Page 111 of Nemesis
I can’t wait for the little family we’ve created, I thought to myself as I rubbed my belly.
EPILOGUE
THEO - 6 MONTHS LATER
Acrack of thunder pierced through the silence, and I blinked sleepily as lightning flashed through the room.
I looked down at Sofia next to me. She was curled on her side, tucked into me, her back plastered against my front as one of my arms rested around her waist.
The rain battered against the windowpanes and I felt Sofia breathing so peacefully next to me, still sound asleep, her dark curls swept over the top of her pink silk pillow.
My fingers skated over her belly, an indescribable happiness washing over me. It had been a little over six months since she’d surprised me on our anniversary, announcing that she was pregnant with our first child.
My chest tightened every time I looked at her growing a life we’d created together. I’d always been in awe of her and found her more mesmerizing by the day.
I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by how lucky I was. I could barely wrap my head around all of this being real. We’d been married for almost three years and calling all of this mine was still pure bliss every time I realized it.
Mine.
Mywife.
The houseIbuilt forus.
Ourfamily.
After we found out she was pregnant, we finally went back to where she’d grown up and laid her parents to rest. It was the first time she’d seen her parents’ graves. She hadn’t had the ability before since we’d put her in protective custody right away and once she’d left, going back to Bal El Mansour would have been too risky.
We had a small funeral with just the two of us. She’d sat on the grass, staring at her parents’ headstone the whole day, talking to them. Since I’d been here before to ask for their daughter’s hand, I stood a few feet back, giving her the space I knew she’d need while still being not too far if ever she needed me.
The sun had been slowly setting down when she’d gotten up and we’d driven back to our hotel. The day had finally set in a few hours later when we’d been in bed and I’d spent the rest of it holding her as she’d cried and sobbed into my chest, sad over what was and what could’ve been.
It hadn’t been easy for her, and even though I’d done anything I could to help her through her grief, I’d known the what-ifs would be something that would still flicker in the back of her mind.
It wasn’t easy knowing that sometimes there was nothing I could do, but she always told me that me being there was more than enough and I just had to believe her.
A few months after Morales’s death became old news, she started working at the center she’d volunteered at during their marriage. I knew it made her happy to be there for them because I could see the joy on her face every day when she came home.
Some days came with their obstacles, but for the most part, the last few years with her by my side had been the greatest years of my life.
She stirred next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. Her body slid against mine, the white T-shirt she was wearing riding up, revealing her to me.
The room was dark except for the moonlight making the rain shimmer on our bedroom walls, showcasing the outline of her bare ass.
I squeezed her hip as she ground against my growing erection and my name escaped her lips on a moan, eliciting a deep desire in my chest.
Even after all these years, the want to possess her, to mark her, toclaimher never tamed down. I still couldn’t stop reaching for her when she was close, and I looked forward to crawling back into bed at night, knowing I would get to sleep and wake up next to her for another day.
I still wanted her now just as much as I’d wanted her ten years ago.
“Theo,” she breathed out on a soft sigh, rolling against me again.
“Mmm,” I said against the crown of her head, but she didn’t answer.
She was still asleep and was probably having one of her dreams. She’d been having them more often these last few weeks, and I wasn’t complaining.
My mouth latched onto the nape of her neck, kissing it softly as I glided my hand under the front of her shirt, up her stomach, and through the valley between her breasts.
I cupped them alternatively, my fingers toying with her nipples. I knew they’d been more sensitive recently, so I traded between squeezing and pinching them.
