DARIAN

He straightens, expression sobering. “All right,” he says slowly. “What is it?”

I meet his eyes. “You know what everybody is saying. You know what I am. How long I have.”

Adrian’s jaw tightens. “Don’t start that.”

“I’m not…” I stop, dragging in a breath. “I’m not asking for pity. I’m just saying... I want to make sure I do this right. That I give her the kind of life she deserves. However short it ends up being.”

He exhales hard, running a hand through his hair. “You always talk like you’ve already got one foot in the grave.”

“Maybe I do.”

“Bullshit,” he snaps, eyes flashing. “You’re still...