Page 57 of Gilded

The pilot announces our descent into Athens, but he’s drowned out when a combination of cheers and groans erupts from the table across the aisle where Malia and Gwen play team Monopoly against Jairo and Xavi.

I close my tablet and give up on trying to research that twisted Asian kazillionaire who contracted with Tabuni to get a young white American boy, and smile at Malia and Gwen’s excitement over beating the guys.

I’ve discovered it’s very hard to get any work done with Malia around. She’s pure distraction.

She’s wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, because she gets cold when she flies, and her hair is up in a long ponytail. She looks so young in her natural state, no makeup, no fancy clothes, which, as it turns out, is her preferred style. Young and fresh and gorgeous.

And as she high-fives Gwen, I’m struck, yet again, at how lucky I am to have her in my life.

She’s brought me joy, love, connection, comfort, support, inspiration and challenge.

She’s made me a better man in countless ways.

Only now, having her with me every day, do I realize how empty my life was before. How cold and hard and rigid I’d become.

She uses her winning pile of money to fan her face as she dramatically bats her eyelashes at the guys, rubbing in the win and making me laugh.

No charges were filed against either of us after the wedding.

Simms came to the conclusion that Malia had no part in the trafficking or money laundering, giving me the chance to deliver a big I told you so .

And the deaths that day were filed away under self-defense, allowing Malia to enjoy her freedom without a cloud above her waiting to burst.

Simms and I have an annoyingly antagonistic arrangement over sharing the dismantling of Tarik’s empire. And it’s so big, I won’t be getting rid of Simms anytime soon. But now I can spend more time with Malia. A win-win in my book.

Her phone pings with a message, but she ignores it while they put the game away. She enjoys the techie things in her life—computer, phone, tablet, television, but she’s not obsessed with them the way I expected her to be.

She picks up the phone and reads whatever message is there.

When she gasps and smiles, I know another one of her plans has taken a step forward.

She’s made incredible headway in her quest to support trafficking victims. She spends as much time learning how to help victims as I do tracking down their captors.

“Luka.” She stands and crosses to me, then sits on my thigh. I wrap my arms around her waist. “Ariana wants to talk while I’m here.”

The new Prime Minister of Greece is close with Malia’s grandparents, who Malia has been getting to know over video calls.

I was surprised when she didn’t want to meet them immediately, but she’s been through so much, and it was so important to her to have a good relationship that she couldn’t face the risk they would reject her.

After only a few conversations, they’d created a solid bond and now speak every day, talking about everything from Malia’s mother to their shipping company and what Malia wants to do with her life.

Her grandmother made the introduction to Arianna, and Malia’s been pitching ideas to increase education, prevention, and support for trafficking victims in the country that holds her roots.

She handled the exposure over her identity perfectly, conducting a press conference and going on several talk shows to disavow her father’s behavior and describe her plans to right his wrongs while providing countries and governments with much-needed resources to fight trafficking.

I slide my hand down her thigh. “What does she say?”

“She’s interested in partnering to create the advocacy nonprofit I was hoping for.”

“Smart woman.”

Malia relaxes against me, kissing my jaw. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

“Only three times today. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

She laughs and kisses me again. When she pulls back, she searches my face. “What’s been bothering you?”

“Nothing, love.”

“Your emotions say different.”

I shake my head, but don’t even attempt to lie. She always knows. “Just have a lot on my mind. I’m good.” I kiss her. “I’m always good when I’m with you.”

I researched Greek history before I came, and I knew family was the center of their lives, but I couldn’t have imagined how deeply and extensively that went.

I end a conversation with my twice-removed…uncle? Nephew? Cousin? Hell, I can’t keep track. I’ve talked with so many people tonight. This family is huge and boisterous and fiercely loving. But also overwhelming, given how I’ve spent the last twenty-one years of my life.

I search the crowd for Luka and find him in deep discussion with my grandfather.

Grandfather. Just the word makes tears burn my eyes.

We’re staying where they’re holding the celebration, the Four Seasons Astir Palace, and I long for the quiet of our ocean-front suite. Turns out that the ocean doesn’t bother me the way it did when it was holding me captive.

The weather is an utterly perfect sixty-eight degrees, and the setting is nothing short of a fairy tale, with white lights strung across the outdoor area, flowers everywhere, and a classical pianist weaving notes through the air.

But sometimes, in moments like this, emotions overwhelm me.

Joy, love, gratitude, but also anxiety and fear.

Fear that this is just a dream. Fear that I’ll lose it all tomorrow.

