Ghosted (Team Zero #3) by Rina Kent

“I’m not scared of this world.” I puff my chest forward. “I’m not a delicate flower in case you haven’t noticed. All I want is to be with you.”

His fingers stroke my cheek, and I lean into his touch. “And I want to be with you. You drive me fucking crazy, Firefly. I can’t imagine my world without you.”

My heart does a somersault and happy tears fill my eyes.

“I promise to protect you until my last breath,” he continues. “You’ll be my friend, my lover, and my everything. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

This time, I can’t hold it anymore. I lunge forward and wrap my arms around his waist in a steel-hug. “I love you so much, Julian.”

He strokes my hair and lifts my chin so I’m staring at those dark eyes. “Mine?”

I smile up at him. “Yours.”





Epilogue





Three years later,

I rub my eyes as I stand by the doorframe. I’m a mess. My hair is dishevelled and my face must look so tired. I’m sure I crashed in my workout clothes after the gym, but I woke up wearing a satin gown.

My eyes stray to the source of all of this. To the reason why I always feel beautiful even when I’m exhausted to death.

Julian perches on our youngest son’s crib, Jason. He’s dressed in black trousers and a white shirt. The cuffs are rolled to his elbows, revealing strong veiny arms and those intricate tattoos that still get me on my toes.

Jason is such a loud little demon. Sleep is a no-go with this one. Julian says Jason inherited his stubbornness from me, but I think he takes after Scar – and she’s unexplainably proud of that.

I want to murder her for encouraging Jason’s wildness.

Or not. When I’m in the mood to murder people, it means I’m pregnant, and I’m not ready for a third one now. The two boys are already too challenging. Two in less than three years. Sometimes, I think it’s Julian’s mission to impregnate me.

Not that I’m complaining. I get to punch him all day whenever the hormones possess my body.

Jason’s soft snore reaches me, and I release a sigh. Hopefully, he’s out for the night because I’m not into sharing Julian tonight.

My husband turns towards Jared who’s also snoring on his bed. He takes his time to cover him and presses an affectionate kiss on his forehead.

I nearly melt against the doorframe. I try, I really try to be there for the boys and be a good mother, but I don’t have Julian’s miraculous patience. It’s like he was born for this.

Maybe that’s why I want to give him as many children as possible.

We both deserve this after the childhood we had. We deserve a family of our own. Even if they drive me crazy sometimes.

“Fatherhood looks so hot on you,” I whisper so Julian would pay me attention.

I’m jealous of my own children sometimes. Sue me.

Julian casts one last look at the boys before he silently exits the room and closes the door behind him. As usual, he doesn’t make a sound. It’s so much different from my attempts to tiptoe out of the room. I always knock a toy and bump my toes against something.

His arms surround my waist. It’s automatic and natural. Even after all this time, Julian can’t and never keeps his hands off me. It still makes my heart flutter with so much love and adoration for this man.

“I thought you were asleep.” He smiles down at me, those dark brown eyes are shining with so much happiness and peace, it knots my heart.

I stroke the slight stubble on his cheek. “You know I can’t sleep when you’re not there.”

“Well, we need to do something about that, Wife.” His strong arms swift me off my feet. I break into a fit of laughter and try to suppress it into his shoulder so I don’t wake the boys.

I’ve never been so happy.





Two years later,

Crow was never a wise person; he’s crude and all over the place. However, he told me a wise thing once.

“I always watch my wife asleep and think I don’t deserve this woman. Maybe one day, Eloise will wake up and realise I’m a mistake and leaves. So I decided to put as many babies in her as possible so she won’t be able to leave.”

It’s crazy, and Elle never made me feel like she’d leave me. In fact, she goes crazy punching thing and the bag whenever I’m not around. But like Crow, I have that side. The ‘I’m not good enough for her’ side. So I adapted his method.

Marrying Elle has been the best decision I took in my whole fucking life. I love having children with her. Taking care of them and her makes me feel like a whole person. Not Ghost. Not a killer. Not a Team Zero member. Not even the Julian abandoned by his mother. In this house, I feel only like a loved husband and a father.

It’s the most fulfilling feeling in the world.

I close the door after the three boys. Each has his own room, but they like to snuggle together sometimes. Especially after a bedtime story. I sigh. I had to listen to Shadow tell them his real adventures. He somehow made himself a superhero who kills the villains and forgot to mention he’s the most dangerous of them all.

I head to the bedroom, but Elle isn’t there. She’s not in the bathroom either.

“Firefly?”

I find her in the gym, sitting on a stool in front of the bag. She must’ve just finished punching because her brows are sweaty. Her silky hair falls loose to the middle of her back. Tight short cover her toned thighs and her sports bra outlines full, round breasts.