Page 431 of Angels & Monsters
Phoenix and I sit slightly apart from the others, watching the stars begin to appear in the darkening sky.
“I’m glad we came,” she says.
“Me too.”
“I was nervous about it. Seeing everyone. Being around the kids.”
“I know.”
She’s quiet for a moment. “Do you ever wonder what it would have been like? If things had gone differently with your father. If he’d succeeded in his plan.”
“Sometimes,” I admit. “But I try not to dwell on it. We stopped him. That’s what matters.”
“We did,” she agrees. She leans her head on my shoulder. “Thank you for being patient with me. This past year. I know I haven’t been the easiest person to be with.”
I wrap my arm around her. “You’re exactly the right amount of easy.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It is for me.”
She tilts her head up to look at me. “I love you, you know. I don’t say it enough, but I do.”
My chest tightens in the best way. “I know. I love you too.”
She kisses me, soft and sweet. When we pull apart, I notice Abaddon watching us with a small smile.
“What?” I ask him.
“Nothing,” he says. “Just thinking about how far we’ve all come. From weapons of destruction to this.” He gestures at the table, Abaddon’s sleeping daughter, at all of us gathered together. “It’s a happy ending.”
“It’s a happy beginning,” Phoenix corrects, leaning back against me.
“That too,” I agree.
I settle my arm across Phoenix’s shoulders, and we watch as the stars come out. One by one, they appear in the darkening sky, brilliant points of light against the endless dark.
THE END
