            His fingers tightened into her curls. A look of longing slid over his face. "Time has not afforded me many courtesies in my life," he began softly, his voice barely a whisper. "But the days I spent knowing you, caring for you...that was the most precious gift in the world. And that I wasted what little time we had on my own selfishness...it was a mistake. But it will be my last. I only ask that you put the mistakes we made together this winter on my shoulders instead of your own." His fingers trembled as they pulled away. Cold sank through her at the sudden loss, rooting her to the ground with its numbing weight. "Let’s do this, shall we?"