We break the surface and he sputters, “Ugh. Why do you hate me?”
“You know I could never hate you,” I say, pushing the hair off his forehead before kissing his chilled lips. “In fact, I bet you know that I have one hundred percent, completely, helplessly fallen in love with you.”
Rami’s Adam’s apple bobs. “Really?”
Ignoring the various cat calls, I wipe the water off my face and look into his dazzling eyes so he can see the truth of things. “Really. I never thought I would find my person. But you are it for me, and I love you.”
He lowers his chin into the water, his cheeks flushed. “You know I feel the same, right?”
I hold my hand to my ear. “What was that?”
He smacks my wet shoulder. “You know I love you too. I’ve practically been in love with you since the beginning.”
“I do know that. I just enjoy making you say it.”
“You are theworst!” he says, splashing me. “I take it back. I don’t love you at all!”
I laugh and pull him into my arms. “Liar,” I say, kissing his nose. “You love me as much as I love you.”
The party swirling around us goes quiet, and we look up to find the Wildlings standing around the pool with grins as big as Texas on their faces.
“You love him, brother?” Maya asks, her eyes shiny.
“More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.”
She looks at me, hopeful.
“Same. I love him more than I ever thought possible.”
With that, a shout goes up and the rest of the Wildlings jump into the pool with us, every single one of them fully clothed. They surround us, hugging us, roughing our hair, kissing our cheeks.
“You’re definitely one of us,” Silas says, grinning as water drips off his chin.
“And so are you,” Maya says, placing a kiss on his temple.
Silas blushes and touches his temple to hers. “Thanks, cousin.” He turns back to me. “You should move into the penthouse. There’s plenty of room.”
“Dude,” Maverick says, bumping into his cousin. “You don’t even live here.”
“I’m just being practical. Truett’s over here almost as much as I am.”
He’s not wrong, but Rami’s worried expression tells me I have some work to do. I pull him in close, kissing him softly. Thoroughly.
“There’s nothing about the thought of moving in with you—when it’s the right time—that scares me.”
“Wow, you really do love me,” he cracks, though there’s too much adoration in his eyes to make me worry he’s not right there with me.
“That I do.”
We spend a little time in the pool, then troop downstairs to change into dry clothes and get ready for dinner. Oakley’s got a grilled salmon recipe on the menu, and Sy is helping him with the prep.
Hopefully, those two will figure it out.
As for Rami and me, there are a lot of question marks in our future, but something tells me we’ll keep finding the answers at each other’s side.
EPILOGUE
ANDERS AND OMAR
