eyes fluttered open and our gazes connected. Confusion and exhaustion lingered in hers.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I murmured.
She smiled softly. “Did I dream it?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“No, you didn’t. Aria knows you’re her mom and she loves you. But nobody loves you more than me.”
A breath of silence stretched when she finally rasped, “You really love me?”
My love for her was tangible, something I planned to cherish and nurture. “I love you, Violet Freud. I want you in my life, in our children’s lives. I want you as my wife.”
She raised herself up on one elbow, her eyes never wavering from my face. She laid her other hand on my chest, sending a small shudder down my spine. It was always like this. Her touch made my head fuzzy and my throat tight, because I had never needed anything. But I needed her.
“Are you proposing?”
I let out a sardonic breath. “I should have made it romantic. I wanted to treat you to a candlelit dinner, but I can’t wait that long. I want you as my wife tomorrow.”
“It’s more than romantic,” she murmured. “It’s perfect. Yes, Lykos. A thousand times yes. I love you so much.”
She leaned over, her lips brushing against mine. God, the hold this woman had on me. She still didn’t know how deep my obsession ran.
“I have one request, though… sort of,” she murmured.
“Anything.”
“When we work on the documentation for Aria… to reinstate me as her mother, could we—” She faltered, her voice catching as uncertainty flickered across her face. “Could I…?”
I softened immediately, brushing my thumb along her cheek.
“Tell me, golden one,” I murmured, gently catching her bottom lip between my teeth in a teasing nip. “Anything you want, it’s yours.”
She locked her eyes on me, then squared her shoulders with determination. “I’d like to adopt Dimitros too… if that’s alright. If you and he would be okay with it.”
I stared at her, caught off guard.
“You want to adopt him?” I asked, my voice threaded with surprise.
She gave a small shrug, suddenly shy under my gaze. “It’s not a big deal if it’s complicated or if he doesn’t want—”
I didn’t let her finish.
“Hey.” I cupped her face, my expression softening. “I love you for wanting that.” I leaned in and kissed her, slow and tender, letting her feel every ounce of my love. “You can ask him yourself,” I added, resting my forehead against hers, “but I’m pretty sure he’ll be over the moon.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Really?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Really.”
I nipped her bottom lip again, softer this time, and she melted into me with a quiet sigh. And then I kissed her again, pouring everything unspoken into the space between us, until the rest of the world faded and all that remained was her.