The One Who Got Away is Back

Present 17 ♡ The Exclusive Bernal Solis Club

"For you," he said. "After all, I'm your knight in shining armor, aren't I?"

I bit my lip to fight off a fresh wave of tears. Leaning down, I kissed his hand and stayed there for a moment, just feeling his warmth and the strength of his fingers laced through mine. Miguel was alive. He was going to be fine.

Straightening up, I continued, "Don't ever do something so crazy again."

"But-" he started, and I cut him off.

"I love you." That snapped his jaw shut. His eyes widened. "I've never said those words to anyone before. But I do, and I almost died today thinking I had lost you."

"Then we're at an impasse," he said, shrugging. "Because there was no way in this wide world I was going to lose a second loved one without doing something about it."

Oh, goodness. He was talking about his mom.

Seeing the realization dawn on me he said, "Guess I've now joined the exclusive club of Bernal Solis People Who Have Got Shot."

"Hopefully membership is closed forever," I added. Then, with a thread of voice I asked, "Did you mean what you said about marriage?"

Miguel tilted his head against the pillows, the better to give me a sharp look.

"Every word." I sucked in air and he smiled, like the setting and the conversation weren't a big deal. "I know I'm rushing but here's the thing. When you're about to get shot, life tends to flash before your eyes."

I remembered the visions I'd had when the barrel of the gun was poised right between my eyes.

"Except what I saw wasn't what I've gone through," Miguel continued. "But a life with you. And that scared me even more than the gun. I jumped in front of a bullet for you because I want to make all of that a reality."

He pulled my hand towards his lips as I started to weep.

"The dream job, the perfect wife for me and a million kids."

That startled me in the middle of a round of hiccups. "Kids?"

He grinned. "Maybe not a million. A few?"

"I'm feeling dizzy."

Miguel chuckled.

"I'm planning on asking you formally in about a year," he said, running his thumb across my hand, comforting me as if I were the one in bed with a damaged leg. "Just giving you a heads up. You can say no, of course, but I'm going to work really hard for you to say yes."

I laughed, wondering what I'd ever done to deserve this man. How someone like me, who had never known love, could've been found by it in such a spectacular way. I didn't tell Miguel right there and then, but the answer was very clear. It was just that after all, I also wanted to see him work hard for it—and I was going to work even harder to deserve a lifetime with him.

all i have to say is this

and also this