Her breaths grew shallow, and her heart pounded against her ribcage. She gave herself a mental pep talk and reached for the door handle. The second she got out of the car, the icy spray of rain soaked her straight to the bone. Pounding rain echoed in the open field. She pulled out her flashlight and clicked it on, maneuvering over branches and upturned tree roots, trudging through the grass, soaking wet and shaking.
Her boots made a swishing sound as she sloshed through giant puddles. A gust of torrential wind smacked her in the face, and the dread in her stomach returned full throttle. When she imagined her life without Nico, a stabbing pain pierced her heart. She’d always dreamed of a partner molded from the heavens, created by the gods themselves. Nico surpassed every one of her wildest fantasies. She refused to accept that their relationship was broken beyond repair.
Once Brooke made it to the tree, she shined the light on the initials carved into the bark. A part of her wanted to sink to the ground and bury her face in her hands and sob, but it wouldn’t do her any good. She needed to be strong and kick this curse’s ass, end this thing once and for all. Whatever cosmic forces that may be at work needed to play out tonight
She intended to wage a war against Mother Nature and the hand of fate, and prayed she’d be the one to come out on top. The roar of thunder seemed to amplify her conviction. Pulling out the letters from her backpack, she turned and glanced at the tree, shaking from head to toe.
“Please forgive me for what I did in a past life. Accept these letters as an offering, a symbol of my desire to break this curse and clear my karma, so I can set things right.”
Reaching inside the pocket of her rain slicker, her wet fingers closed over the lighter she’d slipped inside. When she tried to light the letters, the flame kept blowing out from the wind and rain. After several tries, she finally got the edge of the paper to light and then shielded the letters from the rain until they burned to ash, dropping them just before they could scorch her fingers. The wind whipped up the ashes floating through the air, sending them in every direction.
“Goodbye, Melinda. I’m using this as a symbolic offering for payment rendered. All I want is to break this curse for me and my future generations. Please, I can’t live this way anymore.” Brooke repeated the words until her soul cried out. When she thought about losing Nico forever, her world threatened to collapse into a pit of darkness.
Her heart felt like it might split in two and break apart. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to focus on happy memories with Nico, concentrating on every blissful detail.
“Come with me, my love and stay forever and a day,” she whispered the words over and over again. And then she heard her name on the wind. She figured she must be hallucinating.
“Brooke?” The voice called out again
This time the voice grew louder and more distinct. She turned and stared in the distance, her mouth falling open on a gasp. Nico ran toward her, sloshing over deep puddles. The sight of him stirred a deep yearning. Hope warmed her insides and almost made her forget about the chill.
“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“Do you think I’d leave you out here alone? I don’t want to lose you.” Nico grabbed her by the shoulders and squeezed. Rain poured from his lashes and pooled at his lip. His clothes were plastered to his large frame. “I told you, we’re in this together.”
Happy tears stung her eyes. “You do realize that the Aries in you has a knight in shining armor complex?” Some of the pain lifted from her heart.
“Maybe. I’m sorry for not believing you about the curse.” He wrapped his arms around her shivering body. “I saw a photo of Lucas at my uncle’s house. He’s my ancestor, Brooke.”
A chill that had zero to do with the rain slid down her spine. “It makes perfect sense.”
“You need to talk to me when things get rough. I can’t take it when you pull away from me.”
“I tried to tell you, Nico—”
Regret burned in his eyes. “You’re right, and I wouldn’t listen. I’m an ass.” His fingers touched her wet lips. “After I told you about my divorce, you asked me what brought back my faith in humanity and allowed me to trust again. It was my hope of opening my restaurant and following my dream, but it was also putting my trust in people again, and the one person I’ve put all of my trust in is you.”
Her heart turned over. “You’re such a romantic. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”
“Whoa, what did you say? Did I hear you right?” Tilting her chin up, a wide smile played across his lips.
Tears welled in her eyes. “The only thing I can think of to break the curse is to declare our love, here at the tree.” The truth of her words tore through her with the force of the gusting wind. “The answer’s been inside me all along.”
Nico bent his head and sealed his lips over hers in a blistering kiss that stole her breath. His tongue flicked into her mouth and danced with hers in lush, hot sweeps. She tasted her future…her forever. Brooke reached up on her tiptoes and wound her arms around his neck, digging her fingers into his wet hair to bring him closer. His erection pressed against her thigh and a deep longing spread to every part of her body. Tears poured from her eyes and mixed with the rain. The idea of never having Nico again left her shaking. The storm continued to unfold around them, but nothing else seemed to matter.
Tilting her chin up, his tongue plunged deeper. She moaned into his mouth and flicked against it with deep strokes of her own. And then her mind hazed with need, thinking she’d never get the chance to taste the man she loved again.
The kiss raged on like the storm. Nico’s lips never left hers, not even to draw in breath, as though he feared breaking the kiss might end things forever.
Brooke pulled back, breathless. “I love you, Nico Denopoulos, with all my heart and soul. I love your humor and your creativity. I love your kisses and your passion for life. I love the way you make me feel when I’m with you. I’ve never known real love before you. I’ve always been afraid to lay my heart on the line, but not anymore. You’re my forever.”
Cupping her face in his hands, Nico brushed his thumb over her wet cheek. “I love you, Brooke Howe, with all my heart, and with each day my love has grown and blossomed bigger than this damn tree. I love that you’re kind and courageous. I love the sound of your laugh. You’ve made me better in every way possible. You see me for who I am. You understand me in a way that no one else ever has. What I feel for you…hell, it’s all consuming. I tried to find someone I could spend my life with and that someone is you. I love you with every breath in my body. You’re my soulmate.” A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, right next to the tree like a sign from above.
“Nico…” Brooke surrendered to the power of his words.
“No curse will ever have the power to make me forget you,” he murmured. “You’re woven into my soul.”
More tears ran down her cheeks at his beautiful words. “I love you.” Through the corner of her eye, Brooke caught a glimpse of a blue light circling around them. The light grew brighter then shot into the sky. “Something’s happening.”