Page 24 of Forever Oblivion

“Well, you know how you planned the wedding, so I set up the honeymoon?”

I set her on her feet, holding her waist. “Yeah. You finally going to tell me where we’re going?”

“How are your mountain-climbing skills?”

My jaw dropped. “Really?” I whispered.

She nodded. “I’ve always wanted you to see the village.”

“Yes!” I fist-pumped. I turned back to face our wedding party. “Aya’s taking me to Nepal!”

She chuckled. “On top of a mountain. Take that, paparazzi.”

“Good idea,” Cam said, looking a bit haggard. He muttered something about vultures before bending down to kiss his wife. He glanced up as the helicopter made another pass.

“How long are y’all staying?” he asked.

“Two weeks.”

Cam narrowed his eyes. “Make it a month, cuz we might join you.”

11

Aya

We stared into each other’s eyes as we danced. Nash’s internal rhythm lent itself well to physical coordination, and he led me in the foxtrot with such ease. I’d had no idea he knew how to ballroom dance.

“What are you thinking, pretty girl?”

I slid in closer, and those gorgeous eyes flashed with the fire of his passion. “I worry you’ll just disappear, as you did in my teenage dreams.”

He pressed his lips to my temple, both whisper-soft and so incredibly grounding. He pulled back and stopped dancing, not caring that our guests were staring at us during what should have been our first dance. He clasped my cheeks with his big hands, calluses rough and perfect against my cheekbones.

“I make you this vow, Aya, and it’s more important than the ones I promised in front of our friends and family earlier: I will find you no matter where you go. If you die, I’ll follow you like that Greek dude did.”

I laughed even as tears filled my eyes. “Orpheus.”

“How you remember those stories and names is beyond me,” he said, love shining from his every feature.

I beamed back at him.

“I mean it, Ay. No matter what. You’re my every breath. The reason my heart beats.” He dipped down until we were exactly eye to eye. “We’ve proved we’re an epic fucking love story, and I will not ever, ever lose you again.”

I kissed him. He groaned before he ravished my mouth with such single focus, I forgot our audience until they began to catcall and cheer.

Nash kept his hands on my waist as he lifted me back upright, making sure I was stable. Then he looked over at his buddies on the stage. “Guess you’ll need to play our song again.”

They laughed before they started the tune at the top. I abandoned the traditional dance posture and wrapped my arms around Nash. He embraced me just as tightly, and his heart thudded in time with mine as he whispered the story of our future in my ear.

Coda

Nash

A Few Years Later

* * *

I took a photo of Aya and our son, Levi, working on a sandcastle. Her rounded belly was covered with sand, and I’d catch hell for that later because I’d been the one to suggest the bikini. It was tiny and red, and I loved seeing my daughter undulate under Aya’s tanned skin.

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