Epilogue
STEVIE
The first thing I notice is the silence.
Not the eerie kind I usually prefer. The kind that lingers between the weathered headstones or beneath cathedral ceilings—but a peaceful kind.
The kind that settled over Thompson Manor after what felt like forever of chaos, gunfire, lies, and pretending. Now the house simply…breathes.
I smile as I walk barefoot across the hardwood floor, one of Sebastian’s oversized black sweatshirts hanging nearly to my knees. Evening sunlight spills through the enormous windows, washing the hallway in gold.
Behind me, Sebastian remains asleep. And even though I consider waking him, I decide to enjoy the rare opportunity of seeing him lose a battle against exhaustion. He looks unfairly handsome even unconscious, and it’s irritating. Very irritating.
Then I laugh to myself and quietly slip down the hall of the West Wing.
The smell of coffee greets me before I reach the kitchen. Ben looks up from the stove and smiles. “I was wondering when one of you would appear.”
“One of us?”
“I assumed Sebastian wouldn’t let you out of his sight long enough to eat anything.”
I accept the mug he offers with hot coffee. “He snores.”
Ben raises an eyebrow. “He absolutely does not.”
“You sound very confident for someone who doesn’t sleep in the same room.”
Ben chuckles. “I’ve known him since he was a kid.”
“So, you’ve heard him snore?”
“No.”
I grin. “I have.”
A familiar voice echoes from behind an open laptop spread across the island. “You’re lying.” River folds the paper down just enough to reveal an unimpressed expression. “He doesn’t snore.”
“You’ve shared a room with him?”
River immediately regrets speaking. “Unfortunately.”
Lux wanders into the kitchen, still tying her hair into a messy ponytail. “I heard the words ‘shared a room,’ and now I have questions.”
River sighs. “I walked right into that.”
Christian follows a moment later, looking like he’d slept somewhere between Nightrose Hall and his government office. His tie is crooked, and his eyes carry permanent exhaustion.
I slide a cup of coffee toward him. “You look terrible.”
“I choose to believe that’s your way of saying good evening.”
I nod. “It is.”
He accepts the coffee with genuine appreciation. “I’ll take it.”
Ben places a set of plates onto the island. “Evening breakfast is served for my nocturnal friends who sleep all day and are up all night.”
Everyone gathers around as naturally as if we’ve been doing it for years. A few months ago that would’ve seemed impossible, but now it simply feels like family. We eat together and chat casually for some time. The feeling of warmth and familiarity washes over me.
Sebastian finally appears. His dark hair is thoroughly uncooperative, and he wears a black T-shirt that looks suspiciously like he’d thrown it on while still half asleep.
His eyes immediately find me, and it causes warmth to pool in my stomach. Without saying a word, he walks behind me, wrapping one arm around my waist, and kisses the top of my head.
River dramatically sets his fork down. “Oh, good.”
“What?” Sebastian asks.
“The daily reminder that you two are disgustingly in love.”
Sebastian doesn’t even look at him. “Correct.”
Lux laughs. “I liked him better when he was emotionally unavailable.”
“So did I,” River mutters.
I lean back against Sebastian and turn toward my sister and River. “You all seem unusually invested in our relationship, for it hasn’t been too long since you and River were giving us a full show of your public displays of affection.
“We’re invested in our ability to eat breakfast without witnessing romance,” River answers.
Sebastian steals a piece of food from River’s plate. “You’re one to talk.”
“I thought you didn’t like to share food,” River bites back.
Sebastian chews dramatically. “I don’t like to share my food, but I have no problem stealing yours.” Then he turns to me. “We should go pack.”
“Here are some snacks for the flight.”
What?
I blink. “Packing? A flight?”
Sebastian smiles and leans in to kiss my temple. “I told you.”
“You tell me lots of things,” I play.
“We leave in three hours.”
My eyes go wide. “Today?”
“Today.”
I glance between everyone. “No one thought to remind me?”
Lux shrugs. “We wanted to see your face.”
“You all conspired against me.”
River nods. “It was one of our healthier family activities.”
