A Castle of Sand(62)

After everything he’d done for me and all the times he stood up for me and fought for me, that was the first time it really sank into me just how much Derek Novak truly loved me. I felt like I’d given up everything for him. I realized that he was willing to do the same for me if he needed to.
Thus, that night, standing in the middle of the lighthouse’s octagonal top floor, dancing to the music in his head which he shared with me by humming, my heart leapt when he once again whispered in my ear the same heartfelt plea he gave me on my birthday.
“Marry me, Sofia.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face against his chest, breathing in his scent, adoring the way his heart was now thumping at a quicker pace than normal. I couldn’t even remember why I had hesitated before, because the most sensible thing to respond with was a simple: “Yes.”

CHAPTER 36: DEREK
 I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked her out of a wishful whim, expecting her to once again decline my request, telling me that what we had could never last forever and that we needed to accept that. I expected her to look at me with those lovely green eyes of hers and tell me that she loved me, but that she was sorry, because she couldn’t marry me. She simply couldn’t.
But no…what she responded with was something that sounded strangely similar to the word “Yes.”
“What?” I asked her, stepping back, so that I could look at her and make sure that she wasn’t joking. “Did you just say what I thought you said?”
She laughed at my reaction. “I’m not sure…” She tilted her head to the side, her long auburn locks falling over her shoulders. “What did you think I said?”
“It sounded like you were agreeing to marry me.”
She paused and wrinkled her nose before shuffling on her feet. When she heaved an anxious sigh, I was already certain that I was just hearing things.
But then a huge smile broke into her face. “Then you definitely heard right.”
I stood there stunned, letting the news sink in, taking in that moment and how stunningly gorgeous she looked in that green silk gown that clung to her curves in just the right places. I wanted to remember every single detail of that moment, because I wanted to treasure it forever.#p#分页标题#e#
“Derek, say something…” she said breathlessly.
I had no idea what to say. Was I supposed to thank her for making me the happiest man alive? Was I supposed to once again profess my love for her at the risk of her accusing me of being corny? What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to express what she made me feel when she agreed to trust me enough to marry me?
“I don’t deserve you, Sofia Claremont,” were the words that I eventually blurted out. “But I will spend every single day of my life making up for that. I’m so in love with you.” I cupped her face with both hands and once again crushed my lips against hers, breathing her scent in, tasting her sweet lips, committing every bit of that moment into my memory.
At some point during the kiss, she began laughing. “We’re so corny…” She began shaking her head, before biting her lip and nodding. “But…I’m so in love with you too.”
As much as I wanted to fully enjoy that moment and hopefully freeze it so I could live in that moment forever, I couldn’t deny that something felt amiss. We were ignoring the fact that I was immortal and that she wasn’t. I would forever be eighteen and she wouldn’t. I knew I could love her still even if she was already that old woman walking around with a cane, but what kind of life was I offering her?
“Sofia…” I couldn’t hide the hesitation and sadness in my tone. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, Derek. I wouldn’t agree to marry you if I wasn’t entirely sure,” she assured me, then hesitation sparked in her green eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I feel like I’m being selfish with you,” I admitted. “Is this really the life you want? I mean, you’re this beautiful, vibrant person, strong and wonderful in so many ways…you should be able to find a husband who can give you a normal life, let you have kids, support you and allow you to fulfill your dreams…I want to be with you, but I feel like I’m taking all that away from you.”
Every word she said next broke down all my weak attempts to resist the idea of a marriage with her.
“But you’re giving me so much more, Derek. You’re the man I love. You’re the man I want to be with. I don’t want a normal life, Derek. I want to live a life with you.”
I didn’t know how we were going to make the marriage work. I didn’t know how any of it would work out. All I knew was at that moment, we had each other, and that was really all that mattered.