Page 85 of Haven

I walked back to my Camaro and took Rory’s hand. She was admiring the sunset, her blue eyes glinting with tenderness and warmth, but my attention was solely on her. God, she made me feel whole. It terrified me, but I knew she would be worth everything. I wanted to see where this life took us, no matter what happened.

Rory stopped at the side of the blanket where a bouquet of tulips and carnations were waiting for her, with a velvet red necklace box nestled in between. So I was a sap, sue me, but Rory deserved to be spoiled. My hands were clammy as I rubbed them against my shirt. This was what made me nervous—I had to take state exams to become a doctor, except even those didn’t make me feel the way I did now.

“Rory, I know this is new, but I wanted to ask you…” I took a deep breath. Why did I feel like a teenage boy asking his crush out for the first time? “We’ve been doing this for a few weeks now, and I can’t deny my feelings anymore.” Her cheeks turned a few shades darker as she took my hand. “I like you, Rory, and I can’t pretend that you’re not the first person I think about when I wake up and the last one when I close my eyes.”

“You dream of me?”

“You’re my greatest dream, and I want to keep you as long as you allow me to.” I took a deep breath. “I want you to be my girlfriend, officially. Of course, only if you want to. If not, I’ll⁠—”

Rory grabbed my shirt and pulled me in with a smile. “It’s about damn time.” And then she pressed her lips to mine in a silencing kiss that was soft but certain. She took my breath away.

“So is that a yes?”

Rory rolled her eyes. “It’s a hell yes.” I laughed, pulling her down to lay on the blanket with me.

“Thank God. I was nervous. But I got this for you.” I opened the box and it revealed a gold chain with an H on it. “I like the idea of my initial around your neck. You can say no.”

Her fingers caressed the delicate metal, almost trembling. Her eyes started to shine with unshed tears as she looked at me and smiled softly. Rory looked at me like I just handed her something precious. She pressed the necklace to her chest for a brief second, right over her heart.

“I love it,” she whispered softly. “I’ll always have a part of you with me. Can you put it on me?” My hands brushed against her shoulders as she pulled her pink tendrils from her back. I put the necklace on her before kissing her shoulder. “You know, this is the kind of romance I never thought I would experience before.”

“Well, get used to it, baby. I am going to spoil you until you are sick of me.”

“So now the real question is…will you let me tattoo you? I might’ve brought my travel tattooing kit for a reason.”

“Anything you want.”

I was officially insane, or maybe I was just in love.

Rory was straddling my hips, her tattooing material scattered on a board next to me. Her foot was eased off the bed to hit the pedal. She placed the stencil on the side of my breast. It was a minimalistic design of a carnation and tulip on a stem that crossed together with a ribbon tying it in a heart. The pain was surprisingly minimal, but I was more concerned with the beautiful woman focused on her art.

My hands rested on her ass, and Rory arched her brow to look at me. “Are you trying to ruin the design?”

I laughed, squeezing her butt cheeks. “What can I say? A gorgeous goddess of a woman is half-naked on my hips as she fondles my breasts.”

She rolled her eyes. “Behave.” She finished the tattoo, admiring her work. “You know the next thing you should get tattooed?”

“What?”

“My lips on your ass, so everyone knows you're mine.”

“You’re going to cover me in ink, aren't you?”

She put her tattoo gun to the side before getting comfortable on top of me. “Maybe not covered. I love your skin, but I would like my lips on a few spots, and then maybe I’ll be satisfied.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll think about it. I like the idea of you kissing me and claiming your territory.”

“Yeah?” She wiggled her brows. “Good.”

She leaned down and captured my lips in a heated kiss. The last few days with Rory in my home had been amazing, though I was exhausted at the clinic.

“I need to sleep tonight, valkyrie,” I told her. “How about we watch a movie and cuddle?”

“Okay. But expect spicy pictures randomly tomorrow while you are working. Just don’t open ‘em when you are surrounded by people.” I wouldn’t expect anything less from her.

I wanted her to meet my dad, but I knew it would be a few weeks before we could do it. It felt like it was a big step, but I knew what I wanted and it was Rory…all of her. The good. The bad. The ugly. I wanted to be the one she relied on during her bad days and the one she laughed with on her best days.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Rory said, and I turned to face her. “My sister. I want to try and find her. If she’s dead, then we have closure. But if she’s alive, then it’s my turn to save her.”