He shrugs, smiling. "Ridiculous but true. And the reason I was going crazy, scratching to get in the cabin that night is my wolf had already chosen you as my life mate. He needed to seal the deal or else he'd go moon mad."
I roll my eyes, laughing. "And I'm not given a choice in the matter."
Charlie sobers. "Of course, you are. If you tell me to go away, I'll…" He rubs his forehead. "Well, actually, I'm not sure I can leave you now, angel. But I would do my best if you insisted."
I've never felt so light in my life. The man I thought would never settle down, could never be pinned to one place or person is telling me he'll never leave. It's more than I ever hoped for. I choke up.
"Charlie…"
He studies my face, his body language changing slightly, drawing back. "It's okay. I won't hold you to anything. I promise."
"No." I shake my head. "I have to bear these scars." I touch my shoulder where he bit me. "You damn well better stick around."
"Yeah?" I've never seen such a wide grin on his face. It's spectacular.
"Yeah. I've always wanted my very own secret agent man. Now I have one."
"At your service," he murmurs, looping one arm around my waist and drawing my body right up against his.
"Did you really quit?"
He nods. "Yeah. It would be hard to keep watch over you if they were constantly sending me all over the globe on missions.
"What will you do for work?"
He shrugs. "I have plenty of money. We don't have to work unless you want to."
I blink up at him in surprise. "H-how?"
"Secret agent salaries can be pretty flexible, considering the job and risk involved. And my living expenses have been paid for since the day I enlisted. All my money has been in offshore accounts, growing interest. We're rich."
He said we.
There's a we.
I can hardly believe it. "We are?"
"Rich enough. Where do you want to live, angel?"
"I don't care," I answer without thought. "As long as I'm with you."
EPILOGUE
Charlie
ANNABEL and I slide in behind Sarah and Grady on the Space Mountain ride. Taking them to Disneyland was the first thing Annabel wanted to do when we left D. C. I guess she's been promising a family trip for years.
I'm loving it. Every slice of apple pie Americana I get feels like I've won the lottery. It's the life I never thought I'd have-the cotton candy, the girl, the kid. Well, he's not ours, but a nephew is close enough.
And I'm all about getting to know Annabel's family. I want to absorb everything that is Annabel for the rest of my life.
After this, we're going to Kentucky to visit my mom. Hopefully, she won't have a heart attack when she finds out I'm still alive. I want to hear from her the story about my dad-everything she knows. And I want to make up for the years I stole from her. Well, I probably can't ever do that, but I'm going to try my best.
The ride starts up, the roller coaster sliding over the tracks. "You're not going to scream like a girl, are you?" Annabel asks me. She's dyed her hair back to the dark auburn I love so much. I burrow my fingers into it and massage the back of her head.
"Oh, assuredly." I grin like an idiot.
"I am, too," Sarah says, putting her arms in the air and pasting on the terrified/excited face she'll be wearing for real in a few seconds.
The cars streak off into the darkness, and I turn Annabel's face toward mind, capturing a bumpy, breathless kiss.
"This is what it's always like with you," she shouts over the rattle of the tracks and the screams of the passengers.
"What?" I shout back.
"A rollercoaster ride I don't want to end."
I capture her face with both hands and find her mouth again, holding my lips against hers while we ride over the bumps and turns.
Same here, sweetheart.
Same here.
Epilogue II
Annabel
THIS IS the most tense I've seen Charlie. I find it fascinating and somewhat swoon-worthy that the guy doesn't flinch in life or death situations, it's the emotional ones that get him.
And yeah, showing up to tell your mom you're not actually dead must be a doozy.
We drive to a beautiful but rustic cabin-style mountain home and get out of the SUV we rented in Lexington.
"Wow, is this the house you grew up in?" I ask before I realize it's probably too new for that.
Charlie doesn't take his eyes off the structure as he shakes his head. "They arranged a big pension payout for her when I died. It was part of our negotiations."
Oh God-he died. This woman grieved her only son. What will she think when we just show up at her door?
The door opens, and a slender woman in her early fifties comes out, suspicion crawling over her expression.
We walk toward the house, but every step seems to take forever.
"Forgive me, mama," Charlie says, but he doesn't speak loud enough for her to hear.
She's looking at me with narrowed eyes, her hands on her hips. Her gaze swivels to Charlie, and she freezes.
He nods, still walking glacially slow. "It's me, mama. I'm alive."
Her gaze jerks back to me, then she's in motion, flying down the steps and throwing herself at Charlie. He wraps his arms around her and squeezes, his eyes moist.
"Charlie? How can this be? You're really alive? What's going on?"
"I'm sorry, mama," he murmurs again.
She pulls back sharply to look at his face. Hers is streaked with tears. "You're sorry for what? What the hell is going on?"
"I went into the CIA. Clandestine services. They killed me off for your protection. I'm so sorry."