Page 155 of The Defiant Curse

And that someone was him.

Because he desperately needed to, Ethan held her in his arms, and the kiss was more than an apology. It was also a promise.

He wouldn’t let her roam the world alone.

He’d follow her for a change.

This time, he’d let her lead, let her make a choice, and let her feel not so abandoned.

When he broke the kiss, he stared into her eyes.

“I came for you. I love you, Lyzee. I’ll always find you out in the world. I’ll always look for you. I found my faith. It was you all along.”

She sobbed that he understood.

That he got it.

Ethan didn’t let her wander alone. He came for her, despite the obstacles she’d put in place.

And he held her.

“Shhhh, I have you. I’m here.”

Yes, yes, he was.

As she cried, he let her. Instead of trying to convince her it would be okay and that she was strong, he let her be weak, like she let him all of those times she carried him.

Now, he’d do the same thing.

Because marriage wasn’t one person being strong. It was about both people being strong for each other.

As the tears were shed, he just cradled her against his body, giving her that place to hide. As the sobs slowed down, he reassured her.

“I’ll carry you now. Let me be the strong one for you since you’ve always been the strong one for me.”

This was exactly what she needed.

This was exactly what she’d wished for too.

“EJ,” she said. “How?”

He kissed away the tears and told her exactly how he’d done it.

“I didn’t stop looking for you. While you’re good at hide-and-seek, Gene isn’t as good at being as sneaky. Michael texted him that you’d arrived, and I saw it. That’s when I knew I had to slip away.”

She laughed.

Oh, and it was music to his ears. That was the laugh that entranced him almost sixteen years ago. In fact, in one week, it would be their sixteenth anniversary.

It appeared they would be spending it here, and together. That was absolutely perfect.

“I bet Ivan is losing his mind,” she admitted.

He was honest.

“He’ll deal with it, I hope. The bottom line was that he didn’t freak when Gene came back, and you weren’t with him. I mean, he wasn’t happy, but it felt performative. Now, though? I bet he’s losing it. I hope he doesn’t fire Raphael.”

The bottom line for Ethan was he wouldn’t let him do that. It wasn’t happening.