Ah, the whole reason she was here in the first place.
“The curse doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is you, our family, and keeping everyone safe. From now on, nothing will ever come between us again,” I promise, my voice resolute. “I don’t care what challenges we face, what enemies we have to confront. I will fight for you and our family, always. I can’t control what happens to us. I can’t control if there are more things headed our way, and honestly, if you were to leave me for that, I wouldn’t blame you. But since I can’t control any of those external things, I have to focus on what I can control, and that’s being with you and our children and making the most of every day I have with you. You were right. About all of it. It just…took me far too long to see it all the way you do.”
Her eyes widen as she looks up at me, searching for truth in my words. I cup her face, willing her to see the sincerity behind my words.
“Really?” she asks, her voice small but hopeful.
“Really,” I confirm, leaning in to press a tender kiss onto her lips. After everything we’ve been through, we’re still together, still fighting for each other. This. Her. Us. Nothing else matters.
“So, you’re not going to let it run our lives?”
“No, baby. I don’t know if I’ll ever not believe in it or worry about it. I’m positive I always will. But I can’t do this to us anymore. You deserve better from me. My children deserve better from me. A curse only has power if I allow it to.”
She smirks. “I think I said something like that once.”
I grin like a fool totally obsessed with his girl. “You might have. You might have also been right.”
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that? I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”
I roll my eyes at her sarcasm. “You were right. I was wrong.”
“Ah, music to my ears.”
How she’s making jokes right now is beyond me, but I suppose that’s Bellamy. She’s always been right.
Rowan slides into the driver’s seat, his head turning over his shoulder. “All made up or am I interrupting?”
I snicker. “You’ll have to ask my wife that. I have a feeling I have more than a few sweet words of love to get me out of this doghouse.”
“True. He’s not wrong.”
I kiss her nose and hold her close. “But do you think…” I trail off, not feeling as though I deserve her forgiveness.
She stares up into my eyes. “All made up. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to prove yourself to me. And I think I deserve at least five orgasms later.”
Rowan chokes on his breath and I smile down at my perfect wife.
“Whatever Her Majesty wants, Her Majesty gets.”
I lean and kiss her, holding her face in my hands until she’s breathless. Until I know she’s mine once more. Until I feel herpulse quicken and I know she’s safe here with me. My hand cups our babies and I breathe out the heaviest sigh a man can.
My heart is in my hands, and I very nearly lost it.
We leave Javier here to manage the police and royal guard. And as the car pulls away from the ruins, leaving Charlotte and the nightmare she brought with her behind, I know that nothing will ever break us apart. Not again. Not ever.
34
BELLAMY
Ican hardly believe I’m still alive. My heart starts pounding in my chest as the doctor Sebastian called from the car, finishes examining me. The twins are doing well despite the ordeal we just went through. Sebastian thanks him, and then his strong arms carry me upstairs.
I was fine in the car. I was fine during the exam. I mean, I wasn’tfine. But I felt more like myself. But something about walking toward the stairs and up to our room changes all that. My body trembles uncontrollably, images of Charlotte aiming that gun at me flashing in my mind like a horror movie on repeat. The woman who cared for us, who we had trusted, is now etched in my memory as a monster.
“Sebastian,” I whisper, my voice barely audible as I cling to him, my voice tremulous and I hate that. “Where are the children?”
Because I don’t want them to see me like this. I need to get my shit together, and right now, it’s definitely not. I mean, how much trauma can a person survive in a four-month period without going off the rails just a bit?
“They’re out with Emily and Althea. Don’t worry. We’ll get you cleaned up before you see them.”
