I headed outside, lifting my skirts and watching my feet as I carefully made my way down the steps. As my train dragged across the pavement and through all kinds of dirt and grime, I was chastising myself for not knowing how to tell this man no a little better.
My gaze lifted, and my heart stopped.
When my pulse started back up, it drummed in my ears and stole my breath.
Amongst cracked pavement, the fading sound of sirens, and the taste of urban air, the yellow lights of a carousel blinked bright beneath the overcast sky. It sat static, alone and beautiful.
I walked closer, the train of my dress forgotten. My eyes burned, and a tear slipped down my cheek. Nico’s familiar presence brushed my back.
The first drops of rain fell from the sky and they chimed like music off the golden carousel.
His deep voice slipped into my thoughts. “Do you like it?”
Do I like it?
Slowly, I turned to look at him. Confusion passed through his eyes when he saw my expression. “What’s wrong?” He brushed the tear from my cheek.
The rain was warm and light, and I blinked it off my eyelashes.
“I love you,” I breathed.
His gaze burned around the edges, as the mantra of my pulse filled the space between us.
Love me too. Love me forever.
He stepped forward until his tux brushed my dress, slid his hand to my nape, and pressed his words to my ear. “And I love you, Elena Russo.”
Nico might have been a bad man, but where he lacked in morals, he more than made up for as a husband.
He loved me forever.
The End