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“Yes, take the flowers first.”
The look on Silas’s face as he hands his mom the roses makes all of Eleanor’s training to keep him from ruining the petals worth it.
Brooklyn smells them and thanks him. “And now?”
“Take the card from Popcorn.”
She does, and I know what it says:Be mine forever.
She looks at me again, and her laughter fades. In its place is pure emotion. “The next one is Soraya’s gift, I assume?”
I nod, and she walks to our daughter.
When the little girl hands her the ring box, Brooklyn kisses her blonde head, then comes back to me instead of opening it. “Do it. Give me the full fairy tale.”
I don’t hesitate. I take the box from her hand and kneel. “I love my job. Saving lives,” I begin.
“Playing ‘God’?”
“Yes, but today, I couldn’t be more grateful to my father, who encouraged me to follow in his footsteps, because it gave me the chance to bring you back from the coma. To make you mine. Brooklyn Foster, I’ll never be able to express how much I love you, so I’d rather show it through my actions. I’ll take care of you and allow myself to be cared for. I’ll love you and our children. I’ll stand by your side every day, even on the days you want to fight. I love you, and that love will last beyond my days on Earth. Marry me.”
She steps closer and wraps her arms around my neck, my face resting against her abdomen.
The kids join us too, and we share a group hug as Popcorn tries to squeeze in the middle.
“I love you, Athanasios. I want to be your wife. There’s nothing I want more.”
After slipping the ring onto her finger and talking to the twins, I stand and lift her into my arms. Only then do I realize that our entire family, along with L.J. and William, had been waiting outside.
“Congratulations!” Madison shouts, running to her sister. “Yay, I get to wear a fancy dress! This will be great motivation to lose the baby weight.”
“I need to talk to you,” my fiancée says, pulling me by the hand.
I let her lead me, curious about what it could be.
Almost at the same moment, my phone vibrates with a message from Odin.
The rat has been caught in the trap.
I feel my blood turn cold.
“One moment,” I tell Brooklyn. I step away and send Odin a reply.
Does this mean we can finally bring her to justice?
We both know I’m talking about Shelley Edward.
It means your family will be safe forever.
“Athanasios?” my wife calls out.
I look from the phone in my hands to her, completely torn.
I’m not naïve. I understand the subtext of that message. I’m someone who saves lives, not someone who takes them.
“You’re scaring me,” she says, and the smile that was on her face just moments ago fades.
“What did you want to talk about?” I ask.