Epilogue
Four years later
The moment I step onto the stage, I look out into the audience for her.
My wife. She’s there, standing and cheering, the loudest and proudest here.
Her excitement is contagious. I stop, not caring that people are waiting for me to continue the walk.
Wave, blow her a kiss, and wait for her to catch it.
It’s only then that I keep walking towards the dean and take my diploma.
When you think about it, four years of constant study and sleepless nights for this one little piece of paper… seem overrated. But I did it. And I’m fucking glad it’s over now.
I couldn’t have done it without her. Aurora has been my biggest cheerleader, my support when all I wanted to do was say fuck it and throw in the towel. It’s not like I need a fucking degree. I’m capable of making money without it, which I have been for the past four years.
As soon as I left the organization, my trust vanished, along with the kind of connections I was used to having. It was an adjustment for sure, but one I was happy to make. Because I was free. We were free.
About two years ago, Aurora went on a trip to London with her cousin—the Valentinos have this thing about not traveling alone. Although that rule never bothered Aurora when it was just the two of us. She said that’s because she feels safest when she’s with me.
When she returned from London, she handed me a piece of paper, DNA results from James Matthews. The son my father—or I guess the man I thought was my father—gave up for adoption. Aurora said she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the guy looked so much like me, and she had to find out why.
The truth was… that child my dad gave away was not his either.
My mother knew all along, because she birthed the kid.
I confronted my uncle again after finding out that I shared a mother and father with that Englishman.
He confessed that my mother had an affair with one of my father’s men.
He didn’t say which one, but I already had my suspicions.
When Aurora asked what I wanted to do about it, I told her nothing. Let the guy live out his life. I don’t need siblings. Besides, her brothers are annoying enough to deal with. They are always around.
The moment I’m off the stage, I’m supposed to go with the rest of the class. I don’t do that. Instead, I walk into the audience. When I reach Aurora, my arms wrap around her, lifting her feet off the ground before my lips slam onto hers.
“I’m so proud of you,” she says between kisses.
“I could not have done this without you,” I tell her. “I love you.”
“Pfft, you could have, but I love you too.” She kisses me again, until the sound of a throat clearing interrupts us. Her father has a way of ruining moments like this for us.
“Congratulations,” he says, holding out a hand to me.
Letting go of Aurora, I take his hand and then pull him into a hug. “Thank you,” I tell him.
He made this possible. I don’t think I will ever be able to repay him for what he did to get me out of the life I was destined for. I know he did it for his daughter, but I’m thankful all the same.
They’re all here, her entire family. When Aurora said she needed tickets for everyone, I thought she was kidding. She wasn’t. Her response was that the Valentinos support each other, and I was one of them now. They’re here for her, not me. But as long as she’s happy, then so am I.
Over the past four years, Aurora has done what she said she would do.
She’s been building up a business, designing and selling weapons.
Legally. Her designs are amazing, and every product launch sells out within minutes.
Now that I’m done with school, we are going to take her business global, on a much larger scale.
“Okay, you need to go and do whatever it is you need to do. We’re going to meet you back at the party,” Aurora tells me.
She has insisted I have every single college experience there was to do. Right down to frat parties. Which she escorted me to. After the first three, I looked at her and told her we were done. Let’s go home and never do this again. She was more than happy to go along with that.
“Thank you.” I lean in and kiss her again, because I will always take any opportunity to kiss my wife. “I love you.” I whisper against her lips.
“I love you,” she says. “Go and take your photos, Mr. Harvard Graduate.”
My nose scrunches up. “I prefer the title Mr. Aurora Valentino.”
Once we were legally married, I told Aurora to keep her name. I didn’t want her having one that wasn’t mine to give her. I might be stuck with the name O’Malley, but she doesn’t need to be.
“Fuck it, you’re coming with me.” I don’t want to let go of her.
I take hold of her hand and drag her along behind me. If I have to suffer through college photos and shit, so does she. That’s what marriages are for. We do everything together. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
She told me that I woke her up, that I was her real-life Prince Charming. I think she got it wrong, though, because it was Aurora who saved me from a bleak existence. I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m with her.