Fear that they won’t love me if they find out everything about me.

Only, they already know everything. I’ve told them over the last six months in video calls.

Seemed like a safer way to do it, so they could reject me from afar if they wanted to.

Before I was attached to them. But this magical family hasn’t given my fears any reason to thrive.

Still, anxiety sometimes hovers. My therapist said it would take a while to acclimate to this new life.

When bad dreams kept waking me in the night, Luka suggested that I find someone to talk to, and like all his other suggestions, it was a good one.

He truly puts me first, something that feels like a gift every time it happens.

I’m about to head toward him, when someone touches my arm. “Are you all right? You look a little tired.”

I recognize my grandmother’s voice and turn toward her, smiling. I am tired. It was a long flight, and we didn’t get much time to decompress before the event. “This is incredible, Yaya. I can’t even begin to soak it all in.”

“Give it time, fos mou . You have your whole life to soak it in.”

I see a lot of myself in my grandmother. Her eyes, her cheekbones, her lips. She says I look just like my mother, which I’ve always assumed and been grateful for.

“Everyone keeps asking me about your dress.”

I look down at the vibrant blue of the one-shouldered dress and run my hands over the sequined floral pattern. “I know. Luka got it for me. He said it reminded him of the blue roofs here. He’s got amazing taste in clothes.”

“As he does in women.”

I laugh. “Thank you.”

She leans in and hugs me. “I can’t get enough of you.

I want to squeeze you all the time.” She pulls away with tears in her eyes.

“I know we’ve told you a hundred times already, but your grandfather and I are so blessed to have you back.

Even though your mother is gone, it feels like our family is complete again. You are such a treasure.”

I hug her again. “As are you. I couldn’t be happier.”

Even before I see Luka, I feel him approaching. “May I steal her away for a dance, Cora?”

“Of course.” She kisses my cheek, then steps toward Luka and does the same. “Take care of her, canim .”

“Always,” Luka tells her.

That seems a little odd, like she’s expecting us to leave, when we committed to staying in the country for a month.

Luka wraps his arms around me, and I lean into him with a sigh. “Oh, I’ve needed this.”

“Me too.”

“This is all so…”

“Overwhelming?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m thrilled for you, love. Your family is incredible.”

“One you helped me get back to.” We sway to the music, and I run my hands down his strong arms, then back up to his neck and play with his hair. “I can’t wait to get you back to the room. When do you think it would be appropriate to leave?”

“I think they’ll be okay with you leaving soon. You’ve been a trooper for the last five hours.”

“I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my dress. I think I’m going to make you my own personal stylist.”

As I relax, I’m able to tune in to Luka and get a smooth, warm feeling from him. “You seem better. You were as nervous about this as I was.”

He nods. “I had a good talk with your grandfather. He’s an amazing man.”

“What did you talk about?”

“You, mostly.”

“Me?”

“How amazing you are. How lucky I am to have you in my life. How much I love you. And…”

He pulls away, takes my hands in his, and lowers to one knee, right there in the middle of everyone. “I asked for his blessing to marry you.”

My heart skips. My mouth drops open. Everyone stops dancing and gathers to watch.

Before I find my ability to speak again, Luka opens a velvet box, holding my gaze. “I never imagined loving anyone the way I love you, but I absolutely cannot live without you, Malia. Will you marry me?”

Tears flood in, and my throat thickens. “I thought you weren’t the marrying kind.”

“I wasn’t—until you.”

A giddy burst of laughter slips out. “Nothing would make me happier.”

His smile turns electric, and a wave of love spirals around me. He slides a simple band with inset diamonds onto my finger to the shouts and applause of everyone around us, including his team.

He stands and hugs me hard, lifting me off my feet. “I love you so fucking much.”

I pull back enough to kiss him. “‘I love you too’ doesn’t feel like enough to tell you how important you are to me.”

He smiles. “I guess you’re going to have to spend the rest of your life showing me.”

“That sounds amazing ,” I tell him with the kind of drama that makes him laugh.

All his jitters are gone, and I realize he wasn’t nervous about meeting my family. He was nervous about asking me to marry him.

“Your grandfather said this is one of the top wedding venues in Athens.”

I pull back and look up at him. “He did, did he?”

Luka smiles. “He did.”

“Hmm.” I can’t think of anything I want more than to be his wife. Like yesterday. “Maybe we should think about getting married while we’re here, then.”

He grins, and I swear his eyes twinkle in the fairy lights. “I was hoping you’d say that.”