𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐃 // 𝐇.𝐒.

64!

Chapter 64

I love you.

The weight of those words never felt so heavy before he said them to me. It's like I finally understood what they meant the moment they slipped off his lips near the Ferris wheel.

I felt it coming.

As the stars reflected in his eyes, I felt my entire being prepare for a confession that would get my heart kicking.

Then he said it and even though I remained frozen, my mind was screaming, I love you more.

"I love you," he said again. "and I'm not wasting any more time keeping that to myself because you deserved to hear it, sweet girl. You deserve—"

I kissed him. I don't remember how I got from point A to point B, but suddenly I was kissing him fiercely.

And all the noise—the screams, the loud railing of a rollercoaster, the chimes of a carnival game-winner, and the wailing of a child throwing a tantrum—silenced as he held me.

"I love you," I finally said back and I couldn't believe he had to ask if it were true. I laughed at that.

It's true. When I told him that I think I loved him for quite a while, I meant it.

I can't pinpoint the exact moment where I believed that the feelings I had for him were more complex than I'd imagined. All I know is that it happened quickly, maybe overnight or maybe over a simple gaze. I wish I knew so that I could replay the moment my feelings for him overflowed like a running faucet.

Maybe I had too many of those moments where I've looked at him and felt the intensity of such feelings—maybe that's why I can't remember the exact moment I fell in love with him.

Either way, it's there. My love and everything that makes me whole belongs to him.

He holds me to his chest as we ride in the back of Paco's van. On our way back to the safe house, I almost doze off, but my eyes continue to fight to stay awake. I'm not ready for rest.

When I lift my head off his chest, he's already looking at me. I smile, leaning in for a kiss just as the van comes to a stop.

"It's clear... we have to be quick," announces Paco after Harry and I shared a peck.

When I pull away from him, he reaches out to push the door open. Angelos wait for us, prepared for anything, as they guide us through the back door. My hand never fell from his as we safely made it underground.

I rip the beanie off my head when my nerves make it feel hot. I then look around, painting on a smile for the people who look my way from the dining hall. They're having dinner.

"Can we go find my dad?" I ask Harry.

"Of course, we can," he says and then he looks back when one of the Angelos seems to know where my dad is.

"Dr. D'Amore has been setting up beds for patients. Apparently, we've been putting everyone at risk for viral infections or something," says a tall Angelo and he describes something my father would be doing.

"Can you take me to him?" I ask him and the nameless Angelo nods before stepping in front of us. I can see the gun tucked behind his back as we walk, but it covers the moment he adjusts his shirt.

In a room that I assume used to be empty, my dad managed to mimic an emergency room of some sort with rows of beds and dividers. He's in the middle of a conversation with Eileen.

She went from smiling up at my dad to losing her light the moment she sees Harry and me. I wasn't aware she had met my dad already.

"Sunshine," says my dad. "You're back!"