Neville was sure she could heart his heart beating. It felt like it was jumping up his throat and the resulting tension made it almost impossible to speak without sounding strangled. He cleared his throat.
"I want to take care of you, and Lucy. Even though I know you're capable of taking care of yourself," he added as a disclaimer. Some girls got so offended by chivalry and Neville wanted to be safe. "I want to be there for you, forever. I want to raise Lucy as my own." Neville was speaking quickly. He had memorized something like this and his fairly accurate recital was getting rushed with anxiety.