Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Ollie

I wake up the next morning feeling like I might be the luckiest guy in the world. I have the most beautiful woman I've ever seen lying curled up beside me, one leg over mine, her delicate hands folded under her head. I savor this moment. I don't know what we'll face next, so I don't want to take one minute with Renata for granted.

"Hey," she says in a husky whisper. "Good Morning, Ollie."

I bend and kiss her gently. "Morning."

"Polina brought King Arthur up to you. She said something about him house-training like a champ and pulling a sword out of a stone in the garden? Maybe he'll be more than a little fluff-ball after all."

Renata grins and sits up, her face lighting up in delight when King Arthur bounds onto the bed and licks her face. "Now, off the bed before Daddy loses his mind," she says, putting him back down.

Daddy.

I've never imagined myself married, much less with a family. It almost makes me want to pinch myself. I let the word linger, testing its weight. I never thought I'd want to hear anyone call me that.

"Why the sad look?" she asks, sobering.

"I'm not sad. I'm stunned. Every time I wake up beside you, it hits me all over again—you're mine. In this world of chaos, I still get you. " I shake my head. "And when you said Daddy , I just… it made me think about kids. I never thought that far ahead."

Nodding, she reaches for my hand and gives it a little squeeze. "I get it. Me neither. There's no space for thinking of the future when you're in survival mode."

That's exactly it.

"But we're past that now," she says quietly. "And while I don't think I'm ready for kids yet … I will be someday."

I nod. "Someday" feels like a luxury I've never had.

"What were you doing on your iPad last night?" she asks, stretching. "Ohhh. You had breakfast brought up. Thank you, I'm starving. "

"Figured you would be." I wink at her. "You worked hard last night."

She gives me a sly look. "It takes two."

She sits up, and I put the breakfast tray between the two of us. I butter her toast, and she pours me coffee from a carafe. We eat in amiable silence. It feels natural, and I fucking love it.

"I can't wait to cook our first meal together in our new home," she says with a smile. "I'll learn, eventually."

"You don't have to. I mean, I could just hire someone."

She shakes her head. "I want to."

I squeeze her hand. "Me too." Maybe people take domestic tasks for granted. I can't fucking wait to have a lawn to mow and a fridge to fill.

"How are you feeling?" I ask when we're done with breakfast and the tray's been pushed aside.

"I'm alright," she says quietly as she checks me over. "How are you? Are you hurt?"

I shrug. "I've got a few injuries but nothing that really bothers me. I'd have taken a hundred times worse than this for you."

She strokes my arm and kisses my bare shoulder. "I know. And I love you for it."

"I love you too."

She smiles. "Nice twist there." The way her eyes twinkle and a little hint of a dimple forms in her cheek makes my heart turn over in my chest. "I love you," she says, her voice husky with emotion.

I squeeze her hand.

A beat passes before she continues thoughtfully. "Ollie, I think I want to talk to someone. Therapist or something, you know? I think I need to heal. Not just from what happened with Carlos, but everything. I need to learn how to be… me… but without all that…fear." She sighs even as her eyes glisten.

I squeeze her hand, so damn proud of her. "I think that would be an excellent idea. Nikko's Vera has a friend who works with us. Or did you have someone in mind?"

"No, that would be great. Thank you. I just… I know I'm mourning my brother's death, but I've really been thinking about what you said. I'm not as sad about his death as I thought I would be, and I think it's because I've already mourned who he once was, if that makes sense."

I kiss her cheek. "It does, beautiful. And I'm proud of you."

King Arthur circles the door and gives a little yip , effectively ending our conversation as we race to pull on clothes and take him outside. It's a little overcast and cloudy, with a slight drizzle. Renata inhales the clean air. "Wow, it's beautiful out, isn't it? I never thought a day like this—cloudy, raining—could feel hopeful. But it does."

I smile at her and look to where the clouds break and light streams from the heavens above. I love that she looks at an overcast day like this and sees beauty. I see it too. "Yeah, baby," I say, my voice soft but sure. "It's beautiful."

We walk forward, hand in hand, our fingers tangled like the past we leave behind. As long as we're together, whatever comes next doesn't scare me. Because the future is ours. Our promise. Our story.