I try it out clumsily. “Zona?”
She nods, smile tugging wider.
“What does itactuallymean? That smirk is giving you away.”
She meets my gaze, steady. “What every good man calls hislove.”
I arch a brow. “Don’t leave me in suspense here.”
She leans into me, right against my ear and whispers, “Wife.”
Something in my chest goes hot and unsteady. I lean into her this time, something dark and sure coating my tongue as I tease the word right along that sensitive spot on her neck. The one I know drives her insane, her nails digging into meevery timemy mouth finds it.
“Zona.”
It makes her shiver, a tiny sound escaping her throat before she can catch it. I feel it through my skin, the vibration of it. My hand findsher neck, thumb tracing the line of her pulse, along the place where her necklace used to rest.
“When I bought you that charm,” I whisper, “the pomegranate one… I remember thinking the box looked a little like an engagement ring box. I didn’t hate the idea,not even then.Go ahead, call me fucking crazy.”
She looks up at me, that small, knowing smile on her face. I know she still has it, top drawer, same place she keeps everything that matters too much to touch. When she kisses me, it’s everything she’s been holding back, months of ache and distance and missing that cut both ways. It’s the kind of kiss that makes your chest hurt, like your body’s trying to remember how to breathe while you’re drowning in something you can’t stop.
“Kasia…” I manage, pulling back just enough to see her face. “What are you doing?”
She covers my mouth with her hand. Her eyes shine with a mix of tears and fire. “I’m tired of fuckingwaiting.I tried to keep everyone safe, happy. I did the right thing and I lostso much timewith you trying to protect everyone I love and Istill lost Piotr. I can’t keep doing this. I want you.I love you. I wantus.I want to live my life while I have it,with you.”
Her hand slides down, trembles against my jaw. “Touch me, Rafe. You told me to tell you what I need.I need you.”
Whatever’s left of my hesitance disintegrates. I kiss her, hard, desperate, like I’m trying to make up for every day we lost. The morning fades into afternoon, the light moving across her skin, the sheets, our bodies tangled in it. There’s no rush, no fear, just us finding each other again in the wreckage, hands, mouths, breath, forgiveness. When it’s still again, I pull her close. My fingers trace the curve of her shoulder,slow and aimless. Her head rests on my chest, heartbeat matching mine.
It feels like coming home. Like all the wrong turns, all the years before we found each other, all the mistakes, were just trying to bring usright back here.
Chapter 77
Zdrowie Niepijacych
The next morning we pull up outside Mama and Tata’s house, and my stomach is doing this strange, nervous thing it hasn’t done since I was a kid sneaking home after curfew. Rafe squeezes my hand once before I can reach for the door handle.
“You sure?” he asks.
“No,” I say, honestly. “But we’re doing it anyway.”
Inside, the house smells like onions and broth and a Sunday that never ends. Mama’s at the table peeling carrots, Tata's just holding the paper instead of actually reading it. Natalia’s sprawled across the couch with her phone, pretending not to listen before we’ve even said anything.
The second Rafe steps in, both of them straighten. Mama’s smile flickers, tight around the edges. “Kasia. You didn’t tell us you were bringing company.”
“Hi,” Rafe says, polite, small smile, shoulders slightly hunched like he’s stepping into a storm. “Mrs. Sawadzka. Mr. Sawadzki.”
Tata folds the paper methodically, one quarter at a time. “I thought the tour was in Asia.”
“It was,” Rafe says. “I came back.”
“For our Kasia?” Tata’s eyes narrow.
Rafe opens his mouth, but I cut in. “Yes.For me. For Piotr, because Ineed someoneright now.”
The words hang heavy. Mama’s hand stills on the carrot peeler. “Kasia, kochanie,” she says softly, warning in her tone. “You’ve been through enough. Maybe this isn’t the time for—”
“For love?” I say, harsher than I mean to. “Because that’s what this is. I know you’re scared. I know what you’ve seen, what happened.” I try to steady my words, to stop the tears that threaten to come. “We all lost Piotr. We lost him, even though I did everything right. I was being careful, doing what you asked.I can’t—” My voice cracks, full of too many thoughts, feelings. “I can’t lose Rafe too. Not while he’s still here. Not when I have a chance to love him while I can.”
