"What? It's a family tradition. Welcome to the Killaneys, where threats are how we show love."
We all laugh, the tension breaking. I can't stop looking at Nora, cataloging the changes in her face that I can finally see up thisclose now. Even though I've watched her from across the street on many occasions, there's so much I've missed, so many years gone. But she's here. We're here.
My sister, who I thought I'd lost forever. The one person I sacrificed everything to protect. I don't think I could feel more whole if I tried.
As the others chat, Declan leans down, his breath warm against my ear. "Take her inside. Go catch up. Learn everything about her. I'll be there in a bit."
I turn to him, overwhelmed by what he's done for me. This gift, there aren't words big enough to contain my gratitude. "Thank you," I say, my voice breaking. "I don't even have words for what this means. You've given me everything I didn't know I needed."
He rubs my chin with his thumb. "You're done running, Lyra. Your life starts now. With me. With the baby. With your sister. And she's protected now, just like you. Always."
The magnitude of it hits me, not just what he's given me tonight, but what he's promising. A life. A family. Safety. Love without conditions or expiration dates.
"I love you, Declan Killaney," I say, the words inadequate but all I have.
"I love you too, future Mrs. Killaney," he replies, a smile tugging at his mouth.
The name flows through me, settling somewhere deep. "I like the sound of that."
I take a breath and walk toward my sister with tears in my eyes and wholeness in my chest. For the first time in my life, I feel complete.
Nora takes my hand, her eyes bright. "I want to hear everything," I say. "But first," I put my hand on my stomach, "I want you to know you're going to be an aunt."
She squeals, throwing her arms around me again. "Holy hell, Lyra! This is so exciting! And I want to know everything about you too."
I smile, leading her toward a bench near the fire. "It's a long story."
"I've got time," she says, sitting down. "We've got time."
I sit down beside her.
I have everything I could ever want now.
My sister.
My future husband and his family.
Our baby.
It seems sometimes life doesn't go as you plan. It goes better.
I mean, what more could I possibly ask for?
EPILOGUE
Declan
Iwatch Lyra and Nora walk toward the fire pit, hands clasped like children afraid of being separated, hits me hard. It's not the satisfaction of a successful business deal or the adrenaline high of a fight. It's different, a deeper rightness I've never felt before.
Not to mention Lyra looks fucking weightless. Like gravity has released its hold on her. For a long time, all I saw on her face was pain and worry. Now it's nothing but light.
And the way they are laughing, like the way sisters laugh when the pain has finally broken loose and joy rushes in to fill its place.
That's everything.
That's all I wanted.
To give her peace. A future. Family.
