"You could have told me. I could have acted just as well. I'm really good at it. I've been doing it for months!"
"It wasn't about your acting skills," I say softly. "It was about risk. If anyone suspected?—"
"I'm not a child!" Her voice whips at me. "I've been making sacrifices for this family. I agreed to marry that monster, I was ready to kill him myself if needed, and still, no one trusted me enough to?—"
I catch her wrist, gently pulling her to a stop. “Don’t tell me you were going to kill him. Tell me that you’re happy that you’re safe and free.”
“No.” She looks up at me defiantly. I want to smile because I love it, but I don’t, because she won’t like it.
"Your reaction had to be genuine,” I finally say. “And it was. I brokeinside and at the same time, it filled me with joy to know you love me so much. You do love me, don’t you?”
“Don’t turn this around, Cristian.”
“If you hate me now, it’s still worth it.”
Something shifts in her expression. She’s still pissed, but understanding begins to temper it. She looks toward the door where her brother sits on the other side.
"Did they all know?”
I nod. "When Alessandro saw the way out, he called Luca, and the three of them worked to make sure only Maksim and Alessandro would be armed.”
“I was armed.” She smirks like she’s proud of herself.
“Were you now?” I love her fierceness even as it terrifies me to think she was going to try and kill Maksim.
“I’m a Dante.”
“Yes, you are.” I wonder how she’d feel about being a Bonetti? “The point is, there was a plan and it mostly worked. I think Luca had to put the fear of God in a few men, and I wouldn’t say there won’t be a war, but Alessandro is in a stronger position today than he was yesterday.”
Her breathing slows as realization settles over her. "And now we're free?"
"Yes," I pull her closer, resting my forehead against hers. "We can start fresh. You, me, and the baby."
The last of her anger melts away and she gives herself over to my arms again. She presses her lips to mine, the kiss soft and searching at first, then deepening with a hunger that matches my own. My hands slide down her back, pulling her flush against me, needing to feel every inch of her alive, safe, and mine.
"Hey, lovebirds!" Luca's voice cuts through the cabin. "No sex on my plane.”
“How’d he know?” Valentina breaks away, a surprised laugh bubbling from her throat. The sound is the sweetest music after everything we've been through.
"Must be a protective older brother thing.”
“I don’t need protection from you,” she says.
I guide her toward the bed, both of us exhausted from the day's events. She kicks off her shoes and lies down.
We settle onto the bed, my chest against her back, arm draped protectively over her waist. My hand finds its way to her stomach, resting where our child grows. The thought still staggers me. How has something so precious come from so much chaos?
"I thought I'd lost you," she says, her fingers intertwining with mine.
"Never." I press a kiss to her shoulder. "I told you I'd find a way for us."
Her breathing gradually evens out, the adrenaline of the day finally giving way to exhaustion. But I have so much to say. So much that I feel still needs to be settled before we land in Chicago.
"From now on, we don't need to sneak around anymore," I say against her ear. "No more climbing balconies. No more stolen moments in closets. No more looking over our shoulders."
She snuggles back against me.
"We can go to bed together every night," I continue. "And wake up together every morning. No more hiding."
