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“It felt like the right place to be.”
His voice is low, and I look up to find him watching me intently as the elevator begins to move. “And besides, coming here isn’t your surprise.”
He slowly reaches out to trace his finger along my jawline, and he shakes his head with a wrinkled brow.
“Christ, Wren. You’re absolutely fucking flawless.” Then he brushes his lips across mine, and my chest fills with emotion, feeling the adoration of his words.
The doors open, admitting us to the quiet of the apartment where we fell in love, and I slide in against his side, hugging him around the waist as I close my eyes, inhaling his addictive bergamot scent.
That smell, this apartment, the feel of Vaughn’s body against mine; everything takes me back in time as visions of pudding-covered stockings and blue-streaked legs make me smile.
“Come on.” Vaughn strides forward, taking me with him, and I open my eyes to spot two wrapped packages in unmistakable Luciano’s wrapping.
I’m suddenly ravenous. “Did you getsubsfor dinner?”
He passes me one with a wry grin. “When we’re in the neighborhood, I think it’s important to support local businesses.”
My mouth lifts in an enormous grin. “You don’t ever need an excuse for one of these bad boys.” I tear the wrapping off, inhaling the mouthwatering smell of the marinara sauce when it hits my nostrils before taking a huge bite.
“Shit!” I speak around my mouthful of sub as Vaughn watches me with laughter in his eyes. “I’ve missed living here.”
We’d moved to Vaughn’s mostly unused house in Lenox Hill shortly before Alessia’s birth, knowing Rogue was no place to rear a child, but the bones of our relationship will forever remain inside these walls.
Vaughn opens his sub at a more sedate pace, and he chuckles, watching me scarf mine down as though I’ve never eaten in my life. My face is a mess, my clothes are spattered with sauce, and it’s with a full belly that I flop onto the couch, waiting for Vaughn to finish his food.
“Want to…” I trail off as I pop a devilish brow and shoot him a wink, filling my next words with innuendo. “Netflix and chill?”
He snorts before he swallows his mouthful of sub and points toward the studio door that used to be my closet of sorts. “I’ve actually set up a screen through there.”
Then he grins in self-satisfaction. “Picked a good movie, too.”
Curiosity sufficiently piqued, I stand and hurry toward the room. My mouth drops when I open the door to find an enormous floor-to-ceiling screen on my right and an oversized loveseat scattered with cushions on my left.
I pivot to find Vaughn smirking as he raises a remote control, pointing it at the screen before shifting his gaze to mine. He arches a smug brow. “You’re welcome.”
Then, the quiet, hauntingly familiar opening scene of Pan’s Labyrinth begins to play behind me, and my eyes blow wide with surprised delight as Vaughn closes the distance between us, looping his arm over my shoulder to steer me toward the loveseat.
“Come on, beautiful girl. Time to educate me on the pros of subtitled movies.”
By the time the credits roll, Vaughn is just as enraptured in the story of Ofelia and the faun as I am every time I watch, and he flops back onto the seat beside me with wonder on his face.
“That was…” He trails off with a shake of his head. “There are no words.”
I lean closer, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “And very fitting with the outcome of today’s verdict, too.”
His brows crease. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, Ofelia’s sacrifice is rewarded, whereas her stepfather’s oppression is punished. Similar to Fritz getting his karma, you’re free to live as you wish, having taken a stand…”
I trail off, suddenly self-conscious, as Vaughn continues to stare at me until he cups my cheeks, his eyes darkening with emotion. “Fuck, I will never stop falling in love with you. Ever.”
He leans closer, brushing his lips across mine in a silent promise that sends a thrill through me before resting his brow against mine. “It’s always been you. You, andonlyyou, Wren Caputo. I’m forever yours.”
Silence surrounds us as the movie credits come to an end, and for long moments, we don’t move. We soak up one another’s presence until Vaughn sits back and stands with his hand outstretched.
“Come on.” Mischief twinkles in his dark gaze. “You have yet to receive your surprise.”
I slip my hand into his and jump to my feet, anticipation flowing through me. “Don’t leave a girl hanging. Where is it?”
