Page 136 of Nikola

“People will peg you to be married to a disabled man. Make fun of you.” Although I knew better. Skye knew firsthand what it meant to be made fun of, and while I ensured to teach a lesson to any man or woman who dared to do that, I was fairly certain there were more. Skye was a survivor and a much better—and stronger—person than most men were, including me.

She cupped my face. “I’ll kill them for you. Or you can shoot them. I don’t give a shit.”

“You deserve better than a disabled man,zayka. Not that I could ever give you up now. I’m not strong enough to be so selfless.”

She looked up at me, the fire in her eyes burning wildly. “Do you think you deserve better than a disabled woman?”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Nikola, I’ve been disabled my whole life, but did it stop you from being my protector? From loving me?”

“Fuck no. I love you, and you’re mine. I protect what’s mine. I think I have loved you since we were children.”

She opened her mouth and then reeled back, shock filling her expression. “What? All those years?”

I took her chin between my fingers and pulled her back to me. “Yes, for all those years. It was childish love, but then it grew with us. I love you, Skye Leone. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. Fuck, I think I might be addicted to you.”

Life without her, not having her next to me, touching me and loving me, would feel like a slow death. I’d experienced it firsthand during those first months after the accident.

We stared at each other, the silence packed with emotions and promises of a future that wouldn’t be possible without my Skye. A future where I knew without a shred of doubt that I’d always have her back and she’d have mine.

“You and me, Nikola. Forever. No matter what.” She pressed her mouth against mine and my chest tightened, making it hard to breathe, but with every kiss, it felt like she was breathing oxygen back into my lungs.

Her arms circled my neck.

“Come rain or shine, it will be you and me, Skye. Forever.”

She rewarded me with a wide grin.

“I like the sound of that. God, I can’t wait to marry you,” she signed excitedly, stars in her beautiful blue eyes shining only for me. She slowly took my hand, then lightly traced my ring finger with her name tattooed on it.

“I like my name on you.The whole world knows you’re mine.”

“Yours,” I vowed, then took her left hand in mine, pressing a kiss on her ring finger. The door swung open, Alexei and Dad standing in the doorway with a few men behind them.

“Jesus Christ, why did you massacre your therapist?” Dad grumbled, glaring at me. “It seems your mental state is deteriorating, Nikola.”

“It runs in the family,” Alexei stated in a cold tone but was completely unbothered by the sight.

Skye straightened and glared at them. “She threatened to kill Nikola. Couldn’t have that, now could we?”

That shut them right up.

EPILOGUE

SKYE

One Month Later

Sunlight shone through the windows of the castello and sparkled against the crystal blue waves in the Gulf of Trieste while birds flew with the mild breeze and flowers attracted butterflies of all colors and sizes. The scent of the flowers and the sea was everywhere, a clear sign of spring.

Through the large windows, I could see our families laughing and guests chattering, waves crashing against the shoreline.

I stood in the same pink bedroom that had been mine when my parents first found me. The room that had seen so much love and happiness.

My eyes traveled over the vast blue sea. This was somewhere I’d found joy, but not where my journey began. My happiness started with the Nikolaev family and their acceptance. They were the first step, bringing me closer to my birth parents, and for that, I’d forever love them.

“Gosh, you’re going to make Nikola lose his mind.”