I shake my head. “I don’t know. This is all so messed up, Rafe. None of this is supposed to happen like this.”
“You have my love. Always. Yes, you have a child you should never have been able to have. That’s a blessing.” He kisses the inside of my wrist. “How many times do we have to do this before you finally realize, avecita?”
“Realize what?”
He kisses up my arm, his teeth scraping over my skin. “That you are mine. Every part of you. Including her.” He gently brushes his fingers over her hair and my chest tightens.
“Be sure that you mean that, Rafe.”
“Little warrior, it’s never changed. Not since the day I took you from that dirty bar.” He grasps my face is both hands and kisses me. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. And now her.”
“I love you,” I breathe against his lips.
“I love you too, little warrior.” I smile, because for the first time ever, I feel complete. Safe. Loved. It’s all over-shadowed by the lingering sense of guilt in the pit of my stomach, but honestly, I’m not sure that will ever go away. And it shouldn’t. I should carry the weight of those girls’ deaths to my grave. That is the choice I made. Even if I wouldn’t take it back. “What are you going to call her?” Rafael asks.
I glance down at her sleeping peacefully. Rafael places his large hand on her chest, his tanned, tattooed skin contrasting wildly with the milky purity of hers.
“Violet,” I whisper. I hear his breath audibly hitch and his hand still against her chest.
“Violet.’ He places a kiss on her head. “I won’t let you down, little one,” he vows.
Epilogue
One month later
Warm breath rushes over my back, followed by the feather-light brush of a kiss. Groaning, I roll over, trying to cling to just a few seconds more of precious sleep. Violet was up all night, and I feel like a zombie.
“Avecita,” Rafe breathes against my neck before raking his teeth over my skin. I shiver and smile.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“Early.”
I flip onto my back and blink my eyes open, looking up at him. “What’s wrong? Are you going somewhere?”
“No. We are.”
“What?” My brain can’t function right now.
“Get dressed, little warrior. Wear something nice.” He kisses my forehead and stands. I sit up, clutching the sheet to my chest as I watch him walk out. What is he doing?
After I’ve showered, I put on a pale pink summer dress and some sandals. I leave the room and move through the house, looking for everyone else, but aside from the security, the house seems strangely silent. The guys bantering in the kitchen, Bella cooking over the stove…it’s all absent. I start to get edgy, but then I find Rafael in the foyer. Waiting.
“What’s going on? Where is everyone? Where’s Violet?”
He smiles and places his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me close. “You look beautiful.”
“Rafe…”
“Patience, avecita.”
Taking my hand, he leads me out the front door and around the side of the house. There, on the lawn, is a helicopter.
I smile. “You can’t just be normal and have a car?”
“I could…”
He helps me into the passenger seat, and even though he’s smiling, he seems tense. He gets inside and fires up the engines, lifting the chopper off the ground. We stay low, flying over the scorched desert. And when we land, I know exactly where we are. I catch sight of the lake over the ridge, just before he lowers us to the ground.
“Is this a date?” I ask on a smile.
“Something like that.”
I open the door, and my feet touch the hot sand. Rafael rounds the front of the chopper and holds a piece of material up in front of me.
“What is that?”
“A blindfold.” I fold my arms over my chest. “Really?” He wants me to wear a blindfold down the path that’s dangerous at the best of times.
“Don’t you trust me, baby?” he grins.
“Fine.” I turn around and he places the material over my eyes, before sweeping me off my feet. I squeak as he pulls me against his chest.
“Rafe!”
He laughs. “Patience.”
I feel him navigate the steep path that runs down to the lake and I hold onto him tightly, knowing how hazardous the descent can be. He finally puts me down and steps back. Reaching behind my head, I untie the blindfold, blinking spots away from my eyes in the suddenly bright sunlight. When I can finally see again, Rafael is in front of me, on one knee.
I frown at him. “What are you doing?”
He holds something up in front of him, and I squint at it. A ring. “Avecita, marry me.” My heart trips and I stare in wide eyed disbelief.
“What?”
He smiles. “I’m not taking no for an answer, so I suggest you say yes.”