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Alexi gave me a doubtful look. “Mom didn’t scare you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve seen people like her before. They all destroy themselves eventually.”
Julia leaned over to give me a quick kiss. I rubbed the back of her neck, trying to offer her comfort. She took a deep breath and wiped off her face. “I think that’s more than enough crying for one day for me. This whole thing just served to make me more tired.”
I smiled at her. “You’ve had a long week.”
“Yeah, but it was worth it.” She found my hand and gave it a squeeze. She stepped back, breaking the circle. “If you all don’t mind, I’m going to go to sleep. And I’m not coming in tomorrow, Jordan, until I feel good and ready.”
He nodded, smiling again. “That’s perfectly fine. You deserve some rest.”
She gave him a quick hug, then hugged Alexi again as well. She turned to me and pressed her hand to my cheek. “I hope you know what you’re signing up for.”
I bent down and kissed her, long and hard. “You know about my past, too. We all have pasts. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to have a future.”
Alexi nudged Jordan. “I like him.”
Julia blushed and ignored her sister. “You’re right. Alexi will show you the spare room. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,ami.”
I watched her walk away, a smile on my face. Even if I felt like she was still skittish of a relationship, even if I knew she was running away now so she could pull herself together on her own, she had still let me in. I was happy she had let herself be real with me, especially in front of her family. I was sorry for what had happened with her mom, but it didn’t make me want her any less.
Jordan eyed me, his face and voice turning intense. “Listen, Ethan, I just want to know if you’re serious about Julia. I know she’s beautiful and smart and tough, but I need to know you want to stick around.”
Alexi folded her arms and gave me an expectant look. She obviously wanted to know the answer as well. I understood and appreciated their protectiveness. Julia needed all the love in her life she could get. I had no problem telling them the truth I felt in my heart.
“Although we haven’t known each other for long, I like Julia and I’m drawn to her in ways I’ve never been drawn to anyone. I don’t know where this is going to go with me and her, but I’m in it, one hundred percent. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jordan and Alexi exchanged looks, and for a long moment I thought I had said the wrong thing. But then, finally, Alexi grinned at me. “Welcome to the family.”
EPILOGUE
Julia
Almost a whole week had gone by since we’d returned to Viridis, and yet there still hadn’t been any progress on the drive. Paige said she was working on it and that getting anything out of a damaged drive would be a miracle. She said there was a small chance she could get something from it, but it would take her some time and fancy equipment, and there were no guarantees she’d be successful. I knew she was doing her best, but I’d hoped she would have made some sort of tangible progress by then.
Because of my kidnapping ordeal, I was assigned a mandatory counseling session. They wanted to assess whether I was fit to go back to active duty. Even though being forced to talk to someone chafed, it was good to discuss some of the things that happened.
I wanted to bury the pain and the torture to the back of my memory, but I knew that wasn’t healthy. I was starting to have trouble sleeping. It wasn’t anything major yet, but I knew it might get worse. For Alexi’s sake, I couldn’t let that happen. I would learn how to deal with it. There weren’t any other options. The counselor said what I was experiencing was normal, and he was going to teach me some techniques to deal with the trauma. Once I had agreed to continue seeing him, he had cleared me for duty.
Abbott, Karson, and Borski were genuinely happy to see me, and I was touched by how much they had worried for me. They had crowded around and given me claps on the back and made jokes about how they couldn’t function without me bossing them around. It was nice to know I was so well-liked among them, even though I was the boss.
Of course, it was pretty much right back to work for us. We were chasing down any leads that could be found about my kidnappers, but we were hitting wall after wall. We still had no idea who they were, and we were having no luck finding leads from their time spent on Viridis or Cadium. The lack of progress on any work front was frustrating.
There was progress at home, however. Being able to spend time with Ethan outside of life-threatening, adrenaline-fueled situations was amazing. I was relieved to find I still liked him and still wanted to get to know him better. And it was obvious Alexi liked him as well. Jordan said he was reserving judgment, but that so far, he was team Ethan.
“My ship is repaired.”
Ethan’s voice surprised me, and I turned from where I was folding laundry. He stood in the doorway of the utility room, tablet in hand and despair in his eyes. His eyes told me far more about what he was feeling than his words did.
He wasn’t the only one upset about it being ready. I swallowed and let my hands fall away from the clothing to rest at my sides. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow.” He sighed and set his tablet down on a shelf. “I don’t think I’m ready,ami.”
I wasn’t ready, either. I slipped my arms around his waist and dropped my head against his chest. I hugged him tightly, savoring his warmth and the feel of his arms as they engulfed me. “I don’t want you to go, either.”
Ethan dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I like being here, with you.”
