Endlessly (Jamie Dornan) *COMPLETED*

Chapter 28

A/N: I'm back! And so is Leo ;) I know a few of you have been curious about him and his recent activity, so some of that is brought to light here. Also, had a lot of fun writing the second half of this chapter and that's thanks to a conversation I had a while back with Tina0609! Shoutout to her for boosting the inspiration <3 Quick note, the friends created here are purely my imagination and not based off of anyone in Jamie's life. If he has close friends with similar names/traits that is pure coincidence. I hope you enjoy all of the details and I truly thank you for reading, voting, and commenting! Xo

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"You look at that ring like I look at you."

His statement caught me off guard; I hadn't realized I was admiring it. I looked up to meet his gaze as he folded the shirt he held.

We were packing to head back to London for a couple of days. Jamie wanted to see his daughter one more time to tell her and his ex-wife about our engagement. I wasn't looking forward to either being involved in that conversation, or hearing about it if he decided to do it alone. He'd also mentioned something about meeting up with his mates before we left for New York, but I didn't know if I was included in those plans as well, so I simply agreed with whatever he wanted.

"It's not the diamond, it's the symbolism," I assured him.

He grinned. "I know, baby. Trust me, I understand. I love the way it feels on your hand."

A tingle ran over my skin. He was relentless in his romantic words, and I felt undeniably special and irreplaceable when he said them. His world seemed to revolve around me, and mine around him.

"Speaking of," I began, "I wanted to ask your permission."

"For what, darlin'?" He tossed the clothes he'd folded into the open suitcase at the end of the bed.

"Um..." I didn't know how to word it without hurting his feelings. "Would you understand if I didn't wear it for a while?"

He stopped zipping the bag closed and I knew I needed to explain myself. A slight wave of fear seemed to sweep across his face.

"I don't want my family to see it in the paper before I get to show them in person."

He half-smiled. "I can respect that."

"Plus, I'd like to savor this special moment between us a little longer before we share it with the whole world. We can release a statement after the holidays."

He nodded, finishing his task before he walked over to where I sat against the headboard. He took a seat beside my hip and twisted to rest his hand on the side of my face. His warmth washed over me like a blanket, causing my smile to appear naturally.

"I can't wait for everyone to know I'm the lucky fool who gets to spend the rest of his life with you," he whispered. "But I get that you're not ready."

I chuckled. "Babe, I'm the one who can't wait to tell every person I pass on the street that you'll be my husband. I can already hear the hearts of women everywhere breaking."

"Your heart is the only one I care about." He ran his thumb across my bottom lip and I closed my eyes at the sensation it caused.

"You're unfair in all the right ways."

His blue-grey stare was light and playful as he chuckled. "I could say the same, you know?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Romeo. I love you, and please know every second I spend without your ring on my finger will hurt me more than it will you. I'm yours regardless."