Epilogue
KIENNA
Five years. It’s hard to reconcile the woman standing in this kitchen with the one who was almost kidnapped by the Shadow Syndicate.
Now, the sounds that fill our home are vastly different: the rhythmic thump-thump of tiny feet, the soft, melodic hum of a lullaby, and the chaotic, beautiful noise of a family.
Three-year-old Lily is currently holding court in the living room, and Atlas, my lethal, formidable bodyguard…
is completely, utterly defeated. He’s kneeling on the rug, his massive frame dwarfed by her tiny presence, as he earnestly listens to her explain the complex social hierarchy of her stuffed animal collection.
It still catches me off guard, the way that fierce, protective glare he reserves for the world melts into pure, adoration whenever he looks at our daughter.
I shift, pressing a hand to my swollen belly.
The little one is due in six weeks, and I am officially done with being a human incubator.
I let out a heavy sigh, and before I can even finish it, Atlas is there.
He’s abandoned the stuffed animals, moving with that silent, predatory grace that never quite left him, and he’s kneeling in front of me.
He places a hand on my stomach, his touch reverent as he leans in to whisper to our son. "You hear that, buddy? You’re lucky you have such an amazing mom holding down the fort."
I run my fingers through his hair, smiling down at him. "I’m huge, Atlas. I feel like a house."
He looks up, and the intensity in his eyes makes my breath hitch.
It’s the same look he gave me the night he promised to be my anchor, only deeper, layered with five years of shared secrets and quiet triumphs.
"You’re not a house, Kienna. You’re glowing.
You look more beautiful to me every single day.
I could do this a dozen more times, easy. "
I laugh, a genuine, bubbling sound that feels like a weightless release. "A dozen? Let’s see how we handle two before you start trying to birth an entire baseball team, okay?"
He chuckles, a low, rumbling sound that vibrates through me, and pulls me down into a kiss that is slow, scorching, and full of promises. It’s a kiss that tastes like the last five years—the terrifying lows, the miraculous highs, and the unwavering safety we built in the center of it all.
As we pull back and settle into a familiar, comfortable snuggle on the sofa, I look past the toys scattered on the floor around the future.
The past isn't a shadow anymore, it’s just the path that brought me here, to this man, to this life.
I rest my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes, knowing that no matter what the next five years bring, I am exactly where I was always meant to be.
* * *
THE END