More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
She stays intimately close. And so softly, she whispers, “I’ve loved you at your weakest, at your strongest, at your most broken. And you’ve loved me at mine.”
“There will never be a day where I won’t,” she says shakily, her tears cascading. “You don’t need to be afraid to lose me, Donnelly. I’ll always love all of you exactly as you’ve loved all of me—that’s the secret of our universe.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Oscar and Farrow are the only ones who know almost everything. They were in my life when my parents popped in and out of prison—when I started turning tricks.” I stare off, my nose flaring at a sudden thought. “Farrow called me one night…asking where I was. I’d never had someone search for me. Like I…like I was someone worth finding. But I was afraid to be found.”
“I didn’t wanna put him out. I didn’t even wanna carry my own baggage, and I was trying to drop it, not fling it on someone else.” I run my hand over my mouth, my eyes glassing. “He’d already done so much for me. Without wanting anything. Not even a thank you.” I tell her how I didn’t let him find me that night, but he saw the black eye the next morning.
“I am at your earthly service, space babe. Not for money—but out of love. I’m gonna be at your service for as long as I’m alive. You know that?”
“I’m going to be at your otherworldly service for as long as I’m alive,” she says so softly. “You know that?” I nod back. “Yeah, I do.” Marry me.
“I’ve felt like we’ve flown so far beyond marriage in commitment and love. Like if we tied the knot, it wouldn’t even encapsulate a third of my feelings for you.” I didn’t expect that. “Being my wife is too basic,” I tease with a slow-edging grin. “Too earthly. Needs to be weirder.” She’s contemplative. “Can you say that again?” “Weirder?” “No, before that.” I know. “My wife.”
“It doesn’t sound too earthly.” She wipes her nose with her sleeve. “I’m already yours. It’s like it’s branded inside, and I haven’t needed anything outside. But I want it. One day. Not now. Not tomorrow. I want to get excited about our future together. To finally look beyond and see what waits and never question its existence. And if time is short for us and we die too soon—”
“Your intergalactic vows were very beautiful.” My love for her burrows deeper. “So were yours, sad alien.” “Not sad. Very happy.”
“I’m not in a rush, but down the road, I do wanna marry you the earthly way. And I never thought I’d marry anyone, but I never imagined I’d love someone as much as I love you. I like that it’ll be something to look forward to, but…” “But?” Luna freezes.
“Stability enough to have one.” I let out a breath. “Where I feel like I can touch something that innocent, and I won’t harm it.” I lock eyes with her. “My past has been breathing down my neck, and it’s bad enough what happened to you because of it. I never want our kid to feel that kind of pain.” “Our kid?”
“Yes, I’d still be with you if we never have kids. I’d only want to be the mom to your baby, and the key part here is you. You are what I really want first and last.” I exhale a long breath and nod. “Maybe I’d consider it.” “Maybe?” She brightens. “It’s a really big maybe, Luna.” She nods a lot. “Very big. It’s overtaken all of New York. I see it right there.” She points to the window.
“Your brother. He accepted an offer from a college.” He’s been in between a few universities, and wherever he goes, I need to go. And I tell Luna, “I know where I’ll be living.” And it’s not in Philly.
Long distance relationship. LDR.
Both security firms are looking out for Donnelly these days. It’s clear to me they treat him like an asset, but they also care about his well-being like family.
Donnelly said he shouldn’t be my brother’s bodyguard if he’s willing to alter his life for him—that Xander has done it enough trying to give him more time with me. And my brother—he needs Donnelly in his life. Donnelly’s a calming force. I know that because he’s calming me right now.
“This story isn’t just mine,” Donnelly says. “It’s ours, Luna. If you’re sayin’ what I think you are—” “Let’s publish it.”
“I want the world to know,” I tell him. “This is the way. This is how they find out.” Donnelly grips my gaze like he’s ensuring this is real. “They’ll know you lost your memories.”
“No, I’m ready.” He takes the page from me. “Think this has helped me become ready for people to know. You were wrong though.” His eyes lift to mine. “It’s our love that’s worth sharing. It’s so big it’s spilling around us, and this…” He holds the page up. “Is the best damn thing I’ve ever read. And I say that with my whole chest and a hundred-buck wager.”
