Epilogue
The September sand was warm and grainy under Rosemary’s bare feet. Hot tears stung her eyes as the lilting strains of a string quartet playing “Lost in Your Eyes” floated through the air. Only her sister would choose to walk down the aisle to Debbie Gibson.
Sage looked stunning. Her tanned skin glowed against the bright white sheath of her dress.
Her maple-syrup brown hair hung nearly to her waist, with only a few strands pulled away from her face.
Ryker stood tall and darkly handsome in a sea-glass blue suit, watching her sister approach as if she were the most amazing person to have ever walked the earth.
Rosemary sniffed and pressed a finger under her eye in an attempt to protect her makeup.
Strong, calloused fingers slid a tissue into her hand, and she met Aleksei’s gaze.
He wasn’t watching Sage or Ryker. He wasn’t admiring the splendor of sunset on a Cape May beach or watching the dolphins frolicking off the coast in the white-capped waves.
He was looking at her. Looking at her with the same bright intensity she had just seen in Ryker’s gaze.
Looking at her with the same depth of emotion she’d seen in those storm-gray eyes the night they’d walked out of the Moresco warehouse, hand in hand.
They’d been grateful to be alive, grateful to have the past behind them and their future ahead of them, and grateful for each other.
Aleksei shifted closer to her side, pressing a warm palm against the small of her back. Minty spice filled her nostrils. Her bones melted. They’d been together for months, but the smell of him still intoxicated her. His touch still took her breath away.
His breath tickled her ear. “You look absolutely radiant.”
She didn’t always feel beautiful, but she did feel beautiful today.
She loved the Grecian-style bodice and flowing length of the maid of honor gown she and Sage had chosen together.
It made her feel like a goddess. She ran a hand down the long, silky, rose-pink scarf that covered her head.
She’d knotted the scarf at the side of her neck, creating the illusion of a long ponytail.
She’d debated wearing her wig, but late September had brought an 80-degree day, and she’d stopped choosing vanity over comfort the night she’d walked out of the Moresco warehouse completely bald in front of more than twenty men.
Her hair didn’t define her. Her cancer didn’t define her. The choices of her friends and family didn’t define her. Even her relationship with Aleksei didn’t define her. It had been a long road, but she’d finally come to understand that she defined herself.
She squeezed Aleksei’s hand and leaned her head into his suit jacket, breathing him in. He slid his palm from her back to her waist, pulling her even closer. Aleksei may not define her, but being with him brought her incredible joy. She felt like she was living a dream.
She loved sharing her Philadelphia rowhouse with him—the four of them, Aleksei, Thor, Jaka, and her, all cozily settled together.
They were building a life together. They traveled, hiked, camped, walked the dogs, went to museums, cafés, and bookstores, and explored Fairmount Park.
They played board games with Sage and Ryker and visited Aleksei’s mother and sister as often as they could.
He’d started working for a friend’s private security company, and she’d gotten another accounting job—one at a reputable firm with no secrets and no mafia connections.
They’d even set up a small remembrance table in a corner of the living room with pictures of her mom and dad, Aleksei’s father, Phillipe, and her coworkers who’d lost their lives.
It felt good to see those faces every day and reflect on the joy they’d brought to the world instead of focusing on the loss.
Life was meant to be lived fully and celebrated.
Firm lips brushed against her temple. “Your love saved me.”
She shook her head. “It was accepting love that saved us both.”
His eyes twinkled. “Maybe we can sneak back to the hotel and accept each other’s love between the ceremony and the reception.”
She gave him a sexy smile.
That sounded perfect.
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Thank you for reading!