Chapter 29

He opened his mouth and then closed it, the first time I'd ever seen him "nervous" like that. I waited for him to say something. 　　 "That's not what I meant, you know." I nodded as he spoke and immediately knew what he was referring to. 　　 "I have a lot of things going on, Ada. Most of them are bad. I grew up with this life, and I don't intend to change it, but I don't want you to be afraid of me. The other night ...... , you were talking in your sleep. I mean it was more like you were screaming, like you were in pain. You kept screaming for me to stop ..... , I don't want that to be your reality. I need you to be with me, willingly." 　　 I could tell that he was not good at opening up. He seemed genuinely distressed by my bedtime talk, which, besides being embarrassing, gave me hope for us. 　　 I didn't miss the fact that he finally said my name in the way I longed to hear it. "Okay." These words sealed me to him forever. 　　 He gazed at me again, seeming to search my eyes fo