I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, well…”
Maksim takes her hand.
“Yes?”
“I have the other half, wife.”
“Oh.” Sabrina grins sheepishly.
“A few weeks ago you said something that struck me… and then I… I saw you in action. I saw the woman who became the dark of me… and completed a swift execution. You are the most incredible woman I know, Sabrina. I am so incredibly lucky that you are my wife,” he says while sliding his half of the ring onto her finger. It hooks perfectly. Together, both triangles are a marquee shape. The pink fades into the black diamond. “This ring is for you. To remind you, every day, that you are the light in the dark—”
I cup her face so she looks at me, “—and the dark in the light. But it doesn’t make you less than for accepting it, baby. It makes you even more powerful than you can fathom. No matter what you face, you will always make it out alive.” I pause, looking into her eyes. “Like this diamond, you’re unbreakable. And when you’re tired of being resilient, you have us.”
Maks nods. “You are my entire life, cara mia. You are all we will need. Ever.”
Sabrina erupts in tears, grabbing us both, kissing us, only pulling away to blow her nose. She tries to talk, but all she’s doing is hiccupping and sobbing for a while. We’re halfway across Brooklyn Bridge when she can finally talk.
“I’m really glad you think so, because all I want in this life is us. I know we’ll be able to handle anything life throws our waybecausewe have each other. I love you. I would cross a landfill full of explosives for you. But I would alsobeanything you need me to be so you can always feel how much I love you through it all. Just don’t ever fucking die on me or get kidnapped again.”
“I can’t make any promises,” Maksim grins, kissing Sabrina on the cheek.
“Reaper keeps throwing me back,” I joke, leaning in to do the same.
She shakes her head and sighs in defeat. “Can I at least get a service dog?”
Epilogue
Sabrina
March
“Muffin!” I'm running around the kitchen in my heels, listening to them click and clack over and over as I run behind Muffin, the gorgeous white poodle my husbands got me after our honeymoon in Tahiti, urging the large little troublemaker to move out of the kitchen where all the food I've made today is cooling. “You need to be out of the kitchen, love!”
“Baby!”
“Yes?”
Parker runs down the stairs and grabs Muffin, carrying her like a toddler with her paws around his neck. He pets her on the head and down her flank. It’s almost comedic how she yields to him so quickly. Meanwhile, myservice dogkeeps me on my toes. We are absolutely waiting to have children. “What do you need me to do?”
“Keep her out of the kitchen, please!”
He leans down to kiss me. “Anything else?”
I smooth down my apron. “No, I think I have everything ready. Oh, I cannot wait to meet Niko’s new wife.” I smile up at my gorgeous All-American. “I can’t believe he just went off and married her.”
“Can’t testify against your spouse in court,” he reminds me.
I nod. “Raven and the boys should be arriving soon.”
“Maks, Sasha, and Aleksi are on their way, too.”
“Perfect. I’ll start setting the table. Just… keep her out here for me for now, please. I almost tripped over her twice. It could have been disastrous.”
“You got it.”
I’m almost done setting everything in its place when I hear the front door open and shut, alerting me that Raven’s here. She’s the only one with the code. She waddles into the kitchen wearing the cutest little lavender sundress, looking oh, so very exhausted, but still so very beautiful. She takes a seat at one of the barstools by the little breakfast nook, taking Kronos’s leash off and petting his head when he sits beside her, placing his chin on her knee because it no longer fits on her thigh.
“Need… help?” she asks so quietly, her brown eyes sweeping from left to right, watching me move about.
