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Or at least it used to be … like him.
Now he had Mila. And she completed him, impossibly so. She filled the holes he didn’t know were there. All the hollow, barren spaces of his soul, all the bloodied, gapping sores still running with the grief of his past. She filled them, and the overflow of compassion and safety mended his wounds before he could understand what was happening.
Mila infused herself into him … into this house.
Now it was a home.
He ignored the throbbing tension in his beaten muscles as he adjusted his collar. Taking more time than usual to dress, he chose to start early. His fingers moved numbly over the buttons of his tailored suit. Barely thinking, his sure hands fell into a motion as seamless as breathing. The deep violet hue of his tie … his mother’s favorite color … stared back at him, bringing him a strange sense of peace.
He had spent his entire adult life trying to find his parents and trying to understand what had happened. It was only occurring to him now that he had never thought aboutafter.He grimaced. He didn’t want to entertain the possibility that somewhere inside, he never fully believed he would find them. But it must be true that some part of him had given up because there was no plan forafter.There wasn’t until he found them in that cave.
Thenafter,came and went. Now, they were all back in Ashland.
A firm knock sounded twice before the door opened, and Miles poked his head in. “The car is outside for you.”
“Great, where …”
“Mila is downstairs waiting for you also,” Miles supplied with a sly expression.
“Thank you,” he said. He hoped Miles could see just how much he had meant it, not just for this moment, but foreverything.
Miles gave him a small nod and then excused himself so he could go drive the staff insane with his overbearing meticulousness.
After they had returned from the Arctic, the first thing Cyrus had done … even before he changed his bandages, much to Mila’s dismay … was contact Miles. He smiled, remembering how his friend had picked up on only half a ring. Without missing a beat, Miles told him he’d be back to work on Monday. It was a running joke between them that the only reason he was so good at his job was because he was psychic. He always could anticipate all of Cyrus’s needs. That was one of the many reasons why he was irreplaceable.
With Miles back on his staff, Cyrus could be sure things were going to be taken care of just as well, if not better, than if he were doing it himself. The moment Miles walked through the door, he immediately went to Cyrus’s laptop, taking the lockbox with him. Every new piece of information had been scanned, sorted, stored, and backed up in under two hours.
Cyrus felt his muscles loosen, a tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding evaporating through his skin. Even though it was over and they found his parents’ bodies, there was still a mess to clean up. Miles had just effectively taken care of his first problem.
He had almost forgotten how good it felt to divide and conquer. To not be burdened with the weight of every decision and every outcome. To have people he could rely on.
Luca easily fell into step behind Miles, another positive Cyrus would be sure to reward. Luca had certainly put himself out there, taking on responsibilities with the added pressure of learning on the job. Upon Miles’s return, he humbly adjusted, without malice or contempt, to his apparent demotion, gracefully working together with Miles to complete tasks.
Cyrus had to admit Luca was quite good. Every day he was sharper, making fewer mistakes and proving what an asset he truly was. If it wasn’t for Luca, he wouldn’t have lasted a week, especially without Miles.
Cyrus headed downstairs, placing a small kiss on Mila’s lips before taking her arm and leading her out to their car for their first official date.
In all of this chaos, Mila had been his constant. She had faith in him, in them. Even when she had no reason to. He had wanted to give up so many times, and she was the only thing that kept him on course. Because of her, he found his family, and he would never forget it.
She squeezed his hand, the gesture warm and comforting as she searched his face. He knew what she was looking for, sorrow, anger, exhaustion, and they were there, but so was she. Mila’s presence gave him peace in the center of his wretched emotions. So he smiled at her and caressed the side of her face, slowly, lovingly, reminding her of how precious she was to him, and he told her he was okay.
When they arrived at the restaurant, he parked by a side door.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a cocked brow. He just grinned and came around to assist her from the car.
When he opened the side door marked Employees Only, Mila gasped.
A long, violet carpet lined with small floral arrangements of baby breath, forget-me-nots, and chrysanthemums led them to another closed door. Cyrus forced himself to calm down, rubbing the dampness from his palms onto his thighs. Her dark eyes widened as she took in his nervousness.
He couldn’t help it. All he could think about was his mate. All his bear could think about was his mate, and together the singular cell that seemed to be working overtime to make them function was starting to sputter.
He didn’t think there was anything better than the mate bond, but he was wrong.
Real love.
The raw, aching desire to shield, to heal.
The unwavering certainty that this was a choice you’d make for the rest of your life.
