40. Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Anastasia
O ne year later.
"I've got to be the first girl in history to be engaged to her ex-professor before finishing school," I laugh, twirling the massive sparkler on my left hand. The diamond catches the warm glow of the Briar's living room, winking at me like it’s in on the joke.
Eden reaches for my hand, inspecting the ring with an approving smirk. Her daughter, Eve, sits at the coffee table, completely absorbed in coloring what I assume is a portrait of me.
I take a slow sip of wine, letting the rich taste linger as my gaze sweeps across the Briars’ home, equal parts elegant and secure, a sanctuary wrapped in wealth and quiet power.
Eden lifts her glass, taking a generous drink before grinning. “Noah really doesn’t hold back, does he?” she muses. “Liquidating your family's empire, forging a new path for Catalyst every day... it definitely has its perks.”
Through the glass doors leading to the backyard, Noah and Roman stand near the grill, deep in murmured conversation, their glasses of scotch reflecting the last streaks of sunlight. They stare at the sizzling meat like their combined focus might cook it faster.
"Done!" Eve announces suddenly, thrusting her drawing inches from my face.
I blink at it. It’s... creative to say the least—an exaggerated version of me, complete with what looks like a black scribble for my wrecked hair the night her father, Noah, and I finished an operation.
"Wow," I gasp, dramatically placing a hand over my heart. "This has to be a picture. There's no way it's just a drawing," I say, grinning.
Eve shakes her head, her brown curls bouncing with the movement. "Drew it. Right here." She taps the table for emphasis. "I made one of Uncle Noah too!"
She lifts another picture, somehow even worse than mine, and I nearly snort wine out of my nose.
"You should show him," I suggest, barely containing my amusement. I can already picture Noah’s reaction, the way he'll struggle to keep a straight face under Roman’s watchful glare.
Eve’s eyes light up. "Roger that!" She takes off toward the patio, her small hands gripping the masterpiece like a prized possession.
Eden chuckles, swirling the wine in her glass. "That was cruel. You know he won’t crack in front of Roman."
We watch as Eve tugs on Noah’s shirt. He glances down, then lifts her effortlessly into his arms. "What you got there, kiddo?"
Eve beams, holding up the drawing. "It's you! I did one of Aunt Ana too."
Noah’s expression flickers, his usual confidence slipping just for a second. He plasters on an uneasy grin. "What do you think?" Eve asks, tilting her head.
Roman takes a slow sip of his drink. "Yeah, Noah," he says, voice low and knowing. "What do you think?"
Noah's forced smile widens as he examines the masterpiece. "Looks exactly like me," he says with a theatrical nod. "You’re truly a master of your craft. I never would’ve thought to put my ear there ."
Eve giggles as Noah sets her down. She turns to Roman expectantly, and he already knows what to do. Scooping her up, he presses loud, exaggerated kisses to her cheek as she squeals in delight, clinging to him.
Noah watches them for a moment before glancing my way.
Eden lifts her glass to her lips, speaking just loud enough for me to hear. "He wants them, you know," she murmurs. "Noah, I mean."
Swirling my drink, I let out a slow sigh.
"Explain to me how I’m supposed to juggle undercover work for Catalyst, finish school, and raise a child?" I ask, raising a brow.
When Roman first approached me with the offer to go undercover, I laughed in his face. The fact that I’d buried bodies a year ago had apparently earned me his admiration, proof that I had the fight in me. So I changed my major from English to Criminal Justice. The idea of putting corrupt, filthy people behind bars called to me in a way I never expected.
Once I graduate, I’ll be working alongside Noah and Roman—something Noah is still trying to come to terms with.
"After you graduate, silly," Eden says with a knowing smile. "I’m telling you, kids change you. Roman never thought he wanted them, especially with Catalyst being what it is. But the moment he met Eve..." She trails off, eyes softening as she watches her husband and daughter. "Everything changed."
I follow her gaze. Noah kneels beside Eve as she chatters on, animated and full of life. Roman stands close, hands casually tucked in his pockets, yet his expression gives him away. He’d burn the world for that little girl.
A strange pull tugs at my chest. Maybe that’s a future I want…
Before the thought can fully form, the front door bursts open.
"I know you said to bring sides," Aiden, Eden’s brother, announces as he stumbles inside, balancing what looks like an elaborate dessert. "But Zoey went overboard."
Right on cue, Zoey bounces in behind him, arms overloaded with shopping bags. Her face practically glows as she grins at us.
"This baby is hungry for… well, everything," she laughs, rubbing her small but unmistakable baby bump.
"Ana!" Zoey beams, eyes lighting up the moment she spots me. "I’m so happy you’re here-"
"Aunt Zoey!" Eve shrieks, skidding across the hardwood floors. "I made something for you!"
Eden groans, pressing a hand to her forehead. "God, I gotta stop this. Zoey cannot hold her tongue now that she’s pregnant."
Roman and Noah join us inside, greeting Aiden and Zoey with effortless familiarity, the group slipping into easy conversation. Laughter hums through the house, warmth filling every corner of the room.
Then, just as I start to relax, I feel him.
Noah creeps up behind me, his hands ghosting over my waist before his lips brush the sensitive skin of my neck. His voice is low, meant only for me.
"Come with me for a minute," he murmurs, the heat in his tone making my pulse stutter. "You look too good in that dress."
Before I can respond, he’s already guiding me away, turning down a quiet hallway.
The moment the guest bathroom door closes behind us, his hands are on me in an instant.
Noah’s lips trail along my neck, the heat of his breath sending shivers down my spine. His hands slide under my dress, dragging the fabric higher, fingertips grazing my skin with deliberate, torturous slowness.
I pull him closer, pressing my lips to his, biting down gently on his lower lip. He groans, the sound vibrating through me, making my heart race.
His voice is a whisper against my skin. "What were you and Eden talking about, pretty girl?"
He kisses the spot on my neck that always makes my knees weak, his touch unraveling me piece by piece.
"Eve," I murmur, smiling. "Eden thinks you want one."
His lips still. He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, searching. His voice is quieter now, more serious.
"Would that be so crazy?"
I take him in, every piece of him, the man who once held his demons so tightly they nearly consumed him. The man who loves me with a fire that burns through every shadow I’ve ever known.
I shake my head slowly. "I have no idea how to be a mother-"
"Not now," Noah growls, his mouth skimming my jawline again. "But one day."
The thought lingers between us, unspoken possibilities crackling like electricity in the air.
"You, me, a little baby," he whispers. "Giving them the life I never had."
He holds me closer, and for the first time in a long time, I feel whole.
"And until then?" I whisper, a teasing smile on my lips.
Noah grins, his hands tightening around my waist. "Until then," he growls, "we can have plenty of practice."
Just as he pulls me in, a voice cuts through the moment like a blade.
"Echo, fucking slow down."
Roman’s voice drifts under the door, sharp and commanding.
Noah and I freeze.
Echo.
Our boss.
Silently, we fix our clothes, the haze between us instantly replaced with something heavier. Something darker.
Stepping back into the room, I instinctively reach for Noah’s hand, anchoring myself to him as I lean into his chest. All eyes are locked on Roman’s phone, the speaker filling the space with a sound I’ve never heard from Echo before.
Fear.
"R-Roman," Echo stammers, his usually smooth, unshakable voice rough and panicked.
Roman straightens, his entire body going rigid.
"Echo-"
"I fucked up."
Silence.
A suffocating silence that stretches and coils, thick with the weight of whatever comes next.
No one was prepared for the words that followed.