“Luke, we’ve been a couple of fools,” she said. “I know we can make it work between us. If we both give a little, I think we could be very happy together forever.”
He grabbed her hand, stood and pulled her up and into his arms. “Are you trying to tell me you love me?” he asked, his hope shimmering in his eyes.
“Oh Luke, I am wildly, madly in love with you.” She barely got the words out before his mouth took hers in a long, slow kiss that spoke of a happy future together.
When the kiss ended, she remained in his arms, reluctant to move away. He gazed deeply into her eyes. “There was a time I didn’t think I could live with you, but now I know I can’t live without you,” he said.
Her heart swelled with her love for this man who had been her bodyguard, her friend and her lover. “I will do what I can to adhere to your schedules,” she said.
“And I will dance in the rain with you and be ready for your spontaneity any time of the day or night,” he replied. His gaze grew more serious. “I also intend to work hard to solve your mother’s murder. I promise you, Dominique. I won’t stop until we get justice for her.”
She placed a hand on his lower jaw. “I know that. Somehow, I wonder if it was her magic that brought us together. I mean, without me believing Pierre was guilty and running with my scheme to bring him down, you and I probably wouldn’t have ever spent any time together.”
“Thank God for Mystique’s magic,” he replied, his gaze once again soft and loving on her.
She ran a finger over his lower lip. “Want to see what kind of magic we could make in my bedroom?” she asked, wanting nothing more than to truly make love with the man of her heart.
“There’s that spontaneity in you again,” he said teasingly. “I’ll definitely roll with this one.” He took her hand and pulled her toward her bedroom.
There would be things they’d need to figure out later, like where they were going to live and other logistics, but for now, that was the last thing on her mind, as she knew they’d conquer anything as long as they were together.
Epilogue
Monique sat on her small deck and watched the sunrise awaken the swamp. She sipped her cup of coffee as brilliant rays of gold and pink and orange lit up the eastern sky.
The colors reflected on the water as morning birds began to sing from the trees. Nocturnal creatures would be going to bed while others would be waking up for another day.
She should be at complete peace in this moment of solitude. Dominique had been rescued safe and sound and that’s what she had prayed for.
However, she wasn’t at peace. It had been three months now since her mother had been viciously murdered and there was no suspect in sight.
She loved her work at All That Jazz and she loved her life in her quiet, peaceful shanty. But she desperately needed closure in her mother’s murder. She needed justice to be done in order to make her feel whole.
Right now, there were ragged holes in her heart and she knew they wouldn’t heal until her mother’s murderer was arrested and put behind bars.
Angelique had tried to solve the crime by questioning potential suspects. Dominique, certain that Pierre was guilty, had put herself at risk by shadowing the gator-hunter.
Maybe it was time Monique formulated a plan to find the person who had killed her mother by slashing her throat. Obviously, the police had no clues to follow.
She took the last drink of her coffee. The sun was up and a plan had begun to brew in her head. It would be dangerous, but something had to be done and maybe it was up to her to help the police.
All she knew for sure was the anxiety that fluttered through her most of the time and the missing piece of her heart was due to the fact that nobody had been arrested for the crime.
The only way to fix both those things was for her to do what she could to finally solve the case once and for all. She got up from her chair, set her cup to the side and started up her generator.
Nervous energy filled her, along with a simmering sense of anticipation. It was time for her to begin her day, but tonight when she got off of work, she would set her plan into motion.
