As final as my previous breath, but the freedom in those words still lingered in my ears.
We were back at the same table. This time, we were enjoying an intimate but formal dinner before the wedding next week. For security purposes, everyone had agreed that any pre-wedding celebrations should take place behind the gates. A fake wedding was even planned in New York the day after our actual wedding. It served two purposes. It would add an extra layer to the security measures we had in place. It also might draw Arsenius Bykov out. Half of our men would be there, keeping an eye on things.
I stood and placed my hands on Mia’s shoulders. I leaned down close to her ear and whispered, “Take a walk with me.”
She placed a hand over mine, squeezing. She reached in front of her and grabbed an envelope. I helped her up and kept her hand tight in mine.
“At least I can walk on my own now. No one will have to carry me down the aisle and hold me while I repeat my vows.” She grinned. “Where are we going?”
I nodded ahead. “For a walk in the groves.”
Her brow furrowed. “Isn’t that beyond the gates?”
“Yeah. We’ll be well hidden. I used to run around in those fields before I could really walk. It was my playground.”
We were quiet as we made our way toward the perimeter of the property. The citrus groves spread out in front of the main house, where my great-grandfather used to live. They were lit up tonight with solar lights. We changed them every so often, but they were a constant ever since my parent’s wedding. My old man took my mom there the night before and gave her something meaningful.
“This is a tradition?” Mia asked, being careful of where she walked.
She must have sensed my line of thought since she spoke it out loud. It was fucking eerie that we could do that. Read each other’s minds and feel what the other did.
I glanced at her, and my eyes caught.
She had on a soft-lilac dress. The color seemed to change when it caught the light. But she lit up the night brighter than the lights around us. Her hair shimmered, and her skin glistened. Her heels were high, though, and with her scars, we were being extra careful.
I stopped her by pulling her close to my body.
She looked up at me, her eyes pure green. “What?” she breathed.
The envelope dropped out of her hand as my lips tasted her skin. I kissed a line down her neck until I got to her shoulder. Lavender floated in the air, and it relaxed me. I’d been wound tight since I was a kid, and she was the only one who could settle the tension. “That. That’s all I wanted to do.”
She shivered, and it took a minute for her eyes to open. I picked up the envelope and handed it back to her, then held out my arm. She wrapped hers around mine, and we continued down the row of blood oranges.
“This is nice,” she said, fanning herself with the envelope. “So peaceful.”
“It is,” I said. “That’s why I brought you here. It’s quiet. Away from everyone.”
“You used to play here as a kid?”
“All the time.” I grinned. “I was a pain in the ass to the workers. Always getting into trouble.”
“You?” She acted shocked. “I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” I said on a laugh. “The only one worse than me was Evelina.”
“That I believe,” she said, grinning. “Evelina is spicy.”
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
She exploded with laughter. “That’s what they’ve always called it. Wait!” She squeezed my arm and we stopped walking again. “That made me think of something.”
“Fucking scary,” I said.
She pinched me. “Let me do this. Or I might not get it right.” She cleared her throat and set her lips into a firm line. I could tell she wanted to laugh but was trying not to. “What do nosy peppers do?”
Fuck me. My mother had gotten to her. She was the only one who told lame-ass jokes. Especially knock-knocks.
I sighed, but she nudged me.
