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“H-How many zeroes did I just see?” She blinked and shook her head. “I-I’m in shock.”
“Nine.”
“Hold up.” Teddy raised both his hands. “Nine zeroes? You have a figure with nine zeroes behind it?”
“It clocked from eight to nine last week.”
Eddie’s face went white. “You’re telling me you have over a billion dollars?”
Neri’s legs buckled. I gathered her tight and kissed her forehead. “We have a billion dollars.”
“I-I can’t take it,” Neri whispered. “It-It wouldn’t be right. That money is yours.”
“No. It’s his. But I’m happy to take it for what he put us through. And I seem to remember that I’m on those business documents for Lunamare. So...as the fourth member of this company, I say I want to invest. Ten million, a hundred million, I don’t care. Every penny is yours, canim, because I believe in you, and you believe in this, and I have no doubt that one day, we will all be living under the sea...exactly where you belong.”
*
Two months later...
*
We waited until sunset, welcoming both the sun and the moon to bless us.
Ayla appeared first, skipping and twirling down the shell-bordered pathway, her bare feet kicking up sand, her pale-pink dress full of frills and rhinestones. She scattered yellow rose petals as she came, her hand diving into the little basket before tossing another flurry of lemon.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
My heart tripped over itself, a symptom of too much electricity and far too much love.
The waves licked up the shore of Low Isles, lapping over my right ankle and foot.
I’d changed my prosthetic to a simple ergonomic blade. The slight curve and clever engineering was salt-proof, waterproof, and flexible enough that I found walking on sand far easier than a carbon pylon.
Behind me, the lighthouse turned on as the sky bled with crimson, peach, and lilac. The sunset was almost as pretty as the aurora australis that’d presided over our first marriage and consummation.
“Did I do it right, Daddy?” Ayla skipped into my arms as I bent to catch her and placed her beside me beneath the driftwood arch complete with white ribbons, shells, and sprigs of cherry blossom.
I hadn’t gotten used to having money, but...I had become adept at spending it. It pissed me off that so many doors that’d been firmly closed to me when I had nothing were now flung wide as a billionaire. Those standards weren’t fair. The way society treated those less fortunate than others’ grated on my temper.
Our wedding was a good example of the powerful being favoured over the poor.
All it had taken was a phone call to the custodians of the lighthouse and a hefty donation to the upkeep of the island. Within a few days, we had permission to wed on the shore, sleep on the beach in luxury tents, and rent the entire space until dusk tomorrow.
No one else.
Just us, our celebrant, and our loved ones.
Anna smiled at me as she blew a kiss at Ayla beside me, her tiny hand tucked safely inside mine.
Teddy and Eddie held hands.
Honey and Billy blinked back tears.
My skin prickled, and my heart fisted, ripping my head up to the end of the sandy aisle as Neri and Jack appeared.
I would always know when she was close by. Always sense her. Feel her. Hear her soul and know her spirit.
Our eyes met across the short distance.
