“You want to marry me?”“No. I’m gonna marry you.”

“You wanna know what else I know?” he asked.“What do you know, honey?” “My girl is gonna marry me.”

“Are you asking me to marry you, honey?”“No, I’m tellin’ you by the end of this year you’ll be wearing my rings, bearing my name and, probably, pregnant with my baby.”

“How you feel about marrying me?" he asked in my ear.”

“You talk to him next year, another ring’s gonna be sittin’ at the base of that one.”I felt my throat get tight.Tate went on. “We’ll get married in April, anniversary we met.”

“I’m here to right wrongs and I’m gonna do it, Angel. You told me I’d had my last chance but I don’t accept that and I won’t. If you tell me now that my explanation is not enough and you want me gone, I’m not goin’. I’m not giving up. I got one part of my life’s dream still open to me, very sign she gives me is screaming that she’s standing in my arms right now and I’m not gonna be ninety years old, looking back on my life and regretting that I gave up that dream.”

“What are you gonna do?” I whispered.“I’m gonna do whatever I have to do to protect Luke while he does whatever the fuck he wants to do.”