Page 25 of The Hitman's Forbidden Obsession

It feels so right.

She feels so right.

“I love you,” I whisper again, kissing her throat. “Forever.”

“And I love you,” she says, her voice soft.

There’s a new note in it, though. A hint of worry.

“What’s wrong, angel?”

She bites her lip. “Victoria...”

“She’s not going to hurt you,” I promise. “Not now. Not ever. She’s not going to touch you, Avery. And neither is anybody else. I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you.”

She smiles. “My protector.”

“Always,” I say, without hesitation. “That’s my only purpose now. That, and filling you with plenty of babies in the future.”

She grins softly and leans in to press her mouth to mine, sealing the vow.

Epilogue

Avery

The early morning light filters through the sheer curtains, painting golden stripes across our bedroom walls. The world is still asleep, wrapped in silence, but I’m wide awake, curled on my side, watching the rise and fall of Dante’s chest beside me.

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps.

One big arm is thrown lazily across my waist, fingers curled possessively around the sheet like even in dreams, he’s holding on to me. His face is slack with rest, all that hard-edged intensity softened in sleep. But even now, he’s beautiful. My husband. My protector. My heart.

It’s been just over a year since the night everything shattered… and then was remade.

And I never once looked back. Dante never gave me a reason to.

From the moment I opened that motel room door, to the moment he slid a wedding ring onto my finger only four weeks later at a quiet lakeside wedding, he’s never let me question whether I made the right choice.

He’s never let me feel alone, or unsafe, or unloved.

Even when I’m wrapped in his arms, even when he’s got our daughter resting on his chest, I know his eyes are always open to the world. Watching. Guarding. Waiting for anything or anyone who might try to take what he calls his.

Victoria did file for divorce. And she disappeared not long after.

No one’s seen her in nearly a year, and part of me still braces for the day she might crawl out from under whatever rock she slithered to. But Dante’s always watching. He’s always ready. And she’s been smart enough to keep her distance.

It doesn’t haunt me anymore.

My dad was stunned when he was handed the divorce papers, but he still doesn’t know the truth about what Victoria did. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him, because I didn’t want him to think badly of Dante. Because that’s not who he is anymore. He’s changed, and I want my dad to love him almost as much as I do.

I breathe in deeply, soaking in this moment. This quiet, perfect morning. The man beside me. The family we’ve built.

My hand drifts down to my stomach, where I feel a flutter of nervous excitement. Because I think it’s happened. Again.

My period’s not even late yet, but my body feels familiar. The same soreness in my breasts. That same sleepy haze that’s been sitting behind my eyes all week.

And call it mother’s intuition, but I just know.

I slip out of bed quietly, careful not to wake him. He grumbles in his sleep but doesn’t stir. I smile to myself as I pad into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

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