563 words.
####He listened to her words with rapture, jade eyes never leaving her beautiful face while she spoke. She had listened to him so completely, despite the fact that he was telling her about things she surely would not want to hear, and Vigilante could only return the favor. It was the way he always listened to her when she spoke, as if nothing else in the world mattered. For him, it was true, and he wished that he could make her realize how important she was to him. He didn’t know if he could ever truly express his feelings for her in the right way, because words had never been his strong point. It pained him to see her so upset and down on herself, and though he initially wanted to argue with her, he remained silent until she had finished speaking completely. It would have been horrible of him to interrupt her, especially after she had listened to him without saying anything. He hated seeing her so upset, though, and the news about her daughter was very unsettling. Anyone who could attack a young puppy deserved something much, much worse to happen to them in return, but he certainly was not going to vocalized this, just in case it happened to upset her further.
####“Ayita, you are a wonderful mother, and you know it, deep down. I know it is true. Sometimes, things happen that we cannot predict,” he soothed gently, knowing it to be true. For example, he had not predicted falling in love with her, but now there was nothing that he could do about it. It obviously could not be changed, and he certainly did not want it to be. “Do you know who it was?” He was not going to do anything, unless Ayita asked him to. All he could assume was that the one who had attacked Amaranth was in the immediate area, and he had told the woman he loved that he was going to keep his business far from here. He was going to hold true to those words, and he was not going to act on anything unless she asked him to. Amaranth and Kable were her children, and though he cared for them very much, he knew that she had all say in their lives. He could only be involved in their lives if she would allow him to be, but he hoped that would be the case.
####Taking the bracelet, he studied it carefully, before lifting his eyes to her once more. “What is this for? I will need help with it. I do not know how it is worn,” he admitted, though he felt very pathetic for not knowing how to put it on himself. “And the offer is still more than open. I would love for you and your children to move in with me. I love you, and I want you to feel safe and happy. If I knew this was the right time, I would ask you. . .” He trailed off, unsure of where he was going with that. He wanted to ask her to love him and only him forever, but he did not know if this was the right time to ask her that. Vigilante was ready to completely devote himself to her, but that was only going to happen if she would let him.