“I would like that very much,” she says, knowing what this means.
I cup her face with my hands, and she leans her cheek into the palm of my hand. “I want to thank you, thank Queenie, for saving me. You will always be my saving grace, my avenging angel. If it wasn't for you, I know for a fact I would have found a way to end my pain for good.” A tear slips from my eyes, hers growing glassy as well. “I owe you my life.”
“You owe me nothing, Sam. As long as I’m living, you will never be owned again. You are free to be you, to live your life exactly how you want. And if anyone tries to change that, I will kill them.” Her eyes are serious, and I know she means it. It makes me love her even more.
“It’s a good thing I chose you, Axel, and this family.” I lean down and brush my nose to hers, inhaling her cinnamon scent.
“A very good thing,” she says against my lips before I press the softest kiss to hers. But this kiss? It’s everything to me. I chose this kiss, no one forced it. So many things run through my mind, but the biggest thing that stands out to me is how much I love this woman.
“Thank you,” I tell her, pulling away from the kiss. My lips tingle from the taste of her. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough. “Thank you for proving me wrong when I swore I would never trust another person as long as I lived. That I would never find someone who would love me after the life I endured.” I turn to Axel who's sitting on the bed watching, his eyes filled with pain, love, and so much more. “And you too.”
“Always,” he growls, sending a shiver through my body I’m almost sure Harlow could feel. “We will always remind you of your worth.”
My breath catches at how much he means those words.
“What the big, hairy man said.” Harlow grins, leaning in to peck a kiss on my lips. “Get some sleep,” she tells me before saying goodnight and taking off, leaving me alone with Axel.
“Did all this really just happen? Please don’t tell me I’m gonna wake up and find out all this was a dream.” I look towards Axel with pleading eyes. I’m so used to things going horribly wrong in my life that this, something so damn good it hurts, seems too far fetched to be real.
“It’s real,” Axel tells me, his voice a low grumble. “We're real. We love you, Sam.”
“I love you too.” I look up at him with blurry eyes. “A part of me doesn’t want to, my brain tells me to run, to shut down because how can anyone love such a fucked up damaged person.”
“Don’t think like that,” Axel growls, stepping forward to cup my face. “Your past doesn't define you. This does.” He points to my heart.
“I really don’t know if I’ll be able to give you a normal relationship,” I tell him, feeling so out of my depth here.
“Normal?” he chuckles, brushing his thumb against my cheek. “We don’t do normal here.”