Chapter 264: For A Lifetime
The words rolled over her like a wave, knocking the air from her lungs. She froze, her heart pounding against her ribs so hard it hurt. The sound of the ocean faded, the stars above blurred, and all she could hear was the echo of his voice.
Her throat went dry. "What?"
Stefan’s hand was warm where it cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing her skin. "Let’s get married tonight. There’s a chapel here where weddings hold at any time of the day." he repeated, steady as the tide.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She searched his face for a hint of teasing, for a smirk, for anything that would tell her he wasn’t serious. But there was nothing only raw sincerity shining in his eyes.
Her chest tightened. She took a shaky step back, her feet sinking into the sand. "You don’t know what you’re saying."
He stepped closer, closing the distance she had tried to make. "I do. I know exactly what I’m saying."
She shook her head, half laughing, half stunned, her heart racing so fast she was afraid it might burst. "You just said you wanted us to take things slowly and not have sex yet. And you’re skipping all of that to marriage? Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I want you, Genevieve. Not for a week, not for a season. For a lifetime. I want you to be my family. I don’t want to be away from you again. I don’t want you to go back to Westend after this week ends. I want you to go back home with me," Stefan said, holding her gaze.
He knew he was probably rushing things, but after the message from Jamal, he wanted her to know where he stood with her. He wanted her to come clean with him soonest so they could get it done with and properly enjoy their time together without her worrying or wasting her time with plans to disappear.
Tears pricked her eyes. She looked away, blinking fast, staring at the waves so he wouldn’t see how much his words broke her open inside. "You don’t know what you’re saying, Jamal. You’re talking about a lifetime when I can’t even trust myself with tomorrow. You don’t even know me well enough to say that."
He caught her chin gently, lifting it until her gaze met his again. His eyes burned with quiet fire. "I know enough. And if you can’t trust yourself with tomorrow, trust me with it."
Her chest ached so much she thought she might split apart. She wanted to believe him, wanted to let his certainty wrap around her, but fear clawed at her ribs. She shook her head quickly, a laugh breaking out, thin and shaky.
"If you’re saying all this because of me then forget. We don’t have to share a room. We don’t have to rush. We can take things slowly," she whispered, tears still shining in her lashes.
Stefan didn’t argue. He understood her. He hadn’t expected her to agree. All he had wanted was to plant the seed in her heart.
He studied her quietly for a moment, his hand still warm against her cheek. Then, slowly, he leaned down and kissed her lips. This kiss wasn’t like the first— it wasn’t hungry or heated. It was soft and reassuring.
"That’s fine," he whispered, pulling her into his arms. "If that’s what you want. But don’t forget what I said, Genevieve. I meant every word."
She closed her eyes, letting his words sink into her bones as she leaned into his embrace and let his certainty calm the storm inside her.
For a long time, neither of them moved. The waves rolled, the night air cooled, and still Genevieve stayed tucked against him, his arms a circle of warmth around her body.
Finally, she pulled back, her eyes softer now. Stefan brushed a strand of hair from her face, his thumb lingering at her temple before he lowered his hand.
"We should head back," she whispered.
He nodded once, no push, no question, just agreement. And then he reached for her hand.
For a split second, she hesitated. Her instinct was to retreat, to tuck her hands into her dress pockets and guard herself— her heart from the heart break she believed would come when he eventually found out the truth. But something in the way he looked at her made her let go of that wall. Her fingers slid into his, tentative at first, but then she let them curl around his hand.
His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles as if to say ’I’ve got you’ as they walked slowly along the shoreline.
Neither of them spoke. The silence was charged with everything unsaid.
Genevieve kept stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. When he caught her staring and smiled at her, a warm feeling spread through her chest.
She knew without a doubt that she was in love with him and it’d hurt like hell to walk away from him.
When they reached the villa, Stefan squeezed her hand gently before letting go to open the door.
She felt the absence immediately, the cool night air rushed into the space where his warmth had been.
They cleaned their leg on the footmat before going inside, and when they got to the hallway that led to their bedrooms, she looked up at him, her lips parting as if to say something, but the words tangled in her throat.
Stefan gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Sleep tight, Genevieve." His voice was low as he leaned down and kissed the side of her lips.
Her heart fluttered wildly, and she whispered back, "Goodnight."
And then she went into her room, and he went into his, both acutely aware that something had shifted between them tonight, something that could never be undone.
Genevieve closed her door softly behind her and pressed her palms over her face, muffling the shaky breath that escaped her lips.
The stillness of the room wrapped around her, but not in a comfortable way. It was too quiet and empty after the warmth of Stefan’s presence.
Crossing the room, she sat at the edge of the bed, her suitcase still lay open on the floor beside it.
The sheets looked inviting, and despite the jet lag her body refused to settle. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of Stefan’s proposal.
Her stomach flipped, her chest tightened as she recalled the gleam in his eyes when he asked her to race him, the laughter in his eyes when he embraced her after asking her to be his girlfriend, and the way his voice had softened when he said "marry me."
She pressed her fingers against her lips as she remembered the way he kissed her.
She lay back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling. "So much happened in such a short time," she murmured.
She hugged the pillow close, her heart aching in a way she couldn’t name as her eyes squeezed shut.
"Will he still want me after I tell him the truth?"
The question pulsed through her until sleep finally dragged her under. Stefan’s reassuring smile was the last thing she saw in her mind.