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I know exactly what she's trying to do - trying to make me tell her I love her again - and I oblige. “Because I love you.”
She leans in close. “One more time,” she whispers, her lips a fraction of an inch from mine, and I feel her sweet breath on my chin.
“I love you.” Before I can even finish saying the words, she presses her lips to mine.
Epilogue
Zoe
A glance at the bathroom mirror with a smile. Stuck to the glass is a post-it note that says I love you.
Gee, I wonder who could have written that? I can't believe that this is my life now. I'm in love with Damien and can't believe how lucky I am. He's everything I ever dreamed of and more. It feels like in such a short time since we disembarked from the cruise six months ago, we've been through so much together. We faced danger, betrayal, and loss. We uncovered the truth about his father's death and are watching the killer be brought to justice.
I still can't believe it was Max, the security guard. Damien's dad found out that he had been charging people to stay in the unused lower-level offices and giving a kickback to the janitorial crew to keep the secret. Faced with losing a lucrative side hustle, Max decided it was worth killing someone for.
I wonder if it's worth it now that he's in jail.
I wash my hands and leave the bathroom, walking out into the living room where the buzz of my friends’ voices fill the air. Though nobody stops talking, Damien’s gaze meets mine and he gives me a private smile. And I think about how we've supported one another through the hard times and celebrated the good moments.
And now here we are at my house with my friends, having fun and relaxing. This feels like any other game night, but it's also special because we're all together.
We're playing Scrabble and, of course, Cass and Ben are sticking with their funny words - I watch Cass play vag and Amy spells out irate. Ben seems lost, and finally plays boo, which prompts Cass to jolt and feign that he frightened her. I laugh, feeling loved, safe, and happy.
This group of people completes my life, and I can't imagine things being better than they are right now. I walk over and take my seat beside Damien, who's looking over his tiles.
“I'm pretty sure it's Damien's pick for movie night,” Ben says.
“Oh, that's easy. We're watching Titanic,” Damien says.
All of my friends turn to stare at me, as if we're all recalling the conversation where they were going to celebrate my relationship with Damien with a Titanic-themed party. I lift both shoulders and shake my head with a slight smile. He really is perfect for me.
The part that surprises me is that it hasn't come up how I feel about that movie, or how he feels about it, for that matter. But in this moment, I know for a fact that it's something we both love.
He leans into me and I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing my lips to his stubbly cheek. His focus leaves the game and turns to me as he kisses my lips, and Amy calls out Cass for playing an acronym.
“Okay, that's against the rules and you know it.”
Cass isn't letting this go without a fight, though, and turns to Amy. “Just because it's your rule doesn't mean it is a rule.”
Amy crosses her arms and gives Cass a mock annoyed look,
But Cass doesn't give a damn. “What are you going to do? Call your boyfriend on me? Where is he, anyway?”
“Use your phone. Look it up. The official rules say no acronyms.” Amy stands her ground and Cass mimics her words with sarcasm, and I giggle at their antics.
I’ve never been so happy. As his heat sinks into my skin, I inhale his spicy cologne and leather scent that’s a mix of sophistication and ruggedness that drives me crazy. Everything about this man drives me crazy.
As I meet his gaze, I catch him smiling. I swear he is the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on, and his smile is unparalleled, even by movie stars. The slight dimples in his cheeks make me melt and his bright blue eyes still leave me reeling. I love the sparkle of humor and wit in his eyes, and the way he makes me feel like we’re the only two people in the world sometimes.
He goes out of his way to make sure I feel loved, heard, and seen, and I love him so much. “Is that okay with you?” he asks.
“What?” I ask, lost. Not only does he not need to ask my permission for things, I have no idea what he's asking me permission for. I hope I haven't been just staring at him like a silly love-sick girl while he's trying to talk to me.
“If we watch Titanic?”
I hear Ben laugh. “She loves that movie. Now that you’ve shown a weakness, expect to watch it once a week.”
Damien doesn't take his eyes off me. “I can live with that.”
