“A ride.” He wiggled his brow. “I like a ride.”
“Then finish up your food, and I’ll show you several inches of hard ride.” I had his full leg in a grip now with one foot pinning his inner thigh.
It was a mixture of drunkenness and the high of being forced into a sabbatical from work—a year of no danger, a year offucking in every country we visited. That was something I could do, happily for the rest of my life.
“Love you,” he said before slurping up the rest of his flan in the most unattractive way possible—yet, holy fuck, I loved him so much, even the mess.
My future husband.
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
ARTEMIS
Donovan proposed to me in every country we visited. He told me he was making it official, around the world. We travelled for six months, South America, Europe, Asia, looping in Australia, then a quick stint through the Middle East and Africa, all before ending it in America. In Maine, at the large log cabin with two stories and a tree hours with a wooden path in the air, connected and held between trees. It was magical, especially in the fall where the breeze got trapped between the trees, unable to pick up steam or any of the fallen amber leaves.
It was the perfect place. There was even a brown picket fence and a garden with untamed bushes and overgrown feeds
We sat in the car and looked at it for a moment, big smiles on both of our faces.
“I love it,” I said, holding his hand.
“Good, because we’re spending the next six month here,” he said. “Just you and me, baby.”
“And it’s the perfect place for a wedding, don’t you think?”
“After winter, please,” he said.
“I’m thinking exactly when it’s snow.” I was all giggly. I was ready for a whole lot of cold weather, snow, and cups of cocoa in front of a fire with snuggles.
There was a man at the door, dressed in a thick winter coat already. He smiled and waved us over from the car. He’d almost blending right in with the place.
“I’m Joss,” he said, introducing himself. “Welcome to your new home. I’ve been told to tell you both that anything you need, I’m a call away. Everything you need is inside. Includingsome specialty items. There’s a file with information.” He held both hands up. “I didn’t peek. Mercy would have my guts for that.”
It wasn’t a safe house in the Sanctum sense, it wasourhome, and from the sounds of it, Mercy had given us an upgrade, an early wedding gift. I was eager to get inside.
The pictures of this place hadn’t done it justice. Granted, it had been six months since we’d been given those pictures. It was toasty and warm inside. Everything was so cream and chrome, modern looking. I didn’t want to dirty any of it up.
Joss had stuck behind to speak with Donovan while I ventured through the house. There was a box on island counter in the kitchen, and inside, a letter on top of another box from Mercy.
‘Hello,
I’m still waiting on the wedding invite. If you’ve already tied the knot. I can’t be too mad. I’m a sucker for a wedding, so whether you’re married or not, my gift for you is a stocked pantry and equipment cupboard. There are plenty of safes around the house as well. No codes set currently, I know Donovan is suspicious at times of Sanctum, but this place is yours. There are no bugs, except for the ones you might find out in the woods.
I’ve been following your journey. I saw that you both went into a tattoo parlor in Thailand. I’m eager to know what happened. And I saw that you withdrew a lot of cash. I don’t want you going rogue or running out of money before the next six month is up.
I don’t get so attached to agents, but you two are special. You two go the extra mile for each other. It reminds me of mine and Marzia’s relationship.
And I hope you’ve both been paying attention to the news. One of Nathaniel’s children has been arrested formurdering two people who they believed was connected to their father’s death. They’re not giving up.
Burn after reading, boys.
You know who from.’
It humanized Mercy to me. I knew she was doing it because we’d probably given her a bazillion dollars or whatever. It was nice to finally have a place where we could live, and that picket fence dream was going to be a reality, even if it needed a little bit of a work and upkeep. I wanted a taste of this life, and make sure it wasn’t for me—or maybe it was. Perhaps now I’d killed my demon, I could be some homemaker with a sour dough starter I would have to feed daily, or an entire barn full of animals.
Donovan came in, interrupted my thoughts. “Nice place,” he said. “I bet we could fuck on every counter and wall, just to make sure the place knows whose boss.”
