60. Maverick
EPILOGUE
Six months later
The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the terrace where Liam and I stood, manning the grill. The charred scent of searing meat filled the air, mingling with the laughter that spilled from inside the penthouse. It was one of those rare, quiet moments when life felt almost normal—deceptively peaceful.
“Medium rare, right?” I asked, flipping a steak. “Can’t have you poisoning your pregnant wife with overcooked beef.”
Liam chuckled, the sound rough around the edges just like his demeanor. “She’d probably gut me before the food did,” he joked, but there was a softness in his eyes now whenever he glanced toward the living room, where Callie and Sophie were sitting on the couch with Sophie’s hand on Callie’s baby bump. Wednesday nudged her head between them, and they both pet her in response.
Wednesday was a bit of an attention whore that way.
Shifting the conversation to what had been an ever-present unspoken tension between us, I said, “I know we’ve had our differences, man. But I want you to know—I respect you. You’ve been good to Sophie despite her veering down a different path than you and Callie. It means more to her than either of you will ever know.”
It felt odd, offering an olive branch after months of distrust, but the impending arrival of their child changed things. Made the old grudges seem petty.
He met my gaze squarely, the lines of past conflicts etching his face. “And I respect you, Maverick. Hell, I didn’t always understand your methods, or your… relationship with Sophie, but I can’t argue with where you two ended up. You’re doing some real good, cleaning up those messes. Even if it’s the furthest thing from lawful, I’m not going to balk at people trying to save the women and children.”
“Yeah. Thanks,” I replied, feeling a weight lift off my chest. We clinked beer bottles in a silent toast just as Callie’s joyful squeal pierced the air. She had discovered the tiny pair of leather boots we’d bought for the baby—Sophie’s idea of a joke gift.
“Those are ridiculous,” Callie laughed, emerging onto the patio with the boots daintily held between her fingers. “But I love them. This kid’s going to be as badass as its auntie and uncle.”
“Or as stubborn and hardheaded as its parents,” Sophie quipped, following behind her with Wednesday in her arms, the setting sun accentuating the scars and tattoos that marked her journey—her skin as much a tapestry as mine. She’d changed into a black summer dress that revealed her arms and shoulders.
“Hey, it takes one to know one,” Callie fired back, her eyes alight with mirth.
“Touché,” Sophie conceded with a grin, then turned to me, her gaze softening. “How are our boys doing? No casualties at the grill, I hope?”
“Still got all our fingers and toes, babe,” I assured her, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close.
“Good,” she murmured, leaning into me. “We’ve got more important things to focus on than losing digits to a barbecue.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, thinking of the operations we still needed to dismantle, the lives hanging in the balance. Despite the laughter surrounding us, the weight of our purpose lingered, a constant reminder that our work was far from over.
“Hey, look at this,” Sophie said suddenly, pointing to the horizon where the first stars began to twinkle in the dusk. “A perfect night.” It was like she knew I needed the distraction.
“Perfect,” I echoed, then looked down at her. “I love you. You know that, right?”
As I held my wife, petting our spoiled cat, with our friends close by and the promise of new life on the horizon, I knew with certainty that I’d choose this life, this love, time and again. It had been six months since Sophie and I decided to tether our lives together, a marriage that saved us both. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.
“With every fiber of my being,” she whispered, her eyes still on the sky. “I love you.”
Wednesday jumped out of her arms to bolt back inside, and Sophie and I laughed at her usual crazy self.
And if you were wondering if she held out on that month-long sex ban… yes, she did. Because Sophie was as ruthless as I was and always made good on her word. But we suffered together, just as we’d promised in our vows. When I took her again, I made sure she remembered who owned every inch of her—heart, body, soul. And I dared her to ever deny me again.
“Let’s eat,” Liam called out, breaking us from our quiet moment. We all converged around the table, a family forged in fire, bound together by love as relentless as the night sky above us.
I stole a final glance at Sophie and slid my hand into hers. No matter what challenges lay ahead, as long as I had her by my side, I could face anything. She wasn’t just my partner—she was the only thing that had ever been real .
The woman I’d once stalked to ensure she wasn’t a threat to my empire became the most dangerous thing in my world. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
She was mine .
And I was fucking hers.