Love For Hire

Chapter 20: 20

Nicholas’ throat was dry. He slowly opened his eyes. He saw nothing but light. It must have been daytime. He did not know how long he had been out of it. His mind was foggy. He sighed and closed his eyes again. He was still alive. God damn Octavius and his timing. He’d had such a wonderful dream; He had dreamt that Kinsley had come to him. God, how he missed her.

Nicholas opened his eyes. Did he hear the shower? Nicholas sat up and listened. Yes, he heard running water. There was someone in his washroom.

Seconds later, the water stopped, and he could hear movement in the next room. A few minutes later, the door opened, and whoever was in his washroom stepped out into the bedroom. Nicholas smiled; he smelled… peaches. “Well, it is good to see you up,” he heard Kinsley’s sweet voice. It had not been a dream. She really had come to him; he could not fight the smile that brightened his face. She should not be here. He did not want her watching him waste away. He knew every reason she should not be there, but he was happy she was.

“Kinsley,” he grinned and stood up. He reached out blindly until he found her and pulled her in his arms. He held her so close, moulding this wonderful woman to his body. He buried his face in her wet hair and inhaled him deeply. God, she smelled like heaven.

He heard her giggle as she held him. “I get the feeling you missed me?”

The words just did not come to him. He turned his face to hers and kissed her, his tongue slipping past her lips and sweeping her over hers. She tasted minty and clean. She must have just brushed. His lips lifted from hers as his hand caressed her face. “It is so good to see you,” he said. “So, to speak,” he could not actually see her, but he could picture in his mind what she looked like. His fingers grazed over the contours of her face. He could picture that button nose, those full plump lips, her big brown eyes, and that soft, flawless toffee skin. He dragged his hand down her hair, letting the strands glide through his fingers like silk.

No, he could not see her, but he could picture her in his mind’s eye, and she was beautiful. An angel, flesh and blood. The image of her the night they met was permanently burned into his mind. He was not grateful for much in this life, but he was grateful he had the chance to see her splendour before he lost his vision. She was perfect that night, and, in his mind, she would always be perfect.

He felt her hand touch his face, and he instinctively nuzzled his face against her palm. As happy as he was that she was there, nothing had changed. “You should not be here,” he said quietly.

“I could not stay away.”

He felt her take his hand and walk him back to the bed, and they both sat down. He reached up to touch her face once more, and she caught his hand in hers. She turned his hand to expose his bandaged wrists. He knew she was looking at the bandages, and she probably had tears in her eyes.

“Nicholas,” she said his name with such sadness and disappointment. He felt her kiss the bandage right where the wounds would be. It was slight pressure painful, but he did not pull away from her loving gesture. “Why? Why would you do this?”

“I have nothing to live for,” he said, doing his best to keep the emotion out of his voice.

“What about me? Live for me.”

He pulled away and stood up, walking away. “You should not be here, Kinsley. I do not want you here.”

“That is a lie, and we both know it,” he could hear soft footsteps cross the floor, and then her hand slid up his bare back and over his broad shoulders. She lay her head against his back, and he relished her touch.

“I do not want you to watch me die. I do not want your last memory of me to be that withered corpus in some hospital bed hooked up to life support,” he placed his hand over hers. “When you think of me, I

want you to remember as I am. That will never happen if you watch her fall apart.”

“I want to be with the man I love, no matter how short the time. I want to sit by your bed and hold your hand while you pass away so that you go into the next life knowing you were loved,” he could not stop a tear from sliding down his cheek. “Give me that, Nicholas. I beg of you; let me take this journey with you.”

Nicholas turned and took her hands in his. He was facing her; he could only make out shapes and colours. If he had to guess, she was wearing something red. He reached his hand up and lay it to the side of her face. “Marry me.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“What?” He could hear the surprise in her voice.

“Marry me,” he repeated.

“Are you serious? We have only known each other a month.”

He chuckled. “I know I sound crazy. It's really fast, but it is not like I have a lot of time to wait,” she was silent for a long time. “I want a child.”

“What?” He felt her take a step back. “I want something to leave behind. Up until now, my life has been meaningless. If I die tomorrow, I leave no legacy. I will have been nothing more than a momentary blip in time. I will have made no impact and be forgotten immediately. But if I have a child, then a part of me lives on. I will have left something behind that says I was here.”

“Nicholas, a child is….”

“A big commitment… I know. And I know I will leave you to raise it alone. But this child will be royalty, and like royalty, my family will provide for both of you. You will never have to work again, and the child will want for nothing. And if the child is a boy, he will be King when my father dies. You will be the

mother of a King. He could change the face of a nation. When I am gone, you will have a little piece of me to hold and love and be loved by, and my life will have meant something,” he then smiled. “Of course, I would never dream of getting you pregnant without putting a ring on your finger first. I know we have not been together long. I know it is fast. I know I love you, and you are here, so you must love me. So, marry me, give me an heir…” He chuckled. “Consider it the last request of a dying man.”

She was silent. He wished he could see her face because he had no idea what she was thinking or feeling. He felt like he was out on a fragile limb that was bound to break and send him plunging to his death.

“I have one non-negotiable condition if I say yes.”

“Name it.”

He felt her grab his wrist. “This can never happen again if I marry you and give you a child. You have to live for us. You have to fight. You have to be here for as long as you can.”

He thought about her request. “Alright.”

“Promise me, Nicholas.”

“I promise.”

“Then, I will marry you.”

Nicholas smiled and pulled her in his arms. For the first time in his life, he had something worth living for.