Page 150 of Allegiant

I blink a couple of times and gasp. “Oh, Samson.”

“It has everything you wanted,” he says as he leads me forward by the hand. “The floor isn’t just sprung, it’s shock-absorbing too. And these barres? You can adjust them to any height. The mirrors are shatterproof, just in case one of my brothers decides to fuck around in here. We put full climate control in too, and a state-of-the-art surround sound system.”

“Oh my god,” I say, my voice thick. “This is too much. This is everything I had on the wish list.”

“I know.” He gives me a lopsided smile. “You’ve spent years compromising in one way or another, first after losing your parents, then when Adam died. None of us want to compromise on your happiness ever again.”

“But this place is for you,” I protest. “I wanted you to have a space to dance. To be yourself.”

“And I will.” Samson draws me into his arms. “We will. Together. Because that’s how it’s going to be with us now. Always.”

“I don’t deserve you,” I whisper, a tear slipping free. “You’ve already given me so much. What can I possibly offer you in return?”

He kisses the end of my nose. “Your heart.”

“You already have that.”

“Then that’s all I need,” he says simply.

Our lips meet then, and the rest of the world falls away for a little while.

I protest when Samson pulls away, pawing at him needily. He chuckles. “Wait, there’s something else I want to show you before we get carried away.”

I sigh, but let him turn me around. When I spot the portrait hanging above the door, tears immediately fill my eyes. “Oh my god.”

The canvas is familiar. It’s of me, captured mid-arabesque, painted by Adam years ago. How did he even find it? I thought it was gone.

“Is this okay?” he asks anxiously, seeing my expression. “Fuck, I thought you’d like it…”

I lift my hand quickly to cover his mouth. “It’s perfect. I love it. Thank you.”

He tugs my hand away gently before kissing my palm. “I want this to be your happy place. I know you have Rhythm, but this is just for you. For us. Didn’t feel right not to have a part of Adam here too.”

That right there is exactly why I love this man. He pretends to be a grump who doesn’t give a shit about anyone, but he does. He gives a shit about me. About my past. About what truly matters. “How’d you even find it?”

“Adi,” he says with a soft smile. Adam’s sister has been adopted by the Buckinghams as much as I have, and nothing could make me happier—except spending my life with Samson. “She offered. Said this was the best place for it. That Adam’s watching over you, and this will make sure you never forget that again.”

“In a way, maybe he sent you to me,” I muse. Now that I’ve gotten over the shock, I’ve decided to find how we met cute rather than sinister. “He would’ve known you wouldn’t kill me. That you’d keep me safe instead.”

“I like to think that, too.”

It hasn’t been easy, getting to this place where I can talk freely about Adam. I’ve been seeing a therapist twice a week since the dance show ended. I tried to argue about Samson using the family coffers to fund this, but he simply had Neo schedule me for a meeting with Wylder.

I’d left not only agreeing to let them pay for therapy, but also for anything else that might help with my grief.

Don’t ask me how that happened. All I can say is that Wylder Buckingham could sell salt water to a whale and have them say thank you for it.

I’m glad they all pushed me to do this. Talking about him, about what happened, it’s been…freeing. Like a weight has been lifted. I can’t forget the horror surrounding how Adam’s life ended, but I can now remember the joy he brought to the world.

Adi’s been seeing a therapist too. She had a meeting with Wylder right after mine. We both sat in the kitchen afterward wearing matching shell-shocked expressions while I cuddled Nugget.

No idea what happened, but we were in it together. How we should’ve been all along.

The two of us stayed there in silence until Dotty and Larry fell through the door, lips locked together. Honestly, they were worse than teenagers. Worse than any of the other couples in the house, and that was saying something.

My grumpy neighbor is now a fixture in the estate as well. Dotty didn’t ask permission for him to move in; it just happened one day, a surprise to all of us. She was less present after I moved in, but I just assumed I was so enamored with Samson I didn’t see anyone else but him. But then one day, she turned up with Larry and all his furniture loaded into a truck, and then dared anyone to challenge her.

Naturally, not a soul did.