I call out to Iris to wait as I squeeze Kendall’s hip. “This has been the best birthday surprise ever.”
“Come on, Mom,” Iris drawls, rushing up to us, bouncing on her feet, physically unable to contain her excitement. “The entrance is right over there.” She spins around, pointing at the small stone entry with open wrought-iron gates where a line of tourists is waiting to be admitted.
Out of all the places we have visited, Iris has loved Athens the most. It’s fair to say it’s true for all of us. I thought visiting Egypt would be the most pivotal moment, because of our Egyptian dream, but it doesn’t hold a candle to how we both felt the second we stepped foot in magical Athens. Maybe it’s the deeply spiritual vibe or the strong philosophical ties here, but the air feels different, and my skin tingles, like it’s bursting with hidden knowledge that’s dying to be set free.
The air is steeped with the history of the country, and no matter where we travel within the city, we are confronted with the evidence of the Athens of long ago. Excavations are still ongoing, and it’s not unusual to stumble across an old bathing chamber or an ancient library or church, carefully preserved and protected, in between the vibrant stores, restaurants, and bars that make up modern-day Athens.
We have visited the infamous Parthenon—a historic elevated site overlooking the bustling city below—and the accompanying Acropolis Museum. We were completely enthralled wandering around the excavation of an ancient Athenian neighborhood, dating back to the fourth millennium BC. The exhibition is underneath the impressive museum building, and it’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.
Today, we are visiting the Agora, which is essentially an old marketplace, and it was once the hub of the local community. The Temple of Hephaestus overlooks the Agora, and we’re excited to see it in the flesh and hopeful it will conjure some past memory, in a way we were hoping the pyramids would. Now that we are together, Kendall and I don’t dream of our past as much.
We spend an hour exploring the lower level of the Agora before we begin our ascent to the temple. It’s a stunning day. There isn’t a cloud in the azure-blue sky, and buttery rays of sunshine illuminate Greece’s most well-preserved temple, proudly holding fort, on a hill on top of the Agora. Kendall’s excitement mounts as we walk up the stone steps, struggling to keep pace with our energetic daughter as Iris all but runs toward the ancient monument.
Kendall holds on to me when we reach the path at the top, and we walk hand in hand toward the cream-colored stone structure that is standing largely intact. The area around the temple is well maintained with manicured tall trees and shrubs and cut grass. Iris is shrieking, singing, jumping, and twirling as she makes her way toward the temple.
“My God, Vander.” Kendall stops along the side of the temple, peering up at me with a wonderous expression. “Do you feel it?” She clasps both my hands in hers as a beatific smile breaks out on her face.
“I feel it.” A surge of warmth and contentment sweeps through me, and tingles cascade over my skin.
“This was the place.” Kendall looks all around as tears fill her eyes. “This was the start. This is where our souls first bonded on Earth.” We move toward one another at the same time, our lips melting together in an electrifying kiss I feel in every part of my body. The outside environment fades into the background as a myriad of images flashes behind my eyes while I kiss my wife.
“Vander,” Kendall whispers, happy tears rolling down her face. “Did you see?”
“Yes, agapi mou.” I reel her into my arms, glancing ahead to where Iris is kneeling in the grass, looking up at the sky and singing. “Look at Iris.” I turn my wife in my arms so she’s facing our daughter. We watch as Iris holds up her hand and a beautiful butterfly floats down and lands on her palm.
“Look up,” Kendall says, moving in my arms and tipping her head back. Light laughter filters from her lips as we watch a cluster of blue morpho butterflies descend upon us, out of nowhere. They keep coming, swarms of them, until we’re surrounded in a colorful bubble that draws the attention of other people in the vicinity. “This is insane,” Kendall whispers, smiling through her tears as she holds her palm out, letting butterflies cling to her hand and her arm.
“This is fate.” I hold her tighter against me. “No matter where we end up or how many obstacles block our path, we will always be together because our destiny was sealed in this very spot, and there is nothing or no one that can ever keep us apart.”
Want to read another emotional angsty romance? Check out Say I’m the One, the first book in my completed All of Me Duet. Free to read in Kindle Unlimited. Also available in paperback and audiobook format. Turn the page to read a sample.
Subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date with all my news. I have a ton of new releases slated for release in 2022 and over fifty books in my back catalog, ready for you to binge-read! Sign up here or copy this link into your browser: http://eepurl.com/dl4l5v
I’m head over heels in love with my best friend. Although, I can’t pinpoint exactly when Reeve Lancaster became my entire world.
Was it when we were little kids, practically brought up together, after Reeve’s mom died during childbirth and his dad subsequently fell apart? Or when I doodled his name in my school journal at age ten? Maybe it was when we became boyfriend and girlfriend at fourteen or when we shed our virginity at sixteen, pledging our forever?
I was there as his star ascended—like I’d always known it would—and there wasn’t a prouder person on the planet. As the only child of Hollywood’s golden couple, I’ve lived my life in the spotlight enough to know it wasn’t what I wanted for my future. But I sacrificed my own desires, because Reeve’s happiness meant everything to me.
Until he crushed my heart into itty-bitty pieces, forcing me to fly halfway around the world just to escape the gut-wrenching pain.
The opportunity to study at Trinity College Dublin came at the perfect moment, and I jumped at the chance without hesitation. If I’d known fate was meddling in my life, perhaps I would have chosen differently, but my future was cemented the instant I laid eyes on him.
Dillon O’Donoghue was Reeve’s polar opposite in every way, and perhaps, that’s why I felt drawn to him. He was the dark to my light. The thorn in my side, irritating me with his cold disdain, wild recklessness, and a burning rage hidden deep inside him that spoke to a silent part within me. Yet Dillon showed me what it was like to truly live, opening my eyes to endless possibilities.
What happened next was inevitable, and I only have myself to blame. He warned me, and I knew my reprieve was temporary, because there is only so far I can run.
Especially when fate hasn’t finished messing with me yet.
SAY I’M THE ONE – SAMPLE
Prologue
Vivien – NOW