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“My eyes filled. I’m the guy that killed four guys in self-defense, a master in karate and judo with so many tournament awards I can’t even count, and here I was, crying. Letty caught my arm and dabbed at my face with a tissue.

“I told you, I’m never leaving.”

“Letty, I love you with all my heart, with all of my being. Will you take a chance and marry me?”

She hugged me. My mouth found hers. Our tongues and our teeth rubbed.

“I’m sorry for not being romantic like—”

“My heart is about to fly out of my chest,” she said, tears rolling down her face. “You don’t need to marry me to keep me.”

“You don’t get it,” I said. “You are what I want. I want you for my wife. I don’t need a housekeeper or a baby maker or a trophy. I don’t need a grocer, or a rock star or a mob princess. I need you.”

“Yes, I’ll marry you, Mario Luna.”