Page 40 of Unbroken

A future.

Her.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. This gig seems pretty perfect. The pay is good too, so you wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job right away.”

She bit her lower lip and was silent for several seconds before speaking. “What about living arrangements?”

He reached over the console and took her hand. “I think you know how I feel about all that, right? I just want you.”

She squeezed his fingers. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about this every waking moment. There are tons of schools down here where I could finish my degree, maybe find a good internship program.”

Hope filled his chest, and excitement surged through him. This could be so good for both of them.

“Are we doing this?” he asked. “Are we moving?”

A huge grin spread over her face. “I think so.”

He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close. “I love you. Thank you for doing this with me.”

“I’d go anywhere for you.”

With that, they headed back to the hotel, where they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms for a long time.

EPILOGUE

TWO WEEKS LATER

“I think that’s the last of it.”

Aiden stepped into the bedroom carrying another uneven stack of boxes, his arms straining slightly beneath the weight. He nudged the door shut with his foot before tipping his chin toward the top box. “Grab that one for me?”

Maya quickly lifted the smaller box away before the entire tower could topple. A laugh threatened at the corners of her mouth as he carefully lowered the remaining boxes into the corner of the room.

The last two days had been chaos.

The moving truck had arrived an entire day late, leaving them with little more than blankets, takeout containers, and each other sprawled across the hardwood floor last night. Maya’s back still ached from sleeping on the ground, which was exactly why she’d insisted the bed be unloaded first thing that morning.

Still, exhaustion couldn’t dampen the quiet excitement fluttering inside her chest.

This was real.

She and Aiden were officially living together.

Even now, surrounded by half-opened boxes and the disarray of unpacking, it felt surreal. Everything between them had moved so quickly, yet nothing about it felt rushed. Being with him felt natural in a way nothing else in her life ever had.

Safe.

Certain.

Like she’d somehow stumbled into the life she’d always wanted but never believed she deserved.

Aiden straightened and gestured toward the box still in her hands. “That one’s yours.”

Maya frowned slightly as she turned it over. The wood was dark and polished smooth, intricate carvings winding across the lid. It looked far too elegant to be anything she owned.

Curiosity stirred as she slowly opened it.

The moment she saw the diamond ring resting against red velvet, her breath caught hard enough to hurt.