Epilogue

EMILIA

“ J avier called,” Carly says, coming into my office, brows arched. “He said to tell you, and I quote him exactly, ‘to stop ignoring my fucking calls and get her ass on the phone to me’. I think maybe you should get your ass on the phone. I don’t think I want to chance his wrath making an appearance in our office today.”

I smile, my only excuse being the pregnancy hormones flooding my body, because I’m certainly not smiling at what my husband has said.

The man is intolerable.

But damn him, I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone.

Three years of marriage, which have been three years of living with an overbearingly arrogant asshole who still hasn’t learned the meaning of compromise, have only increased the love I have for him.

“I’ll call him,” I promise.

“Thank you. I’m not answering any more calls until you do.”

She exits the office and I reach for my phone.

“I don’t like being ignored, Emilia,” Javier answers, his dark voice reaching into my veins like it always does, intensifying the thrum of need that lives there 24/7.

“I’ve been busy.”

“And you know how I feel about you being too busy for me.”

“I’m never too busy for you, Javier, but sometimes I have work to do.”

“I’m coming to pick you up. Be ready in half an hour.”

Javier will never change.

I know this after three years of being married to him.

And since changing him isn’t my goal in life, I’ve learned how to work with him.

“Give me an hour.”

“No. Half an hour, dulzura .”

“I need an hour. If you don’t give me that, I will have to bring work home with me.”

I practically feel his growl through the phone as he says, “Forty-five minutes. Don’t make me wait.”

He disconnects the call and I smile as I stare at our wedding photo sitting on my desk in front of me.

That day seems so long ago now.

It was chaotic with the threat from another cartel, but my husband did what he always does and kept everyone safe. He then spent the next year dealing with the fallout of me killing Perez.

Today, the Serrano Cartel is strong and united. Our union ensured that, and there isn’t one drop of bad blood between our families now. Javier might be ruthless and cruel to those who cross him, but for those he loves, he goes to extremes to make sure all is right.

And this man loves me.

Deeply.

Completely.

The proof is right there in his actions.

It’s also there in the vulnerability he shows only to me. Late at night and early in the morning, he holds me, touches me, kisses me, and opens himself up to me. Javier might not compromise often, or tell me he loves me all the time, but he lays his soul down in ways that weave themselves around my heart and soul, and whisper his love to me.

Today, he almost makes good on his word. Instead of giving me forty-five minutes, he strides into my office thirty-five minutes after our call. I was expecting that, though. I know my husband well. If I’d agreed to half an hour, he would have only given me twenty.

Dressed in the black suit he prefers and the dark sunglasses that almost always cover his eyes, he says, “We have a flight to catch.”

I stand and walk around my desk to him. “Where are we going?”

He pulls his glasses off and gives me his eyes. “Australia.”

“Ah, okay,” I say, more than a little surprised.

“Something came up and my presence is required.”

“And mine too?”

He traces a finger over my lips. “Your presence is always required.”

I move into him, craving the contact. My hands go to his waist before moving up to the hard muscles of his chest. “I have something for you.”

He lifts his brows. “I see you’re not in the mood to argue today.”

“I think this pregnancy is screwing with me. You should prepare yourself for when the hormones change course. I’m sure we’ll be arguing over everything then.” Plus, I love Australia. I’ve been with him three times now and it’s one of my favorite places on earth. Also, after three years of dividing my time between America and Colombia with him, and all the places in between that he needs to go to for cartel business, I’m used to him springing travel on me at the last minute.

His hands settle on my ass. “What do you have for me?”

I reach behind me and grab my phone off the desk. Opening the folder of photos on it, I show him the image of our baby that my doctor emailed me this morning after my ultrasound. Javier tried like hell to move his meetings around so he could come with me, but between our various commitments and the doctor’s schedule, we couldn’t make it work for him to attend. I wanted to send this image to him straight away, but decided against that, because I wanted to watch him as he took his first look at our child.

I’m so glad I waited.

This moment is priceless.

He takes the phone from me and spends a good minute silently committing the image to memory before finally meeting my gaze again.

The emotions I see in his eyes melt their way into my heart and I forget to breathe.

This man has so much love inside him that most people don’t see, but I see it. I see all of it. And feel it in a way that causes my knees to go weak.

“She’s going to fight me harder than you do, isn’t she?” he says.

I laugh. “You don’t know what’s in store for you.”

“No more daughters after her.”

“Unfortunately for you, this might be the one thing in life you can’t control. And oh, how I’m going to be praying for all the daughters under the sun.”

His lips capture mine and he kisses me like he can’t get enough of me. “You are my ruin, dulzura . My absolute fucking ruin.”

I smile up at him. “And you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Thank you so much for reading SURRENDERED HEARTS.