Epilogue
Zain ibn Mustafa Al Rahim would be the first to admit that he wasn’t a kind, compassionate man. He didn’t like being defied, he didn’t like his plans being thwarted, and he most definitely didn’t like chasing his wayward little brother all over the world.
So he didn’t feel particularly inclined to be kind and patient when his people finally located Gadiel in some nondescript little town in Canada. Gadiel and that damned bodyguard of his.
He should never have hired him. He’d known the man was too good-looking not to tempt his horny teenage brother. But in Zain’s defense, he’d thought that in the worst case scenario, they’d have a brief fling. In the best case scenario, Summers would have kept his hands—and his dick—to himself. Zain certainly hadn’t imagined that Gadiel would run off with his bodyguard weeks before his wedding to the daughter of the most powerful man in the country.
His jaw clenching in annoyance, Zain knocked sharply on the door of the little house in the woods. As he waited, he looked around. Even his foul mood didn’t stop him from noticing how breathtaking the mountainous scenery was.
There was the sound of footsteps that came to a halt on the other side of the door.
Zain glared at the peephole. “Open the damn door, Gadiel. I’m not leaving if you don’t. I know you are there.”
After a long, pregnant silence, the door unlocked.
Gadiel stood on the other side, his eyes wide and full of anxiety. “I’m not going, you aren’t taking me back. I refuse.”
Zain scoffed and, pushing past him, looked around. The house was as disgustingly charming inside as it looked from the outside. It was a far cry from the luxurious houses they both were used to, but it was... warm and comfortable. Lived in. It looked like a home.
“Where is he?” he said tersely.
“Who?” Gadiel said, throwing an anxious look over Zain’s shoulder at the door. So Summers must have been out.
“Don’t try my patience, Gadiel,” Zain said, staring his brother down. “Your bodyguard. Your lover. Unless you already got bored of him and found another toy.”
Gadiel scowled at him. “He isn’t a toy,” he snapped, straightening to his full height. “I won’t tolerate you talking about Will like that in our own home. If you are going to be an asshole, leave.”
Zain paused and gave him a longer look. In the months he hadn’t seen him, the boy had matured quite a bit. Physically, he’dnever looked better. There was a new air of confidence about him—confidence that the kid had lacked all his life.
“I hope you know how much you fucked up,” Zain said with a sigh. “Your future father-in-law would have been less than impressed if he found out that you ran off with a man just before the wedding. He would have killed you. Father, too. They would have if I didn’t step in and take your place as the groom.”
Gadiel’s mouth fell open. “What? You married her in my stead? For me?”
Zain’s irritation faded at the boy’s bewildered expression. “You’re my little brother,” he said tersely. “I know we didn’t always see eye to eye, but it’s my job to protect you. Think nothing of it.”
Gadiel stared at him for a while before stepping forward and hugging him.
Zain stiffened, but after a moment, he hugged him back. It had been months, and he had been worried about the kid.
“Thank you,” Gadiel said into his shoulder. “But you shouldn’t have given up your life—your chance of happiness—for my sake.”
“Such dramatics,” Zain said, pulling back. “I’ll divorce her once the dust settles. A wife doesn’t make a difference to me anyway.”
Gadiel gave him a long, penetrating look that was wise beyond his years. It made Zain feel uncomfortably transparent.
“What about Aiden?” Gadiel said.
Zain looked away. “What about him?”
Silence fell over the room.
“I’m sorry I made things harder for you,” Gadiel finally said. “But I’m not sorry for loving Will. I can never be sorry for that. I can’t imagine my life without him. Love is worth it, Zain.”
Zain pulled his phone out and checked the time. “Where’s Summers? I need to be going soon, but I wanted to catch him before I go.”
Gadiel sighed, shaking his head. “You and Will have a lot in common, you know. He used to be a bit like you. Scared of loving and getting too invested.”
Before Zain could dismiss his words as ridiculous, the door opened and Will entered the house.
He stiffened the moment he saw Zain, his hand twitching. Within a moment, he was physically between Zain and Gadiel, his expression wary.
“It’s okay, Will,” Gadiel said, taking his lover’s hand and leaning his cheek against Will’s shoulder. “Zain just came to visit us and tell us that we can stop hiding. He married her. To protect me.”
The tension around Will’s eyes eased. “Thank you,” he said, and for the first time since Zain had met this man, he could glimpse the man behind the guarded exterior. Will kissed Gadiel’s temple, the gesture so absentminded and effortlessly loving it made Zain feel uncomfortable, as if he was witnessing something intimate, something he wasn’t supposed to see.Gadiel smiled, practically melting into the touch, his eyes full of love and happiness as they flicked up to his lover. And Will looked back, his eyes soft and unguarded.
All the words—all the threats—Zain had intended to say died on his lips. There was no need for them. This man would care for, love, and protect his brother better than he ever had.
He turned and left the little house.
Outside, he breathed in the clean air with the smell of pine needles, the tension he had been carrying for months finally gone.
Mostly.
I can’t imagine my life without him. Love is worth it.
Maybe it was.
The End