“Darling, knowing you the way I do, your stories would be nothing short of incredible. You’re the most amazing woman I know. Nothing in this world will stop you from living your dreams. You inspire me to live mine. I love you, Aggie.”
Softly, she pressed a kiss to his jaw. “Thank you, Jude. I love you, too.” Her heart flooded with emotion, her soul was saturated.
“And we’ll distribute them around the world, wherever we feel like it.”
“Even where people don’t speak English?”
“Even there. They can translate them.”
“Oh my, how exciting.”
“It’ll be an adventure.”
“Our lifelong adventure.”
“Mmmm…that indeed.”
“I can’t wait, Jude.”
“Agatha,” he murmured in her ear, “Our future holds so many unopened treasures. Let’s go find them together.”
And she knew, this was the greatest experience she could ever have. Love.
Epilogue
A Little While Later
“WHY DO YOU LOVE me?” Agatha rested her head against Jude’s smooth chest.
“Why would you ask me that?”
She shrugged. “You don’t think I’m too domineering?”
“No,” Jude chuckled. “The only way for a woman to land me as their husband was to be a force to be reckoned with. There was only reckoning with you.” His torso shook lightly in mirth. “A softer woman would not have been able to tame me. I need a woman who can challenge me. A woman I can trust on this ship. With my crew. A woman willing to do whatever it takes.”
“But,” she nibbled on her lip, “I drugged you. Twice.”
“That you did. I probably deserved it from some past mistakes.” She watched him scratch his jaw. “Though I am wondering at the necessity of the second incident. Was it really the best course of action?”
“I just needed time to think. I needed to hatch a plan, and I couldn’t do it with you commandeering the ship, and trying to commandeer me at the same time.”
“I see. So you just wanted me out of the picture for a few minutes?”
“We’re on a boat. There aren’t many options other than tying you up.”
“I think I might have preferred that option.” He placed a gentle kiss on her temple.
“You would have broken free, I’m sure.”
“Possibly.”
They lay in silence for a few minutes while Agatha pondered her life. She never would have imagined ending up here with a husband like Jude. But there were still a few niggling questions in her mind.
“You don’t think I’ve turned into my mother, do you?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I will say this. You were raised by the most controlling woman on the planet. Maybe the only way for you to break out of that was to assert control in your own life. Did you tow the line? Did you cross the line? I don’t really know. But I guarantee you that it’s the only way to have gotten to me. I don’t go weak in the knees, darling. But you took me out at the knees and when I looked up into your face, I knew you were the one for me. It took me a while to accept that fact. Though really, what’s a day or two? Not long.”
“When did you know I was the one for you?”
