Epilogue
Another six months later…
Quinn
I brush my hair back from my face, leaving a smudge of paste on my cheek. Wallpapering is more challenging than it looks, but I want to surprise Roman, and he could return anytime.
Carrie’s beachside home is now ours, and we haven’t changed much. Until today, I kept her bedroom untouched.
Now, it’s time to move forward. It’s the first anniversary of her death, and I know she wouldn’t want me to keep the room as a shrine, not when we need the space.
Roman is still bedding in his new role on the komissiya . He’ll never get used to the interminable meetings, but he’s doing what he must to ensure that mob society stabilizes after the Vercotti debacle.
With all the main players out of the picture, things are getting back to business as usual, but Roman decided to take a step back. Leon has been getting his hands dirty and running more of the day-to-day operations without as much oversight from his pakhan, and both men seem glad of it.
My beloved patisserie is my pride and joy. The New York Times led the charge in singing my praises, and we’ve been booked solid ever since. The training school has gone from strength to strength, too.
Hungry Hearts took receipt of a check for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars last week. They’ll use the money to set up a new, safe shelter for families, with more in the pipeline.
It’s been crazy hard work, but I had to get everything to a good place while I could.
Once I tell Roman the good news, things will change fast. My sweet, loving husband is the same unhinged, crazy, protective man he always was, and I can’t expect him to change his nature. I hope he isn’t too angry with me for not telling him sooner.
I hear his car engine outside and almost topple off the stepladder. I get to the door as he opens it, and I laugh to see his legs emerging from beneath a gigantic bunch of pink roses.
“ Moya zhena .” His face appears from behind the bouquet, and he kisses me. “There are for you.”
“I should hope so,” I say, smiling as he puts the flowers on the hallway table. “Did you swing by and check on Katrina?”
“Sure. The place was as busy as ever, but she was fine. I reckon she could make your recipes blindfolded.” He looks me up and down. “What have you been up to? You’re beautiful but a hot mess.”
“Yeah, about that.” I head for Carrie’s room, and he follows me inside. “I thought it was time.”
Roman looks around, his brows knitting together. The bed and chifforobe are gone. The walls were a daffodil shade, but my roller rendered them a warm cream, and one wall is almost covered with my choice of paper: a sweet moon-and-stars design picked out on a tranquil dark blue background.
“I should have told you sooner,” I say, anxiously watching his face. “I had to get everything running smoothly at work. And you know how it is at first; I was nervous to say anything in case something went wrong. But I had a scan today and?—”
Realization lights up his features, and he’s upon me, his hands at my waist. He picks me up like I’m weightless and spins me around.
“Quinn!” He gets a hold of himself and sets me on my feet. “Fuck, sorry. I have to be more careful. Oh, man. That’s amazing. Wait. You have to be more careful—Jesus, were you on that step stool?”
His eyes meet mine, and he grabs my face, showering it in kisses. “You knew I’d lose my shit, so you didn’t tell me? Goddammit. How long?”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “Twelve weeks. Please don’t be too angry.”
“Angry?” He places a warm palm over my stomach. “I’m not, rusalka , I promise. I’m beside myself. This is the best.”
He presses his lips to my forehead. “I know we’ve been over this before, but I’ll repeat it. Do not turn off your location for any reason. I have to keep an eye on you, now more than ever. Got it?”
I nod. “I know. But you gotta promise me: no cameras in the house except for the baby monitor!”
He rolls his eyes. “Can I stalk you sometimes ? Like, for my birthday or something?”
“I guess.” I nestle into his chest. “You’re a red flag, Roman. You know that, right?”
“Yep.” He chuckles, the sound rumbling beneath my ear. “But I’m your red flag. And the man of your dreams.”
The sun is setting in a clear sky, much as it did on the night a year ago when Carrie left this world. We stand barefoot in the surf, a paper lantern in each of our hands.
“Ready?” Roman asks.
I smile at him. “Of course.”
We send the glowing lights into the sky. A breeze catches them, and they weave and dance as they ascend, drifting far over the sea and out toward the bronze shimmer of the horizon.
A lantern each for Mom and Dad, one for Roman’s Mama, and, of course, one for Carrie.
As per her wishes, we scattered her ashes right here on the shore she loved so much. Roman extended the land rights and bought the piece of beach in front of the property, making it part of our home. It’s a sacred space to us.
Roman sighs. “I like visiting Mama’s grave and your parents’, too, but this feels right. Like setting them free.”
I sit on the sand, and he joins me, drawing me into his embrace. The lanterns grow smaller with every passing moment until they are pinpricks of brightness, indistinguishable from the emerging stars.
“I’m not scared anymore,” I say. “I used to live an ordinary life, and I feared everything. Now I’m with you, and the last year has been crazy, yet I’ve known more peace than I could have imagined.” The wind picks up, tangling my hair, and I sweep it back from my face. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does.” He traces my lower lip with his fingertip. “That’s what love means. You had me spellbound from the start, and I accepted my fate, knowing loving you would save me or kill me. And it was close for a minute there.”
His mouth brushes mine. “I would have died for you then, and I still would. Anytime, without hesitation.”
“I’d prefer it if you stayed alive,” I say, raking my fingers through his hair as I pull him closer. “You know. If you don’t mind.”
We went through hell and returned scarred but unbowed. I refused to be that beat-down, lonely girl he met in a bakery one night; he overcame his fear and dared to let his heart lead the way. All we needed was each other.
Roman pushes me onto my back, his hands moving over my body. As our kiss deepens, he looks into my eyes, and I see something I’ve never seen before.
The storm that always raged there has settled into a cool, calm gray, like a gentle ocean on a cloudy day.
“I love you,” I murmur.
“I love you too, rusalka .”
THE END