Lux grabs my arm. “Are you excited for Scotland?”
Sebastian is taking me to Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery. I still can’t believe it’s true we’re actually going to the famous graveyard.
My heart flutters with excitement from how sweet Sebastian’s thought was about taking me there. After the horrible events of the last couple of weeks, this trip means much more now. “I can’t believe I forgot!”
“I went to the French countryside, and you decided to visit one of the most famous and well-known cemeteries in the world…” She trails off, smiling sweetly. “And I’d expect nothing different from you. My gothic little princess.”
“Ahh.” I pull her close, appreciating the moment between us.
Sebastian slides his arm around my hip. “We should probably go pack.”
I nod. “Yeah, we should.”
“Do you need help?” Lux asks eagerly.
“No, but you guys will come out to see us off, right?” I ask.
“Of course!”
Less than an hour later, I stand in front of an empty suitcase in Sebastian’s bedroom. “What…” I look up. “Is this?”
Sebastian packs his clothes.
“Our luggage.”
“No.”
I hold up a thick hardcover book. “Historic Cemeteries of Edinburgh.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Another. “The Forgotten Dead of Scotland.”
“That’s right.”
Another. “Greyfriars Kirkyard Walking Guide.”
He smiles proudly. “I highlighted sections.”
“You highlighted them?”
“I color-coded them, too.”
I’m completely taken aback. Sebastian researched graveyards? I thought he only knew about Greyfriars.
“You researched graveyards.”
A full-belly laugh bubbles up, forcing me to fall to the side of the bed. I’m in disbelief. Sebastian went from going with the flow when it came to planning to color-coding guides? “You color-coded a cemetery.”
“I laminated the itinerary,” he adds with confidence.
My laughter becomes impossible to stop.
He looks offended. “What?”
“You’re serious.”
“I wanted to be prepared.”
I wipe tears from my eyes. “You beautiful psychopath.”
“I prefer thoughtful.”
“You laminated it.”
“It rains in Scotland. Like it does here,” he says. “That seems like common sense?”
I giggle to myself, thinking how I got so lucky to find someone like him.
“Well, I’m dating a mortician.”
“So?”
“I’ve accepted many things,” he playfully quips. “So, you should appreciate my organization.”
I pull him into me by the strings hanging from his black hoodie. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He places a soft kiss on my forehead. “And I promise to haunt you every single day.”
“If you die first?” I say. “But you promised to take me with you.”
“I’d rearrange your books,” he says.
My mouth drops. “You wouldn’t.”
“I’ll hide one.” The back of his knuckles runs across my cheek.
“Monster,” I whisper. “Well, I’d rotate every painting in the house exactly three degrees.”
“Stevie…”
“I’ll move your phone charger.”
“I surrender.” His lips graze across mine, and the joking slowly disappears.
“No, really, though, I’d just take you with me.”
“I know,” I admit. “If I lost you, I’d lose my home, and I want to go wherever home is.”
For a long moment, neither one of us speaks. Then Sebastian reaches into the inside pocket of his passport.
“What are you doing?”
He carefully removes something pressed between two pages.
A white rose.
Dry now. Fragile, but perfectly preserved.
My breath catches. “You kept it from the night at the masquerade ball?”
He looks almost confused. “Of course I did.”
“I thought it would’ve fallen apart.”
“So?”
“So…” My voice wavers. “You carried it.”
“It’s meaningful.”
I can’t think of anything clever or sarcastic, so I simply crash my lips into his. Deep. With longing. Full of every conversation we no longer need to have.
When we finally separate, I rest my forehead against his. “You ruin me.”
“I’ve made you happy.” He gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“You have,” I say.
His fingertips glide along the outside of my arm. The tingles it brings span my body, and I immediately wonder if we have time before our flight for something more intimate.
Sebastian must read my mind because suddenly his broad arms come around my waist and he lifts me into the air.
I toss my head back in laughter.
He walks me into the closet and sets me down in front of the racks of my clothes. “Now, let’s get packed so we can leave.”
I hope we always stay this playful.