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"I’ you to marry me Not now Not ever I won’t ask you to break your pro that you wear these Consider themvery small collars" He smiled and she knew she couldn’t say no

"I’ll wear theetto you I alill"

Søren clasped the necklace around her neck and the cool s tickled the skin of her chest

"Yes, you do" He leaned forward and kissed her "Forever"

"Forever"

He pulled back and she exhaled heavily Wedding bands Ridiculous But they were very pretty, she had to aded Fine, let Søren think they were if that made him feel better At least he’d tried to et married Not now, not ever, and they both knew it But the future did hold the prospect of sley had announced that he was giving up his E to New Orleans to start a new operation--sdom New York had far too many enemies, far too many powerful people who he’d pissed off He planned to start over in New Orleans, the perfect city for a man with a Haitian lover, and a quarter-French, half-Haitian daughter Kingsley made his announce When Søren told her one month later that he’d accepted a full professorship at Loyola University in their Pastoral Studies departn surprise Of course he had And for his birthday today, she’d given him a box with a key in it--a key to a house in New Orleans’ Garden District, a house hidden far froether, where he and Kingsley could be alone together

He’d looked at the key and he’d looked at her Nora had said, "You would have done the sa for s had changed between hiht teeks after her rescue she came to the rectory and found it empty When Søren arrived home hours later and slipped into bed with her, she could taste Kingsley on his lips She’d only laughed, called hi blond slut" and fallen asleep across his chest They’d all looked death in the face thanks to Marie-Laure When they looked away they saw one another, sa all three of the or anyone divide thesley went to New Orleans, there would be no question Søren would go, too So would Nora

She and Søren never spoke of his nights with Kingsley, as she never spoke of her phone calls with Wesley After a few months, she could even ask Wes about his relationship with Laila without wanting to commit seppuku Last year she’d cried alone at her kitchen table after Wesley told her Laila would be o to school Apparently there was soe not far froram How convenient But that was it, the last time she’d cried over him Now she could think of hi

And life was starting to get really interesting

Twenty years ago Søren had been sent to Sacred Heart in Wakefield, Connecticut, as a te His "te that had taken him away from his Jesuit brethren Noo decades later, he would rejoin them A difficult transition, but still, it was life out of the small parish fishbowl, life outside the scrutiny

"Eleanor?"

Nora realized she’d been doing nothing but staring at the rings on the silver chain for the past five ht I can wear these But don’t tell anyone we’re engaged Nued Doh for the New Orleans scene I’ll be the new kid at school"

"I would never presu and slanderous And you’ll have the entire town under your heel in a month"

"Good I like the sound of that Okay" She took a shallow breath to steady herself "Now can I please have that box I asked for, sir?"

"I’ll give it to you now You’ll earn it later"

Nora wrapped Fionn’s last present, a Catholic Bible with his naraved on it--Fionn Aaron Easton She had already declared herself his goduether I don’t kno appropriate it would be for you to be od ever been a deciding factor for ue Especially considering

Considering what? Nora had asked but Zach hadn’t answered her

Søren watched over Nora’s shoulder as she wrote the na his eyes at the na Do you know if Fionn is a family name?"

"No idea Grace’s mom’s Irish She said it was an old Irish naendary Irish warrior, Fionn "