“I don’t ever want to be invisible.” I take his hand. “I always want to be seen with you.” Sudden nerves join the thrill, or maybe thrilling things are naturally nerve-wracking. “I just hope people don’t one-star bomb it.” He laughs and pulls me closer to his chest. “If they do, they don’t have our great taste. We’ve got the palates of angels.” “Divine,” I nod. “Unearthly.” “Humans will know us,” I let this sink in. “As they should.” He clutches my cheek, a radiant grin in his eyes. “Who wouldn’t love a Lunnelly?”
You’re my friend. My friends are family, and you’ve gotta release this guy from your life. I know what it’s like to have friends who don’t want anything good for you, and it’s soul-sucking. Don’t let anyone dim your light.”
“We gotta get Quinnie out,” I said hurriedly. “I don’t think he’s gonna fight him.”
Oscar held the back of Quinn’s head protectively, and Farrow and I climbed onto the ring, slipping under the ropes, and got them off the main stage.
“You’ve been abusing him,” Farrow said flat-out. “You don’t hurt people you love, so you can fuck off.”
“Blue-eyed shameless motherfucker,” Farrow amends, his smile expanding. I grin back. “Hottest guy you’ve ever seen,” I tease.
“No, wait.” He held out a hand. “We came up with a plan to try and bridge his firm and my firm, to where we could be cohesive and work peacefully together. We needed a bodyguard to swap firms and build trust between them. Price asked for Quinn, Frog, and Gabe. And I told him no.” His eyes reddened. “I told him there was someone better. I told him to pick you.”
“Because it worked, and we were afraid if you knew, it never would. Because you were the only one who’d likely get close to making Epsilon feel a bond with Omega. You’re the heart, Donnelly. Not just of the Yale boys, not just of SFO, but of the entire security team. As much as all of us didn’t want to share you, it’d be more selfish to keep you.”
“I’m sure I’ve lost my ever-loving mind.” Then he sighs into a grin, nodding. “Only because I love you.”
“To Omega.”
“To Omega.”
“I’ll always be around. One bat signal away. I come running.” I know it’ll be true. “I’ll be using it for non-emergencies.” He smiles. “Those are the best calls. By far. In every damn universe.”
Farrow waits for my brother at the doorway. Moffy heads there and tells Donnelly, “Take care of my sister.” “Impossible not to,” Donnelly assures, nodding a few times. “Take care of my brother.” Moffy looks back at Farrow, and with his whole soul, he says, “Every damn day.”
“Did my brother leave a fruit basket?” “I think he dropped it off. I don’t think it’s from him though.” Donnelly is smiling at the abundance of Granny Smith apples and green grapes. “Are those dried prunes?” I pinch one between my fingers. Who’d gift someone prunes? It dawns on me before Donnelly even finds the note. I read over his shoulder, recognizing the handwriting instantly.
Paul, For the past, present, and future. Loren Hale “We’re best friends,” Donnelly tells me with the flash of the card. “I believe it.” They even have inside jokes.
I will go on every voyage with Paul Donnelly. This one, the next one, the last one. It will always, always be known.
I love Pride. It’s every month, every year, never-ending—‘cause there’ll never be a moment I won’t celebrate all kinds of love and my closest friends.
Paul Donnelly Hale. Married on Earth, we were. But nothing was as momentous as the day Donnelly stared into my eyes and said, “Let’s make a baby.”
Our one and only. Our little Gemini. I have her constellation inked below the Leo on my back. In shades of fuchsia.
The day we learned I was pregnant, he retired from security. He’s a comic book illustrator. A tattooist. A former bodyguard. But he’d tell you his favorite job on our planet is being Elara’s dad.
Our love story. Our family. Our past, present, and future. All encapsulated inside one epic, otherworldly space saga. Donnelly looks to me, and love floods through his eyes and explodes in technicolor inside my heart. Some days this feels like a dream, to do what I love with the person I love, and I could pinch myself. But I don’t have to. Dreams this beautiful can’t really be dreams at all. I know. I believe.
