Page 173 of Cara
The airplane’s wings carve through the clouds, a sight that floods me with emotions.
“Sophie.”
I vaguely hear the seat rest recline before Xavier draws me close, pressing me against his chest.
Our hearts race in sync.
I clutch at his sweater, releasing a shaky breath. “Oh God,” I whisper, feeling the weight of our lives together.
Every heartbreak.
Every sacrifice.
The people we left behind.
The people we’re hoping to find.
Thomas.
The baby we couldn’t have.
Isabella.
I feel it all—the years I spent hating this man and the years I spent loving him. My body convulses with an intensity I can’t control, and I hide against his chest in a desperate attempt to stifle the sobs that surge painfully from somewhere deep within me.
Xavier’s arms envelop me like a shield, his hands tenderly holding my head. I can feel that he, too, is grappling with what we just accomplished as we sit together in this crowded, silent cabin.
“It’s alright,” he whispers. “It’s alright.”
I gasp his name. “Xavier.”
“I know.” He caresses my hair, nodding against me. “Baby, I know.”
I lift my head to peer at him in the dark. “We’refree.”
The words sink in as soon as I utter them.
He smiles softly, barely composed.
We’re alive. Together.Free.
Our lips meet, soft and cautious at first—then rougher as it becomes more difficult to breathe through my tears. When we break for air, he clasps my face, nuzzling me, exhaling as he tugs me tighter to him. I'm smiling, kissing his chin, his throat, anything within reach. “I love you.”
He breathes it back to me as if he can’t keep it in either. “I love you. God, I love you, Sophie.”
You’ll never be happy.
Vito’s curse doesn’t seem to reach me up this high.
My father. His father. The Mafia.
As New York vanishes completely from our window, the demons fade as well. I’m beaming, savoring the sensation of Xavier’s lips brushing against my forehead, gifting me nothing but love.
It’s as though Xavier can read my thoughts when he says, “We’ll be happy, Sophie.”
And for the first time in a long time, as we leave the past behind, I can genuinely believe it.
My eyes close.
