Page 107 of Forbidden Romeo
“Uh… I guess?” I’m confused by the question.
“I don’t want you to take my last name. I want to take yours.”
“But isn’t your last name now James? You legally changed it?—”
“I did,” he nods. “But James is still a family name… and my grandfather’s name. A name given to me in his legacy. I want to leave that entirely behind me. I want to be Holden Harris. And I want our children to have your father’s legacy… not mine.”
Tears stream freely down my cheeks and I can barely choke out my reply through joyful sobs. It is the ultimate gesture of love and respect, honoring my family over his own prominent lineage. “My dad would be so happy,” I whisper, pulling Holden close and burying my face in his shoulder.
The weight of this gesture sinks into my heart, mending the grief that had settled there since my father's passing.
The city lights twinkle around us as we hold each other close on the balcony, the cool night air a gentle caress blowing my hair loose from the skilled updo twisted at the nape of my neck. Holden brushes a strand of hair from my face and cups my cheek in his hand.
"I can't believe this is really happening," I whisper, glancing down at the ring on my finger, the diamond glinting in the moonlight. "It feels like a dream."
He smiles. “Don’t cry Juliet. The dream isn’t over yet. We have some Tony Awards to sweep.”
Holden tilts my chin up until my eyes meet his. He leans in close, so close I could feel his breath warm against my skin. "But soft,” he murmurs, his nose brushing mine. “What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East. And Juliet is the sun.” He pauses only to pepper kisses over my cheeks, nose, and eyes. “Don’t ever stop shining, Rose.”
“Give me my Romeo,” I start. “And, when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars. And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun." I smile up at him, even though his face is blurry through my tears. “Don’t stop sparkling, Lights.”
Then his lips meet mine in the softest, sweetest kiss. With the New York skyline glittering behind us, we hold each other under the moonlight and let the world fall away. This is our moment—everything else can wait.
Even the Tony Awards.