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Instead of arguing, he scrunched down in the cushions, leaning into me with his head on my shoulder.
Contentment radiated through both of us, a blissful combination of happiness and love, of knowing we’d found something rare. The impossible had become possible.
A lasting sense of peace settled over me. It was something I’d fought for for others but never in a million years expected for myself. Thanks to Marek, I finally had it and I was never letting it go. Everyone on that couch meant the world to me, and as I told Sergei, there was no limit to the things I would do for them—thatwas the silent promise I made to them every night, a promise I would keep until my dying breath.
EPILOGUE
MAREK
Three years later
“Marek! It’s on!”Bri yelled from the living room.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” I yelled back, hurriedly attaching my psychology paper to an email and sending it off to my professor with two minutes to spare on the deadline. Nothing like cutting it close.
“Coming through!” Ezra yelled, nearly mowing me down when I dared to step out of the office. Nadia was right behind him, tail wagging.
“Did you finish your homework?” I called after him. Of course I didn’t get an answer. “Ezra! You need to finish that worksheet!”
“I will! Jeez! Misha said we had to watch this!”
“He did not say that. He saidhehad to watch this. Somehow you all turned it into a thing.”
“Why does Misha care about music awards?” Bri asked when I dropped onto the couch next to her, stretching my arm out across the back.
“Someone he knows is up for an award.”
“Who?”
I shrugged. “No idea. But he better get here soon or he might miss whoever it is.”
Misha appeared a little while later, the smell of pizza wafting into the living room ahead of him. Recognizing the box in his hand, I smiled like a dope before I could help it. It was from the wood-fire place he’d introduced me to when we were first dating, for lack of a better word. Over the years it became one of our favorite places to sneak off to when our schedules allowed, just to reminisce.
Come to think of it, he still owed me that trip to Naples…
“Margherita,” Misha said, setting one box in front of me and handing the second off to Ezra, “and pepperoni.”
“Do not get it on the ottoman,” I warned Ezra.
“Or the carpet,” Bri added, which was a good call. We’d already had to replace one area rug because Ezra’s habit of sharing his meals with Nadia led to some unsightly stains on the pale gray carpet.
“I’ll get napkins,” Misha said, disappearing back into the kitchen.
“And plates,” I added, getting up quickly to follow him. As soon as I caught up to him, I wrapped my arms around him from behind, running my hands over his stomach as I leaned up, pressing a kiss to the nape of his neck.
He covered my hands with one of his own, sighing softly.
“You didn’t have to, you know. Therearecloser pizza places,” I said, kissing his shoulder blade.
“I was feeling nostalgic,” he murmured, turning to face me with a smile.
“Everything ok?”
He nodded, pressing his lips to mine but pulling away far too soon for my liking. “Did you submit your paper?”
“Yeah.Just.” I blew out a breath and walked to the fridge, pulling out a couple of cans of pop while he got the napkins and plates. “Remind me why I thought it would be a good idea to cram a four-year degree into three years?”
“Because you’re ambitious. And the sooner you’re done with your bachelor’s, the sooner you move on to your master’s.”
