Epilogue Nika
Idig my toes into the sand. Gulls wheel overhead, trying to get at my snacks, the sneaky bastards.
I munch more crackers and ignore them, squinting down at the canvas I have stretched across a portable easel.
Oil paints are splattered across my pants as I dab some white to fill in the cresting waves.
My eyes hurt from painting in the sun for the last hour, but that beats doing actual work.
There’s a folio on the arm of my chair, speckled with reds and blues and mostly left ignored.
The ocean calms me. Keeps me grounded.
Eventually I take a break from painting to do some real work. I open up the folio and start skimming the dense legal language. I probably don’t need to read everything, but I spend most of my life drifting along, scribbling whatever I was told to scribble, and now I’m done with that.
I sign my name with a flourish, and for the first time in a long freaking time, I know exactly what I’m agreeing to and why I’m doing it.
Sometimes it pays to have a Dragon for a husband. Now I get to use all the high-powered lawyers I could possibly want, and they trip over themselves to give me exactly what I ask for.
Not that I abuse my power.
No, I’m super responsible, most of the time.
A shadow falls across my chair. I look over as Yelena drops into the empty seat beside me. She’s wrapped in a white shawl, a big sunhat covering her face, black sunglasses over her eyes. She stretches with a sigh and tips another folder toward me.
“Your requested documents.” She eyes the easel with a smile. “Lovely stuff today, Nikusha.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
“Pretty sure you have enough paperwork to rival the freaking Vatican at this point.”
I snort and wave that off. “You think the Catholics are writing stuff down? They got nothing on me.” I flip open the new folder, scan the first page, and nod in approval. “I appreciate this.”
“That’s my job, isn’t it?” She looks at me sideways. “Still doesn’t feel right working for my own daughter.”
I go very still. An odd lump fills my throat. I don’t acknowledge what she just said, but it pierces deep into me, my heart racing. Tears threaten and I have to turn away to wipe them off my face.
All my life, I’ve wondered about my family. I hated my father from afar, despised the men he sent to watch me, resented him for his control. I imagined myself living with my mother, pretended like all I needed was her love and then somehow, I’d be free from everything.
Except that was never real. It was a stupid, childish fantasy.
I had a mother this whole time.
It was Yelena. The woman who raised me, even though I wasn’t her kid, even though she never even wanted a child.
She raised me, treated me well, taught me and cared for me.
She loved me unconditionally and told me she was proud of me.
Without her, I would’ve crumbled a long time ago. She gave me strength when I needed it.
I reach out and take her hand. She smiles at me and squeezes my fingers.
“I love you,” I say softly. “Thanks for what you did.”
“Which part? No, I’m kidding. I love you too, Nikusha. Now stop blubbering, you’re going to smear the ink on your pretty little financial document.”
I laugh because that’s classic Aunt Yelena.
“Gabe told me I was nuts for doing this.” I scrawl my name on another page and flip to the next.
“Ah, what’s he know?”
“Some things. But not about this.” I glance back at the house. “How’s our Dragon doing?”
“Bored but happy to be bored because you’re here.”
“That man loves me.”
“Yes, he really does, God help you.”
I finish signing the new papers and hand the folder back to Yelena. “Make sure this gets taken care of, please, and don’t let them know it was me.”
“Of course not.” She glares at it. “I still can’t believe you’re doing it either. I mean, this woman, what did she do?”
“Nothing. That’s the point. She’s a victim too, you know?”
“Still.”
“My father ruined her. Yes, she abandoned me, and she probably doesn’t deserve it, but this money is the least I can do.”
“She’ll be looked after for life now.” Yelena rolls her eyes and clutches the folder to her chest. “Where’s my trust fund, eh?”
“You have a job.”
“Ah, working for my own girl. What a job!”
“You love it. Your boss is very lenient.”
“She’s also very lazy.” Yelena pushes herself to her feet. “Ah well. Keep up the painting, darling. You’re talented.”
I watch her head back inside. It’s strange, thinking about Aunt Yelena, how she’s the first person I truly chose to love instead of being forced to.
All those men in my life, nudging me here and there, while Yelena kept the worst of it at bay and let me be my own person as much as she could. I owe her a lot.
But my mother is still out there. I can’t pretend like she doesn’t exist. I’ve been writing letters to her and to my half-siblings, but I doubt I’ll send them. The money will be good enough. They’ll be taken care of for the rest of their lives.
I try to concentrate on the remaining documents, but it’s difficult. The sea’s gorgeous and the salty air smells just right. I manage to sign a few more pages before another shadow falls across my lap.
“Time for a break,” Gabriel says.
“Hell yes.” I drop the folio and hop to my feet, knocking a tube of paint into the sand. “I’ve been waiting for someone to give me an excuse.”
He grins broadly, deeply at ease, and it’s a look I love on him.
Shirtless, wearing light chambray shorts, sunglasses and messy hair.
His muscular chest is incredible, his skin sun-tanned and darkened, the scars and tattoos making him look terrifying, like the Dragon he is.
I kiss him and slip my fingers into his.
We walk along the beach together.
“This time next week, the foundation will be up and running.”
“You’re still sure about that? I don’t need it anymore, you know.”
“I know, but are you really going to pretend like more money is a bad thing?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Besides, I have some pet projects I’ll play around with.”
“Such as?”
“You’ll find out.” I pat his arm playfully.
We keep walking into the wind. I feel every step, because they’re all mine. Nobody’s telling me to go this way, to stay with this man, to give my life to his cause. Nobody except for me.
I’m rich enough to walk away and to start over.
I don’t want to.
“Have you spoken to my cousin recently?”
Gabe grunts, staring off at the water. “He’s not my biggest fan.”
“You two aren’t going to war though?”
“Dragons don’t fight. Mutually assured destruction.”
I tighten my grip on his hand. “But?”
He cuts me a glance. There’s a small smile on his lips. “But he’s a pain in the ass.”
“You thought he was going to be a little more grateful for his position.”
“At least amenable to working together. Unfortunately, not so much.”
“He’ll come around.”
“I’m not as optimistic.” He stops and pulls me against him, kissing me softly. “Tell you what though. Let’s make a bet.”
“Oh yeah?”
“If he reaches out about a joint venture in the next twenty-four months, you win.”
“Stakes?”
“I’m thinking ten million.”
“Chump change. Bet accepted.”
“You’re going to be a very poor woman when I’m done with you, Nika Russo.”
“Doubt that very much, Dragon.”
He smirks, buries my mouth with his, grabs my ass, and laughs when I twist sideways and slap his hand back.
“Too grabby,” I chide.
“Not nearly grabby enough.”
I dodge another attempt and gesture at the house. “Should we turn around?”
He checks over his shoulder, scowling at Daniel and several security members silently and respectfully tailing us. “Not yet. Let’s keep going.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” I slip my hand through his arm. “Now you may cop a feel.”