She sighed. Apollo placed an arm around her, and she leaned into his warmth.
“It will get better,” he said.
Val was surprised to hear him say that. For days he had walked around like he was planning the revenge party himself. She could understand. Every once in a while, when the grief cleared for a moment, rage at the evil of the Group filled her as well. She wasn’t even sure anymore if it was her own anger or just her reflecting Apollo’s feelings. Either way, they deserved it.
She turned to look at him.
“How?” she asked.
They made their way up the steps of his cabin and sat on the hard wooden chairs outside.
Apollo took her hand and stared off into the setting sun.
“Slowly,” he said. “Day by day. And then one day, it will just hurt a little less than all the others.”
She sighed. He was right, but it didn’t make the grief she was feeling any less at that moment. This was one of the things she’d always feared about loving and caring for others: losing them.
“And what about Rem?” she asked.
They hadn’t talked about him, the man who smiled at them the day before he had left them all to die.
Apollo squeezed her hand a tad too hard, and she hissed.
He jerked his hand away and stared at her in shock.
“I didn’t mean…” He looked away, shame emanating from him.
Val held up a hand. “It’s fine,” she said. “I think that answers my question.”
Apollo shook his head. “Not really. It doesn’t much answer any questions.”
He was right. Rem had left them all to die, and there was no reason. Nothing. It made no sense.
She really felt sorry for Jenna. Even though her relationship with Rem had been complicated, she obviously liked him on some level, and he’d betrayed them right in front of her, even if he’d saved her from a Glycon.
“Don’t worry though,” he said. “He’ll get what’s coming to him. He’ll pay for siding with those bastards. He’ll pay for Dean. He’ll pay for all of them.” He slammed his fist into his palm.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. She could feel Apollo’s rage lessen as he stuffed it away.
“I’m done talking about that,” Apollo said and smiled sadly at her. “I can’t do anything about the bad stuff right now, so I’m going to take comfort in the good stuff.”
“Good stuff?”
“Stuff like you. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. You saved me when I’d given up on true happiness.”
Val climbed out of her seat and sat on his lap. She avoided the stitches on his other thigh.
“You know, I haven’t forgotten that you left,” he said.
Her heart hammered in her chest. She only wished she could take away what she had done. His feelings were mixed and confusing: irritation mostly smothered by love and something else, a bit of nervousness from what she could tell.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her mouth grazed his chin, and he smiled at her.
“What if I said I wanted to make sure you never leave me like that again?” he asked.
Val stared at him sideways for a moment. “And how do you plan to do that?”
“By marrying you.”
Her stomach turned a little.
“Isn’t it a little fast?” she said. In light of everything that happened, she wasn’t really in the mood for a wedding. Val turned to look at him.
“Not now,” he said. “But when things have settled down. When we’ve had more time to know each other. When I can enjoy our new start together more completely.”
“So marry you, but not soon?” she said, not quite sure of the meaning behind it all.
“Sure. I read that most normal people have an engagement period anyway.” Apollo nodded. “Let me know that I’ve got your heart, at least. I can wait for everything else.”
“You definitely have my heart.”
She sighed against his chest. That wasn’t hard. He’d likely had her heart from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him.
Val tensed as Sol stepped up the walkway, intruding on their peaceful thoughts. Things had been tense between the two of them since the night where Sol told Apollo off. Ever since, she’d tried to keep things fairly light. She wanted a relationship with her brother, but she loved Apollo, and Sol had to understand and accept that basic fact.
She struggled to get off Apollo’s lap, but he held her firm.
“I have the results,” Sol said as he reached the top.
Her stomach twisted as she waited for the news.
“Welcome to the family,” he said quietly. He shrugged and managed a weak grin.
All the doubt that had been weighing her down shifted. She loved knowing that she had a place where she actually belonged, a place with family, friends and a lover.
Despite all the tragedy, she finally felt something she hadn’t felt in her entire life: complete.
She took in a breath as Sol stepped in front of Apollo.
“I was wrong,” he said clearly, his face contrite. “You protected her and kept her safe, even when things were really bad.”
Sol thrust out his hand, and she waited, hoping for the best.
She breathed a little easier when the two men in her life smiled at one another.
Val turned to Apollo and smiled.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I will marry you.”
She laid her head on his chest and sighed. So many things had changed in just a few days for both her and Luna Lodge, from the Horatius Group attack to the discovery of the strange government signal in town, and the battle that had begun was only going to get worse as the days continued.
For now, she’d enjoy the quiet and prepare for what would come with the man she loved. Love opened one up to loss, but love also granted hope.
“I love you, Apollo.”
He smiled. “I love you too, Val.”
A Note from Madison
Thank you for reading Apollo. If you enjoyed this book, please consider reviewing it. We authors live and die by reviews.
Please keep an eye out for the next book in the series, Rem.
You can join my release mailing list at http://eepurl.com/OX9r5
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Author Bio
Madison currently lives with her husband and two children in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona. After leaving the frozen tundra of the north, she was more surprised than anyone with how much she has enjoyed living in the desert. Seeing as she stated on more than one occasion before moving to Arizona how much she hated heat, it was an odd move, but it seems her hatred for sub-zero temperatures and ice has won out in the end.
When she’s not writing, she’s enjoying time with her family. Madison and her family frequent festivals in the area, as well as local cultural events, and spend time with family in the area. In the summer, she is most likely to be found in the pool with the family and in the winter by the fireplace. Since both her children are autistic, days can be a little chaotic, but with her husband beside her, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
Madison’s blog is located at http://madisonstevensautho
r.com/
She can be contacted at [email protected]
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