Nina stares at me, her eyes wide. She is crying again. “Shit, baby. Don’t do that.”
I ignore the screaming pain in my right leg and lower my left knee a bit more. It’s not the exact pose I envisioned, but it’s the closest to getting on one knee I can manage. I raise the rings in front of her.
“Will you marry me,malysh?”
She whimpers and exhales, tears still streaming down her face, then grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me up. It takes me a few seconds to straighten, and when I do, she raises her hand between us.
“You are not getting away with the cheap version this time, Roman.” She sniffs. “I want a dress, big and fluffy and sparkling. I want a ton of flowers, an orchestra playing fancy music, and of course—”
I feel my lips curl up in a smile. I am so fucking in love with my crazy little wife.
“I love you,” I whisper, slide the rings onto her finger, then grab her face and kiss her.
* * *
I trace my palm down Nina’s back, then lower it to squeeze her ass, and retrace the path up all the way to the back of her head where my fingers get stuck in tangled dark green strands. “Will this wash off?”
Nina lifts her head from my chest and looks at the strand of hair between my fingers. “Not a fan of green?”
“Not really. But if you like it, I’m okay with it. It’s awful, though.”
“It’ll wash off in a week or so. I hate it too.” She shrugs and places her head down again, just over my heart. “How will you stop the war with the Italians?”
“The usual way. Someone is going to get married to a sweet and docile Italian girl.”
“How romantic. And who will be the lucky groom?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Probably Kostya.”
“I’m sure he will be thrilled.” She yawns and closes her eyes. “How’s the physical therapy been going?”
“I finished it two weeks ago. Warren said we reached the maximum of what could be achieved, so there is no need for it anymore.”
“I’m glad. I know how much you hated those sessions. You are sexy with the cane, just like I predicted.” She smiles sleepily.
I lift a few tangled strands of hair from her face, then look to the side of the bed where my crutches are leaning on the wall. I don’t think she noticed them when we came in, since we were preoccupied with removing our clothes on the way to the bed. She would find out in the morning anyway, but I prefer to tell her right away and be done with it.
“Nina... I have to tell you something.”
“Mhm... can it wait till the morning?”
“No.”
Her head snaps up immediately, her eyes staring me down. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. It’s just something I need you to know.”
“Oh, God...” She groans, “Just tell me what the fuck you did.”
My beautiful little flower is watching me, her eyes wide. I hate that I have to tell her. I hate it so much it makes me sick.
“I’m still using the crutches, Nina. My knee is still stiff in the mornings, and I can’t walk without them for the first hour or so.” I grit my teeth and continue, “I sometimes need them in the evenings, too.”
She is just watching me, her eyes staring into mine. I need her to say something. Anything.
“And?” she asks finally.
“And what? That’s it,” I say.