It was release, but relief, too.
Andright.
Them, together, it was right.
And yet …
Her mouth tore away from his. She angled her head back and met questioning golden eyes. “But Bran?” she whispered.
“What is it?”
“The first love that burns fierce and hot.”
“Yes?”
“Can it sustain over time? Can it last?” Oh, how she didn’t want to ask this last question … “Would ours have lasted?”
The instant the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back.
But they needed to be asked.
Of each other.
Of themselves.
“Our love was instantaneous and impetuous,” he said, at last. “And even though we thought we knew each other fully, we couldn’t possibly have. We were only at the beginning of our lives. We didn’t know who we would become. Perhaps if we had married, that love would have not only cooled, but entirely died, and there we would have been resenting each other for the rest of our lives.”
Artemis shook her head, adamant. “You cannot truly believe that.”
“Actually,” he said, and the breath caught in her throat. “I don’t. But …”
She could breathe again, except … “But?”
“But now,” he continued, “after we’ve experienced life and loss, we’ve met again
and—” He searched her eyes. “And we’ve fallen in love as the people we are today. We know now what we couldn’t have known then.”
“What is that?”
“Our love transcends time, Artemis. It was always meant to be. Our love is destiny.”
For so long, they’d denied the certainty of their love—of their destiny.
No longer.
“Do you remember your promise to me?” she asked.
“Which one?”
“That you will give me anything I want.” Her eyes pooled with a sudden flood of tears, a hitch in her throat when she continued, “All I have to do is speak my want.”
He swiped a fallen tear with his thumb. “What is it you want, Artemis?”
“You, Bran,” she whispered. “All I want is you.”
He angled forward and pressed his mouth to hers in a light kiss. “I am yours, Artemis.” He kissed her again. “And you are mine.” Another kiss—this one a little longer … a little hotter. “And we are each other’s.”
“Forever, Bran.” She felt suddenly serious. “We shall never be parted again.”
