Epilogue 2 – Ten Years Later
ELODIE
Sinking back into the plush leather chair of our private chartered jet, I sigh taking in the view of mountains outside the window. The hum of the engines is a comforting rhythm beneath my feet. The cabin is quiet, save for the soft whispers of the air outside, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I can breathe. The weight of the world, or at least the weight of our crazy, chaotic life, is momentarily lifted.
The silence is golden: No phones ringing. No kids screaming. No television. No oven timers.
We’re heading to New York City, a trip I know is filled with more meetings, more press, and more noise. But right now, at this moment, it’s just the two of us. Finally.
I glance at my husband, sitting across from me, his eyes focused on his laptop screen but with the faintest smile playing at the corners of his lips. His jaw is sharper, his hair peppered with gray, but he’s still the same man who made me laugh until I cried, who made my heart race with a single touch. He’s still my man.
I let out a dramatic sigh, shifting in my seat to make sure he notices. “I have to thank you,” I say, my voice light and teasing. “This is the first time in ages I’ll be kid-free for a couple of days, and people-free for a couple of hours. If the pilot could slow down the flight just a little, I’d be eternally grateful.”
He looks up from his screen, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “I’ll make sure to pass that along to him.” He leans back in his seat, his gaze locking with mine. “But you’re right. This is a rare moment for us. We deserve it.”
I smile, feeling that familiar warmth spread through me as I watch the way he looks at me, the way his love still shines through after all these years. There’s something so incredibly comforting about knowing the person you’re with loves you just as deeply as they did the first time you kissed. No matter what.
He closes his laptop and leans forward, his voice soft but sincere. “But seriously, you know this wouldn’t have happened without you. Your romance, your love, your soul—it’s what made my books the bestsellers they are. What made them more than just stories. You’re the heart of it all.”
I laugh, feeling my cheeks flush with both pride and amusement. “So much for being your temporary girlfriend for a night,” I joke, leaning back in my seat, still savoring the comfort of his words.
He grins, that signature glint in his eyes that has never wavered. “There’s nothing temporary about you or our love,” he says, and his voice is pure certainty, the kind that makes my heart skip. “You’re my forever.”
My breath catches at the weight of his words, the intensity of his gaze, and before I can respond, he’s there, right in front of me, his lips brushing against mine with a tenderness that’s full of everything we’ve shared over the years, passion, laughter, tears, and love. And when he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine, both of us breathing in the moment, the love that still burns between us, undiminished by time or distance.
“Forever,” I whisper, my fingers gently tracing the outline of his jaw, knowing without a doubt that he’s right. We’re in this, always. Together.