Yours, For Good (Cozy Latine Billionaires #4)

46. Epilogue

Nora

After two years of razor-sharp focus on my business and meeting every single goal I had set forth, Javier insisted on taking me on a celebratory trip.

Entering the Al-Qarawiyyin library in Fez, Morocco, almost brought me to my knees.

"It's often credited as the oldest working library in the world," our private tour guide said.

We walked through a large, colorfully tiled plaza, surrounded by arches painted in white and roofed in green. The detailed geometric patterns at our feet were only interrupted by a stone fountain at the center, and two fountain pavilions covered by carefully crafted wooden details.

The guide showed us around the place that stood since the 800s, full of history and beautiful traditional Islamic design. We were not allowed into the Mosque part of the building, but we got to see the study rooms and even parts of the modern lab protecting the ancient texts.

Our second stop was the Admont Monastery Library in Austria, and the third the Library of the Monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland.

The last stop on this trip, Javier promised, was the Library of Strahov Monastery in Prague.

"But we should go visit other ones in the future," he said. "There's the Klementine library here in the city, but I was looking at the Raza Library in Rampur, in India, too. Or the Old Library of Trinity College in Dublin."

In Prague, we walked through the Baroque Theological Hall. The smell of old books was incredible . The ceiling was so overly wrought with paintings and decoration, I could search for new details for years, and would find something new to look at every time. It contrasted with the honey tones of wood on the floor and bookshelves. Still, my eyes kept returning to the rows upon rows of books.

"This one is gorgeous, too," I said.

"Let's go check the Philosophical Hall." He leaned close to my ear. "It's two stories high."

A shiver ran down my spine. "You're speaking so sexy to me."

He smiled, and nodded to our tour guide to take us there. Javier didn't always flaunt his money but he did so this time; he booked yet another private tour for us after hours. We walked through an empty corridor, where we stopped to admire their Cabinet of Curiosities.

The Philosophical room was my favorite in the building. It was famous for their well-kept collection of exclusive texts; the two stories were definitely sexy, with polished, delicious carved wood everywhere. Gold accents marked every surface, and a classic painting vaulted the ceiling above us.

We strolled through the large space, peeking through the glass at old, leather-bound books. On the second story balcony, we found a small alcove by one of the sets of doors; we stopped there and gazed back at the Hall. Our guide gave Javier a nod and left us for a short private moment.

I sighed and asked Javier to put his arms around me.

"Thank you for bringing me here." I kissed him. "I love that our first big trip was to libraries."

"I still remember the look on your face when you saw the library in the old Pendleton home."

"Or even the one at home."

"Yeah. It's shaping up to be my favorite one."

I ran my hand down the front of his shirt. Over our many months together, I'd gotten used to finding the shape of his chain, medal, and ring under his clothes. I frowned for the hundredth time that I couldn't find them. He'd sent it all for check up and cleaning, and had traveled without them.

He stopped my hand on its path, right over his heart.

"This isn't the oldest library, but it felt wrong to stand with you like this there."

"Yeah, it would have been disrespectful."

"Even this would have felt disrespectful there." He offered me his pinky finger.

I smiled and hooked my finger around his. "What are we pinky promising?"

"That we'll be together for as long as the Al-Qarawiyyin library has been around." His eyes shone down on me, dark blue in the warm light in the room. "That we'll take care of our love like they took care of books here."

"Deal." I pulled from our fingers and asked him for his lips. "I love the history aspect of the trip, by the way. That you're making it so romantic with libraries. Good romancing, Mister Pendleton."

"I was hoping you would feel that way."

"Yeah? So you could always brag about planning a great trip?"

"No, so you'd agree to wear this."

He dug his hand deep into his pocket, and came out with a small box. He presented it to me with a glint in his eyes.

My eyes latched to the royal blue velvet between his fingers. "Javier…"

He let go of me only so he could open it. His grandmother's ring nestled in white satin; a big, oval center stone, with the slightest hint of blue to it, and a halo of smaller diamonds around it.

I had studied the ring before; Javier knew I liked it, but I never thought…

"You said you'd sent it all for maintenance," I managed.

"I did. I also asked them to resize this ring to fit you." He took it out of the box and held it delicately between thumb and forefinger. "I never told you the full story of it."

I lifted my eyes at him, my heart in my throat. "But it is your grandmother's, right?"

He nodded. "But it wasn't my grandfather who gave it to her."

"What?!" My shock echoed through the old room.

"That ring was passed down to my brother, alongside the house, the running of our assets, etcetera."

"I always assumed…"

"I know," he whispered. He gave me a soft kiss, like he couldn't help himself. "But this was the ring her beloved had wanted to give her if they had been allowed to marry. She kept it, and gave it to me with the last tears I ever saw her shed— she told me it was mine to do right by. That if I ever loved the way she loved him, I should make the promise it was meant for."

"Holy shit." The muttered words escaped me, overwhelmed as I was by the reveal.

"I love you. I love that I get to give you this… if you want it." A small smile tilted his lips. "Here, where a billion words try to define love… I'm offering you a symbol of the promises I have made. I will always be here, tackling whatever life throws at us. Every fight we have, we'll resolve and grow from. We'll do this until we're eighty… and beyond. And maybe we'll have a small party with our friends and closest family, to let them all know this is our plan."

Tears filled my eyes. "Ask me the question."

"Nora… I choose to believe we'll grow old together. Whether we're gifted with living to a hundred or not, it's how I plan to live my life. Marrying you means I commit to that. Will you marry me and promise that back?"

"Of course I'll promise you that." I hugged him. Kissed him. "I'd love to marry you."

He broke the hug to take my hand and place the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly.

"I'm so proud I get to wear this ring."

He held my hand in his and kissed me. "One day, if you want to look for your family or ancestry, we can do that. Whenever, however you want. Until then… I thought having something that held a lot of emotional, family value would matter."

"It does." I gazed at the ring, then at my newly-minted fiancé. "It's like a real-life reminder that I finally belong with someone— just like you belong with me. That I have you now, and your people, and the ones that are my own."

"You'll never be alone again." He caressed my face. "But need me first. Want me first. Ask me first. Let me be the one to always be there for you. I'll add it to my vows, so you never forget."

"I won't forget." I kissed him again. "I don't know if reincarnation is real, or if there's life on other planets, or if there are other universes where we never met. But we did in this timeline, in the intersection of endless time and infinite space. That we would find each other and go through all of this to be here, together… it's a miracle I'll never take for granted."

"Those sound like vows, too." The small smile on his lips turned into a grin. "Or like a love letter."

"I'll send you a love letter. A hundred. I didn't think I'd ever have the words to talk about love like this, but now…" I rested my face on his chest and listened to his heart. "Isn't it funny that I know how?"