We explored the rest of the house once the food was packed away, finding a window at the top of the stairs with a stunning view of the mountains. The sun was throwing rays across the landscape, the trees and foliage glowing with it. Theo wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my head, letting me sink back onto him, soak in his warmth as the cottage heated up. We’d driven so long to get here, worked so hard to feel at ease.
“I love you,” he said. “As long as it’s us, I’ll be happy with anything.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “I mean, I want to see the wild deer, but I love you just as much.”
He laughed and gave me a playful squeeze.
We’d be okay.
Epilogue
Violet
Eightyearslater
We didn’t stay in the UK. We couldn’t. There was too much controversy about our family, too many eyes on us to stop us living how we wanted.
Even in the depths of the Scottish Highlands or the Welsh valleys, folk recognized us. Turns out, a huge chunk of a wealthy family burning to death, then the survivors selling everything and disappearing, made the general public curious.
So we moved to a different country again. After spending nine months trying to make the UK work, we decided a fresh start was needed. Again.
No one gave a shit about our family in Portugal. We lived in a villa in Porto, one we bought out-right with the money we’d gained from selling all the assets we could, and then we spent maybe four years just existing and rebuilding ourselves.
Enjoying nightlife for the first time, settling into a life we could choose. And choose we did. We chose each other over and over. Even when things were hard, when nightmares made me wake up screaming or guilt sent Theo into a shame spiral, we chose each other.
Eight years of choosing each other.
“Happy birthday, love,” I muttered, kissing Theo on the cheek to rouse him. We had a busy day planned to celebrate the arrival of his thirties. He groaned, but tugged me into him, laying sleepy kisses over my face.
“Thank you,” he said with his sleep husked voice, sending shivers down my spine.
One thing we’d never grown tired of was exploring each other’s bodies, learning what made the other tick, or not, and absorbing every second.
“Mm,” I sighed, pressing my heated body deeper into his. Porto was warm for us. It was by no means extreme, but being used to the English climate, never coming near freezing was something we had to learn to get comfortable with.
And now, here we were in December, snuggled under a duvet I would have kicked off years ago, relishing the quiet of the city before everyone woke up.
“You’re insatiable,” Theo said, waking up as I ran my hand down his body, grazing over the area his new tattoo was still healing. I had some too now.
Nothing with meaning, just mindless decorations and images I liked. In the eight years we’d been here, I’d cut my hair, let it grow back out again, dyed it a rainbow of colors, pierced my nose and eyebrow, taken the eyebrow piercing out when it got infected, and tattooed my body on many whims. Birds, flowers, song lyrics and pretty patterns, whatever I wanted.
No one to be prim and proper for, it was freeing. The frog on my ankle would be with me forever, but who cared?
“All I ever want is you,” I whispered, and his hand moved down my back. He squeezed my ass cheeks hard, making me yelp in surprise.
We both froze at the sound. “Wait,” I murmured, trying not to laugh. “Maybe she didn’t hear…”
We stared each other in the eyes, humor making his twinkle. The sun was only just starting to warm the darkness away, and she wasn’t usually up before the sunbeam hit the perfect section of her pillow…
I pouted at the click clack of our dog, Nelly’s, nails as she made her slow way to us from her spot in the hall.
“I suppose I’ll let her out then, birthday boy,” I grumbled, beginning to climb out of bed. Theo grabbed me back, making me laugh and yelp as he nuzzled into my neck.
“Don’t go,” he said into my skin. “She can wait.”
“She’s an old girl.” I batted him away. “She can’t wait.”
We’d adopted Nelly and her best friend Gruff from a rescue seven years ago, and while Gruff slept through everything in his advanced age, the slightest disturbance had his big sister wandering, seeking us out. They’d been older when we got them, and though we didn’t know their exact ages, were definitely in their last years now.
