Ethan studied her under the dim light. The way her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, the faint crease between her brows, and the occasional smile at her favorite scenes.
She had too much power over him, he always knew that. But how could she not? She was beautiful without trying, smart without showing off, and hands down the strongest person he knew. Despite everything life had thrown at her, she rebuilt herself, piece by piece, with a kind of grace that humbled him.
He had loved her in high school, but what he felt now went deeper. Fiercer. He couldn't imagine a life without her.
His father had laid down conditions for allowing him to fully have Axiel as his son: marry. But he had never pictured himself marrying anyone but Clara. That's why he never dated anyone else. He had only ever been with her, Nine years ago. When she was away in Boston, he buried himself in school and was there for Axiel, then after college he joined the family business as he waited for her to return. Once she was back, he had planned to give her time, months, if necessary; before finding his way back into her life. But then Mateo got in the way, forcing Ethan to shift his focus. They couldn't truly be happy until that threat was gone. That had been his mission for months now.
And then Clara ended up in a public scandal, one that bruised his pride greatly and threatened her career. She needed saving, even if she didn't realize it, and he needed to protect himself from the slow torture of seeing her with other men.
That's why he had proposed marriage. He would have asked her eventually, anyway. Maybe sooner was better.
On the couch beside him, Clara leaned her head against his shoulder, her body relaxing into his. The movie continued to play, but all Ethan could think was...
He could get used to this.