Page 148 of Bottles & Blades

We hit the elevator, and when the doors close, I brush my lips over Tiff’s forehead and start fulfilling my promise of that bright and beautiful life.

Today started great. It had a shit middle. But I’m going to make sure it ends exactly as we like.

Together.

With love.

And…

With laughter.

I tug a strand of her hair. “You should have bet Stefan a thousand, baby.”

But, just like every other time, what she gives me back is better.

Her laughter settles deep in my heart.

The love in her eyes heals the rift in my soul.

And when she smiles, I know the nightmares will stay away. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

I knowI’llremember it forever.

Epilogue

Tiff

The long stringof Italian cuts off and the room goes quiet, as though bracing.

But I only have my eyes on one person.

Jean-Mi.

He’s sitting two chairs over, Marie between us, both of them reviewing a proposal that’s just been brought into the room.

This meeting is supposed to be about setting up a European base of operations here in Florence.

That’s not going to happen.

Because these men, the ones sitting across the table, handsome like most Italian men, are trying to fuck us over.

I lift my brow, shake my head minutely.

Jean-Mi picks up on it in an instant.

My Italian isn’t perfect—and I jumped on the chance to get some real life practice by joining in on this trip—but it’s good enough to tease out the men sitting across from us are trying to take advantage of Titan.

They literally said as much.

“Right,” Jean-Mi says, pushing back his chair and standing. “I think we’re done here.”

Marie and I follow suit.

The men on the other side of the table still, but only for a moment. Then they’re on their feet, moving toward us with wide eyes, probably wondering why the meeting is suddenly over when, by their accounts, their fuckery was working.

The next minutes are filled with us heading out of the building, the trio of men following and slowing us down, trying to court us back into the conference room, and then finally…

Me demonstrating my Italian.

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