reach out, catching it, relishing in the feel of her skin beneath mine. I’ve missed her. Every single part of her. Reaching up, she captures my hand and presses a kiss to my knuckles, tears teetering on the edge of her lashes.
Ryder clears his throat behind me, dragging her attention toward him. She smiles. “Hey, Ry.”
My little brother smiles. “How do you feel, Olive?”
“Much better. How are you? Bored without me?”
Ryder chuckles, glancing at me, before he steps closer to the bed. “You’re asking how I am, when you’re there?”
Olivia grins. “I guess I am.”
“He’s been miserable without you, just so you know.”
She shoots a glance at me. We don’t use words, but everything that needs to be said is said right then and there. I feel everything she doesn’t say, and I try to convey everything I should’ve expressed days ago—everything I feel.
“I’m gonna give you guys a minute. I’ll be waiting for you outside, Ro.”
When the door closes behind him, I shift my attention back to Olivia, raking my gaze across every inch of her. I work through the barrage of emotions slamming into me, trying to find the right words to make up for the other day.
“I’m really glad you’re here, Roman.”
Blowing out a breath, I summon the strength to open up about my feelings for a woman, for once in my life. “I’m sorry. About how I acted the other day.”
Olivia shakes her head. “Don’t apologize, Roman. This isn’t your fault. This is on me. I should’ve told you sooner. Every man I’ve ever been with always says it’s fine, that they can handle it, but what about years later? When I’m sick and I don’t have very long to live? They never last. They realize this isn’t what they want. I didn’t want that for us. I wanted to hold on to you, for as long as you’d let me.”
“I’m not them, Liv. Do I want forever with you? Of course, I do. But I love you so much, I don’t need forever. As long as I have the now, that’s all that really matters. I’ll take the seconds, the minutes, and the days, because it’s you, Sunshine. It’s always you.”
“I’m so sorry I kept this from you,” she whispers, tears clogging her throat.
“I should’ve handled the news a lot better than I did. But I don’t care about that, Olivia. I don’t care that you were engaged before. I don’t care that you lied to me about your health. All I care about is you. We’re going to make this work, no matter what. I don’t care if you have a heart condition. I don’t care if you don’t even have a week left. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
What I hope is a happy sob bursts past her lips, and she reaches out, gripping the back of my neck, to yank me toward her.
“So, you want to grow old with me?” she asks, through her tears, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’ve never wanted anything more than growing old with my annoying neighbor who makes a habit of playing shitty music.”
She giggles, and the sound is absolute music to my ears. “Janet Jackson’s music is classic!”
A grin spreads across my face. “I love you, Olivia. I love the way you hate how I acted when we first met. I love the way you hate when I smirk when I get my way. I love the way you hate my motorcycle and call it a death trap. I love the way you hate it when I stare for too long—and the whole time I’m staring, I’m listing all the reasons I love you in my head. I love the way you hate my ability to read your mind. I love the way you hate that I get stuck in your head and stay there. I love the way you hate that I always know what to say. I love the way you hate it when I make you laugh, when you’re failing to stay angry with me. The only thing I really hate, Liv, is the fact that I’ve ever made you cry at all. But want to know what I love the most?” She nods, tears streaming down her face, as she waits for me to continue. “I love the way you love me, Olivia. I love you so much, I’ll take whatever amount of time the universe thinks I deserve with you. You’re worth all the heartbreak in the world, Sunshine.