Sweet Deadly Lies (A Dark Academia Mystery) Watty Winner ✔️

Epilogue

Sixteen Months Later

I pull a brush through my hair, my eyes fixed on the bathroom mirror.

For a long time, I hated my reflection. Hated staring into the eyes of that broken girl, weighed down by her past. So self-destructive, hiding behind booze and boys, or whatever bad idea she could get her hands on.

A lot has changed since then. My cheeks are fuller than they were a year ago, my hair shorter, the brown layers barely grazing my shoulders. It doesn't fit in a ponytail anymore, which took some getting used to, but the style suits me just fine. When the length came off, so did the baggage—that's what I tell myself, anyway. Everyone deserves a fresh start; the ninth step in recovery taught me that. Forgiveness. Not only forgiving others, but forgiving ourselves. It's not easy, but it's something I'm always working on.

"Are you almost done in there?" a voice calls from the other room.

I set down the brush and tuck my hair behind my ears before opening the door. "What's the rush? We still have an hour before we have to leave."

"You know how busy O'Hare is. I want to make sure we have plenty of time to get to our gate," Xander says, plopping his suitcase onto the floor.

When he smiles, something wonderful stirs in my chest. "What's that look for?"

"What, this?" His grin grows wider as he points to his mouth. "It's called a smile. I haven't been able to wipe it off my face since you got here. I'm not sure if you've noticed."

"I have noticed, and it's starting to freak me out." I pretend to cringe, but my happy lips betray me.

"Come here, you." He pulls me to his chest and wraps his arms around my waist. "Have I told you how happy I am that you're coming home with me?"

My eyes close as I snuggle into the embrace. I love being this close to him. It's the place I feel most safe. But even his arms aren't enough to quell the giant butterflies in my stomach.

"You may have mentioned it a million times," I say, trying to play off the nervous edge in my voice.

Of course, Xander catches it. He catches everything. He's the most attentive person I've ever known, and it still blows my mind that his focus is on me.

"Don't be nervous. My dad and brothers are going to love you." He pulls away and stares into my eyes, his dark gaze warm and inviting. "Dad is so happy you're spending Christmas with us. He's never offered to make a holiday dinner before. It's usually just another day at our house."

"Please tell him he doesn't have to. I hate to think of all the work he's putting into this."

"Are you kidding?" He laughs. "This is the first time I'm bringing a girl home. He wants to make sure you're not missing any traditions."

I shake my head and peer up at him. "I haven't celebrated Christmas in years. Not since my father passed away."

Xander leans closer and plants a kiss on the tip of my nose. "Then I guess it's time to start new traditions."

New traditions. I never thought I'd want to, but this past year has changed me in ways I hadn't expected. Xander has changed me, too. Being with him has made everything better; my life, my future. It's because of him I believe I actually have one. Well—not only him. Turns out, I have more people in my corner than I realized. What's even more surprising is that I can admit that I not only need them, but I want them. Life isn't something we have to suffer through on our own. There's an entire world out there, just waiting for us to let it in.