My heart is still racing. My mind is still spinning.
Standing on my tiptoes, I take his face in my hands, and I pull his lips onto mine.
We are both still alive, and that isallthat matters.
Epilogue - Adrian
The skyline of Paris glitters beneath as the plane passes over.
She has her face glued against the window, talking excitedly.
“I can’t believe we’re actually here! I can’t believe I’m going to have dinner in Paris!” she squeals happily.
I laugh, enjoying her enthusiasm.
She has a way of bringing life and color into everything. She makes things shine. Even when they are small and insignificant. In fact, the small, insignificant moments become the most precious moments when I am with her.
I reach out and pull her onto my lap. She giggles and grins at me, her cheeks glowing pink.
“How long until we land?” she asks, raising her eyebrows.
“We’ll be setting our feet on solid ground within half an hour,” I tell her, stroking my hand down her back.
These past few months have been the most amazing months of my life.
In fact, every morning that I wake up with the most beautiful girl in the world at my side makes me happier than I was before. Every time I think I can’t possibly fall more deeply in love with her, she does something so thoughtful and caring that I slip another notch into the realm of hopeless adoration and obsession.
In the beginning, the first few weeks after the second attack on the warehouse, things weren’t perfect. We had each other, and that was amazing. But she was struggling with a lot.It took time for her to process and grieve the loss of her father. It took time for her to openly talk about the shock of taking the lives of two men at the warehouse. For that, though, she made it clear that she hasnoregrets. It was still something that haunted, though. She had nightmares that left her crying and drenched in sweat, and I would lie awake in the dark holding her tight against me until she was able to sleep peacefully.
We worked through things together.
That was what mattered the most. Out of everything we went through, the important thing was that it brought us closer because we were open about it. We spoke about it.
Athena has no idea that my entire family is meeting us in Paris. She has no idea that my sisters have been hard at work planning a ceremony. A real wedding. She has no idea I have a ring in my pocket and that as soon as we land, we are getting whisked away to our own celebration.
Yes, we will have dinner in Paris. We willhoneymoonin Paris. and Rome and Italy, and on some tropical island, when I take her wherever she wants to go over the next few months. I’ve taken time away from work, and the next few months are for us.
I wanted to do this with her earlier, but I had to settle things with regards to the rivals. Rodion and Rat had a third brother. Of course, he was plotting to come after us in search of revenge. We had to hunt him down and give him one chance to change his mind about that choice.
Now he’s in hiding.
And Athena is safe.
Athena is beside herself with excitement when the plane lands. She springs out of her seat, ready to burst out into the Paris air before I’ve even unclipped my seatbelt.
“Wait for me,” I tease.
“Well, hurry up!” She jumps up and down.
The door opens, and she skips down the steps to disembark. When she gets to the bottom, she stares in disbelief.
“Anka?” she blurts out. “Sofie? Raya? What are you doing here?” she asks, turning to look at me in confusion.
Anka grins but speaks to me instead of Athena. “The limo is over there waiting for you. We’ll see you in a little while,” she says.
She takes Athena’s arm and explains as they’re walking away from me.
“Your dress in the car. We’re going to do a quick hair and makeup thing on the way there.”
