Me:Going with or without you.
I don’t know what’s holding him up, but if I had to guess, it’s probably some Bratva bullshit. I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Sean gave me access codes for the parking garage and elevator. I’m still banned from Johnny’s guest list, so the lobby’s a no-go.
I pull into the garage, enter the codes, and step into the elevator. The ride up is excruciating. I’m buzzing with nerves. Excitement. Dread. But I can’t turn back now. Not when I’ve come this far. Not when my heart’s been stuck in neutral for eight years.
Will she be happy to see me?Will she smile? Will she cry?Did she miss me?
The elevator dings. My pulse hammers in my chest.
The doors slide open, revealing Johnny’s penthouse. It’s quiet. The air feels too still, like even it’s holding its breath. I step out and every sound I make seems to echo off the walls—myshoes, my breath, the soft creak of leather from my jacket.
And suddenly, there she is. Standing in the middle of the living room, barefoot, hair damp like she just got out of the shower. A blanket draped over her shoulders. She freezes when she sees me. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t move. Neither do I.
For a beat, we just stare.
Lina.Aro?She’s older, sharper, stronger, but still her. Stillmine, in the ways that matter. In the ways that ache.
Her mouth parts slightly, but no words come.
I swallow hard. “Hey, Princess,” I say, voice rough with emotion I don’t know how to hide.
Her eyes flash. Something between shock and recognition, like her past just came crashing through her front door.
“Axel.” Her voice breaks a little on my name.
Then she crosses the room like the floor’s on fire and I’m the water. She throws herself into my arms, and I catch her. I always will. She buries her face in my neck, her fingers fisting my shirt, like she’s making sure I won’t disappear. I hold her just as tightly. I don’t want to let go.
Her breath hitches with a laugh that quickly turns into a choked sob.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again,” she whispers.
“Same,” I breathe. “But I never stopped hoping.”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, and her hands go to my face, tracing the lines that weren’t there the last time she saw me.
God, I missed her.
“You look good,” she says, fingers brushing the stubble on my cheeks.
“You look stunning,” I reply, because she does.
That makes her laugh. Seeing her beautiful face lit up with joy because of something I said does something to me. My chest aches in the best way.
There’s so much I want to say. I have so many questions. Apologies. Promises. But for now, I just hold her. Let her tremble in my arms and know she’s not alone anymore. Because I’m here. Because I found her. And I’m not leaving again.
Someone shifts on the couch, and I look over to see Sean watching us intensely. There’s no jealously or worry on his face. Just curiosity. Like he’s trying to figure out the new dynamic.
Thank you, I mouth to him. He nods, knowingly.
She pulls back just enough to look at me, eyes glossy, voice low. “You’re really here.”
“Really here. Really not going anywhere.”
Silence stretches between us again, but it isn’t uncomfortable. It’s full of memories, of missed chances, of things we want to say but don’t know how.
She nods toward the couch. “You want to sit?”
