Page 282 of The Defiant Curse

He laughed.

“I do like a bonny-haired lass,” he said.

Elizabeth kissed him.

Oh, there was nothing she liked more than being his ‘lass’.

As they reached the fountain, he reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins. When he handed her one, she closed her eyes, made a wish, and then tossed it in.

The bottom of the fountain was littered with so many coins that it proved lots of people believed in magick still.

Ethan did the same.

When he tossed his, he watched it fall.

“What did you wish for?” Elizabeth asked.

He was honest.

“That we’d have fifty more years of this love, and that when we die, it’ll be of old age, and all of us on the same day so no one has to live without the other.”

That touched her heart.

She couldn’t imagine not waking up to see the men she loved. That would be something that would devastate her.

“I hope you get your wish,” she admitted.

Ethan was curious.

“What did you wish for?” he asked.

Elizabeth was honest.

“I wished that all the people I love would be safe, and that I would be able to keep protecting them.”

Ethan put his arm around her.

“That is a good wish,” he said. “I have no doubt that my wife will keep them safe. She’s the Raven, and the strongest, most tenacious woman I know. I have faith in her, and I always will,” he promised, knowing he’d been the one who made her feel like he hadn’t.

She hoped he was right.

“I’m sorry that we allowed you to carry all the weight. I want to help. I want to be your partner, not your responsibility. I got lazy and let you do all the work. I want to do half the work, so our family can be strong again. I don’t want to lose you, Callen, Chris, or Gene.”

That to her was a wish coming true.

While she didn’t mind being in the trenches, doing the work, she didn’t want to be in them alone. At one time, they’d been the power behind the Blackhawks.

Then, it became her doing the carrying.

That wore her out.

“I accept your offer, and I’m grateful to have you as my partner.”

He kissed her.

It was soft, tender, and filled with promise. It was a vow renewal of sorts. From here on out, she could count on him.

Not carry him.