Fallen Hero (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 3)

“Get up,” Elspeth urged. When he was upright again, she slid her arms around his shoulders.

“You still haven’t answered me,” Aaron chided.

She smirked at him. “You haven’t asked me anything yet.”

Aaron stared at her and replayed the last several minutes. With a theatrical wince, he sighed and tried to kneel again.

“No. No. No.”

“Look, will you marry me? I love you, adore you, and have for years. I think that’s why my friends all came with me to your rescue. They knew what a mess I was when I learned you were all alone, and grieving. I think they worried I wouldn’t get here in one piece. You have always had the ability to render me completely distracted whenever your name is mentioned. I just cannot live without you in my life. Will you? Will you be my wife?”

“I cannot think of anything I want more,” Elspeth breathed.

“Forever?” he pleaded.

“Together forever,” she promised, and sealed it with a very loving kiss.

EPILOGUE

One month later

Elspeth watched the coffin being lowered into the ground and clutched at her husband’s hand as she was assaulted with memories of that painful day three months ago. It had been one of the worst days of her life, while at the same time, unbeknown to her, a pivotal turning point in her life that had brought about many changes, the first and most important of which was standing right beside her: Aaron.

She looked up at her husband and smiled when he winked at her. He had also spent the last month busy, and in his own way coming to terms with the real death of his friend. However, neither of them felt any real grief because neither of them really felt as if they had known who Thomas was when he had taken his own life in the graveyard a few short weeks ago.

“Are you all right?” he murmured when they had thanked the vicar and were watching the grave diggers work to fill the grave.

“I am fine,” she replied with a soft smile. “I will just be happy to get home again.”

“Do you miss it here?” Aaron asked.

Elspeth looked all about them and contemplated his question. “No. I don’t. Not really. It has memories of the past here, but it isn’t who I am now. There was something that changed within me through that time of destitution. I don’t know what it was. At the time, I was angry and frustrated that I could be plunged into such a pit of despair by life so unexpectedly. It made me want to not only fight but strive for something more. Only at that time, I had no idea how much I would need to fight to have the future I wanted. I think I knew, even back then, that it was you I wanted to be with. I just had no idea that you cared.”

“Well, I do,” Aaron said. “I wish now I had told you sooner.”

“I doubt it would have changed anything really,” Elspeth replied.

“How so?”

“You always worked. One thing Thomas did always grumble about was just how hard you were to get hold of. He was always chuntering that trying to speak to you was like trying to talk to God,” Elspeth sighed. “When you think about it, if Thomas had been here, and the person we thought he was, we would have had to have a long courtship, undoubtedly extended because of your work. I could have been old and grey before you ever got around to proposing, even if you survived your job with the Star Elite.”

Aaron caught the rueful chiding in her eyes and burst out laughing.

“I suppose so. Then we would have had to walk each other down the aisle – slowly. Very, very, slowly,” Aaron mused with a thoughtful nod.

“At least this way we get a lifetime together,” Elspeth replied.

She threw him a loving smile and snuggled against him when he slid an arm around her to haul her closer.

“Well, he is definitely at rest now,” she sighed when she looked over her husband’s shoulder at the grave. She took one last look at the grave site and turned away. “I don’t know about you, but I never want to set eyes on this place again.”

“We will all be glad to put this place behind us, eh, Aaron?” Sir Hugo said as he came to join them.

“Thank you for coming,” Elspeth murmured warmly. “I know it was a long journey.”

“We all offer our condolences, my dear,” Sir Hugo smiled. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but he will be missed, it will just take time to come to terms with what really happened.”

“There is one good to come out of it,” Aaron murmured lovingly with his gaze fixed firmly on his new wife. He couldn’t prevent his proud smile from breaking out, despite the drizzle and chill wind whipping around them.