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I sigh, giving him an exaggerated look of sorrow. “Bad news, dickhead,” I say, shaking my head dramatically. “You’re related to me.”
Damian’s eyes go wide, then his face splits into a massive grin. “No fucking way!” he whoops, rushing over to me and grabbing me in a bear hug. He spins me around in a circle, laughing like an overgrown child.
“Damian!” I squeal, swatting at him as he sets me back on my feet, but I’m grinning like an idiot too.
“Well you’re fucking stuck with me now!” he teases, laughing and ruffling my hair in a way that’sfartoo brotherly for my taste, but right now I don’t care.
As I’m fixing my hair, the door swings open again and Mal strides in, his expression turning lethal when he sees Damian’s arm still slung around my shoulders. He glares, that ultra-possessive look flashing in his eyes. I roll mine in response.
“Relax,” I say with a smirk, patting Damian’s arm. “We’re related now. First cousins.”
“Yeah, psycho boyfriend,” Damian says with a smug look, “I’m family now, so you’ll just have to deal with it.”
Mal scowls as he crosses the room to me. “Doesn’t mean I have tolikedealing with it,” he grumbles under his breath, slipping his hand into mine and pulling me possessively away from Damian and into him.
I look between the two of them, a strange warmth spreading through my chest. It’s the most surreal family reunion I could ever imagine, but somehow, it’s perfect.
“Well,” Kir says, clearing his throat. “Now that we’ve established our new family dynamic, I vote we move on to the part where we don’t nearly die on a daily basis.”
“Says thePakhanof Bratva criminal empire,” I mutter.
Kir chuckles just as the door opens again. I grin when I look up and see Annika and Kenzo.
“Couldn’t help but overhear. I second the not dying on a daily basis part,” Annika calls from the doorway. “I think we’ve had enough of that shit for a lifetime.”
Mal glances down at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips before his eyes darken with something more, something private. “You ready?” he asks quietly, his voice husky.
I nod, my heart fluttering. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
He pulls me close, pressing a kiss to my temple before he lets me go. I turn and hug Damian—much, I’m sure, to Mal’s chagrin—even though I’ll be seeing my cousin in a few weeks when he and Kir fly out to join Mal and I in Kyoto for business.
Kir—Dad?—and I hug for a long, long time.
“I’ve always been proud of you,” he says quietly. “Now I just get to take a little credit for it.”
I laugh, smiling up at him. “You’re visiting soon…”
“Yeah,” he says softly. “When I do, maybe we could...”
“Do daddy-daughter stuff?”
“Whatever the fuckthatis,” he grunts, smiling. “Yeah. I’m in.”
Mal takes my hand again and guides me insistently toward the door. Annika gives me a knowing look as we pass her and Kenzo, and a soft blush rises to my cheeks.
This life we’re all building together is messy. It’s complicated, and chaotic. But it’s filled with people who matter. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
As we step into the elevator to leave for the airport, to fly to Japan and the rest of our lives, I glance up at Mal. His jaw is set, his eyes focused. But there’s a softness to him now that wasn’t there before.
He catches me looking and smirks. “What?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Nothing,” I whisper, leaning into him. “Just… I love you.”
He pulls me closer. “And I love you too. Always.”
And then his lips crash to mine, lifting me off my toes as the elevator doors slide closed, taking us into the future.
Together.
