Rhys’s men drop their hold on me. I curl my hands at my sides, itching to get to Selene. But I wait, just in case. Just in case Rhys decides to change his mind.
“You have my word.” I steel my chest, holding my breath until I’m almost certain I’m going to faint.
Rhys shoves his black hair off his forehead, then casually buttons his jacket as if he wasn’t just holding a gun to my pregnant girlfriend’s head.
I stay frozen in place, aching to get to Selene. Rhys moves past me, stopping only long enough to grip my shoulder and lean in. “Congratulations, Capuleti. Enjoy fatherhood.”
Then he disappears, with his two henchmen following quickly behind him.
Once Rhys’s hand falls from my shoulder, I’m racing to Selene.
I sink to my knees in front of her. With shaking hands, I reach up and brush her hair away before lifting her face up. When I see her eyes, I fall apart. My heart is both shattered and pieced together. I feel relieved knowing her and the baby are safe and unharmed, but I’m left broken over the pain and trauma this has caused.
It’s obvious the memories are playing out in her mind. The terror and fear of what she experienced the day she witnessed her parents’ deaths.
“Holt. I… I t-thought…”
“I know,” I soothe her, running my hands along the side of her face. “I know, Wallflower. You’re okay. We’re okay.”
Tears flow from my eyes.
I can’t hold it in any longer. “I’m so sorry, Selene.”
My voice cracks. My entire world is sitting in front of me, and I nearly lost it.
Selene’s wide, red-lined, green eyes stare up at me. She wraps her hands around my wrists. “Sorry for what?”
I frown, choking back my own tears. “Sorry for putting you in danger.”
“You couldn’t have known,” she strains.
“The thought of losing you…” I start. “Fuck, I was terrified. I thought I was witnessing it all over again…”
“I know.” She hiccups on a sob. “I felt the same way.”
I close my eyes, but Selene implores me to open them.
“You saved us, Holt.” She slides her shaking hand from my wrist to wrap it around my hand. She takes it in hers and guides it to her stomach. “Your promise saved us. You kept your word.”
I tilt my head to the side, and my shoulders drop with relief. I feel drained and alive all at once. I cradle her head in my hand while keeping the other pressed to her stomach. “I told you I would, Wallflower.”
Her lips press together as she inhales a shaky breath. She frantically nods as though the reality of the situation is catching up to her before wrapping her hand around the back of my head and pressing her forehead to mine. “You did, Holt. You did.”
When she presses her lips to mine, I taste her, surrendering my entire body and soul into this one kiss. I wrap my arm around her and pull her close, promising over and over again that this is forever.
I leave the past behind, vowing to never let her go.
And I don’t.
THIRTY-ONE
SELENE
Forever didn’t exist until there was Holt.
And tonight, I almost lost forever.
Holt carries me all the way home. I keep my arms tightly around his neck and my head on his chest. He even holds me in the back seat of the car. I don’t speak a word. Shivering uncontrollably, I can’t decide if it’s from the freezing cold or everything that happened tonight.
