Page 101 of Echos and Empires
And in saving herself, she’d saved the life they had together.
Marcus had been just the beginning. The betrayal on the base, the impossible journey to the island, they survived it all. They’d come through it, through everything, through the danger and heartbreak and chaos, and now the future was as wide open as the ocean that surrounded them.
As wide open as the new life they’d find.
Emma sank to the floor, overwhelmed and overjoyed, barely able to process how much they’d overcome. She wrapped her arms around her knees, let the tears come, let the hope and disbelief and sweetness of it all fill her.
She thought of Chris and the certainty in his eyes, the way he made her believe they could do anything, be anything, survive anything. And she thought of the way he looked at her, the way he loved her, the way she knew he’d take the truth she gave him and make it into something new, something good. He was the first one to speak to her on the radio, and he was the first one she spoke to in the end. The last-minute twist, the final truth. She’d left him with more than he knew, more than he expected.
And then there was Liam. Liam, who made her feel safe and cherished and adored. Who was always her hero, who was always the first to save her when she needed saving, the first to hold her hand when things got bad, the first to let her see that life after the bombs could be beautiful. He’d take care of them. Of their family. He’d make sure it was everything she hoped it would be.
Alex with his impressive wit and undeniable charm. With the way he could make her feel like the only person in a room and always seemed to know just what she needed. He was the one that had helped her the most throughout the pregnancy.
William, who was the most sincere person she’d ever met. He was quiet and withdrawn, but when they were alone he was confident, determined. He took what he wanted and made no excuses for the need he felt for her. His eyes never missed anything, and he made certain she knew he saw everything and would always be there for her.
And finally, Bash. To the gruffness and fury he showed the world as if only his muscles mattered. To her he showed everything. He was the one she went to when the fear became overwhelming, when the strain of the past threatened to takeher down. He was the giant teddy bear who would wrap her in his arms and never let go. He’d saved her with his self defense training and more times than she could count. He was her strength.
It was impossible to imagine life without them. Without the men who showed up at the radio tower, who showed up again and again, even when the rest of the world crumbled around them. Without Chris and Liam and Alex and Bash and William, without the fierce determination and stubborn hope that made them fight for her, that made them fight for all of them.
Impossible, but she’d almost believed it would come to that.
The thought of losing them, the thought of not having this moment, this life, had haunted her. But now, it was as far away as her fear and uncertainty. It was as far away as the old Emma, the scared Emma, the one who never would have made it without them.
The new Emma. The one they’d saved, the one who saved them, the one who never would have believed it, was finally ready to live.
“You ready, Princess?” Bash asked, looking down at her with a smirk.
Emma took Bash’s hand, her legs barely able to hold her, barely able to stand under the weight of all they’d just done, all they’d just survived. They walked out of the transmission room, and when she saw the truck, she collapsed, unable to keep going, unable to keep the tears from coming. This was it. The end of the struggle. The end of the fear. The end of everything that had haunted her since she first picked up the radio and called for help.
The truth was out. Chris knew what he had to do. They’d make it back to the community and face whatever was waiting for them, and she’d be there to help them pick up the pieces.
She’d be there for all of it.
But now, this moment, this impossible, incredible moment, was theirs. She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe any of it. Step by step they made their way out into the sunshine. The Jeep was there. And Liam was there, running toward her, alive and whole and smiling like she’d never seen. He scooped her up, spun her around, held her so tight she thought she’d burst from the love that filled her, from the relief.
From the certainty that this was the beginning, not the end.
“You’re here,” she said, barely able to get the words out through the sobs that caught in her throat. “You’re really here.”
“You think I’d let anything happen to me when we’re this close?” Liam said, a teasing lilt in his voice, a glimmer in his eyes.
She laughed, a breathless, trembling laugh, and kissed him, her hands on his face, on the scar where the bullet grazed him, on the miracle of him being here, being alive.
“I was so scared,” she said, pressing her forehead to his, feeling the warmth of him, the realness.
“Me too,” he said, a low chuckle in his voice. “Not that I’d ever tell Chris.”
Chris.
Emma turned, frantic, wild with fear that the reunion would be too good to be true. But there he was, leaning on the truck, looking at her with the same intensity he always did, the same fire in his eyes.
The same love.
“Bash, get over here,” Liam shouted, and the others caught up, grabbed her, held her close, wrapped her in the safety of them, the life of them. It was too much. It was everything.
“Emma,” Chris said, the word filled with so much she thought she’d collapse again, thought she’d never stop crying. He took her from the others, held her tight, his body warm and solid and alive against hers. “You did it.”
“We did it,” she said, tasting the tears, tasting the joy.
