Ch. 34

Alex lifted her head from Olivia's shoulder. She had been lying there, her body spent against Olivia's after they had made love again.

When Alex could finally move, she slid to Olivia's side and curled in to her naked body.

Alex played with Olivia's fingers on her now un-casted hand.

"What do you want?" Alex asked in the moonlit room.

"What do you mean? I have what I want. I'm here with you."

Alex leaned up on her elbow, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

She ran the tips of her fingers slowly down Olivia's torso, circling each of her erect nipples before posing the question again.

"No, you have me already. What else do you want?"

"What do you want?" Olivia questioned.

"You!" Alex teased.

Olivia laughed.

"See the question isn't that easy!"

"Touché." Alex said grinning.

Olivia leaned in kissing Alex, tugging at her bottom lip before she let her go.

Alex's hand still wandered across Olivia's body.

"I just want to make you happy. You deserve to be happy. And anything you want, that you need, I want to make it come true." Alex said, her voice low.

Olivia looked at Alex. "Baby you do make me happy. So happy."

"I just love you so much, and we've had feelings for each other for so long, and time has passed us by. I don't want to waste another minute wishing for what we had with each other."

Olivia turned to Alex, now lying there face to face; she looked at her love, holding now Alex's hands against her chest.

"I've never felt like this. The times I thought I was in love it was nothing compared to the way I feel about you. I've never had anyone love me; make me feel the way you do. And I have to be honest part of me, most of me, doesn't know what to do with that. You flew to Ireland for me and you haven't left my side not one second."

"I sound a little obsessed with you." Alex joked.

Olivia grinned.

"What I'm saying is, is if this is what I get… if having you is all I'm meant to have, I'm satisfied. I'm happy, I'm happy with you."

Alex squeezed Olivia's hands as her eyes had welled up with tears.

"I just want to give you what no one else has."

"You have, baby you have." Olivia assured her.

"I want to be your family. You deserve a family."

"Alex, you are."

"No I mean I want to legally be a family."

"Alex what are you saying?" Olivia asked puzzled.

Alex could feel Olivia's heart pounding.

"I want you to be my wife."

"What?" Olivia questioned, stunned.

"You can think about it if you need to. You don't have to answer me now." Alex said with all seriousness. "I mean I don't even have you a ring, which is absolutely poor planning on my part, but I want you to know that I have every intention of spending the rest of my life with you. Loving you, protecting you, making sure that you're happy."

Olivia sat up pulling the sheet against her chest, leaving Alex lying there, watching her.

Alex didn't dare move as if she feared she would set off a panic in Olivia.

"I don't know… I don't know what to say."

Alex then sat up, ignoring her nakedness though chills splayed across her body.

"You don't have to say anything right now." Alex assured her. "But I asked you to be my wife because I have never loved anyone the way I love you and I know you feel that way too. And though we have only been together a short while, my heart has been with you for over a decade."

Olivia was crying.

She was trying desperately not to, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes.

"Oh baby I didn't mean to upset you." Alex said looking worried, hating she had made Olivia cry.

"No, no you didn't. I just I don't know what to do. I know what I want; I know that I want you. I just don't know what to say…" Olivia said trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Baby, I told you, you don't have to answer me now." Alex said reaching for Olivia.

Olivia sunk in to Alex's body, letting Alex now hold her tightly against her.

When Olivia pulled away, Alex's beautiful, deep blue eyes were shiny, glistening with tears.

"I'm sorry." Olivia said shaking her head.

Alex heart dropped.

"What are you sorry for?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"Why would you want someone who doesn't scream yes at the top of their lungs when you ask them to be your wife? Why would you want to be with someone who hesitates?"

Alex slid closer, locking her long legs around Olivia.

She held Olivia's face in the palms of her hands, swiping away stray tears.

"Because I don't think your hesitations are about me. I think that your past is what's holding you back. You're used to taking care of yourself and you said it earlier you're not sure what to do with how much I love you, the way I love you. So I can give you time to think about spending the rest of your life with me, because I'm not going anywhere. And when you are ready to say yes, it will be because you realized my love for you eases all of your hesitations and makes you forget your past.

Now Olivia was sobbing.

Alex held her.

The sheets puddle around them, their naked bodies pressed tightly in to each other's.

Alex held her.

Olivia had to realize Alex's love would make her forget her past.