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She feigned sleep and kept on feigning it even when she heard the door open, close and lock It wasn’t easy to keep the ruse up when she felt Søren’s ht?" she asked, trying not to sned confidentiality agreeled and squirmed deeper under the covers Søren’s kisses followed

"He’s happy," she said "I’ve never seen Kingsley so happy as I have the past two years"

"He has Juliette, Nico, Céleste--"

"You," Nora said "He has you And even better, he has you to himself when I’m in France with Nico"

"I promise, by the tiive me back"

"And I’m more than happy to take you back" She rolled over and smiled up at him "What about you? Are you happy?"

He nodded slowly "Happier than I’ve ever been in es The past feels like ancient history now, gathering dust on the bookshelf The ghosts have finallyinto a silver fox," she said, running her fingers through his hair, the blond and the gray "Another advantage of getting older"

He smiled and took her hand in his, kissed it "Perspective That’s the greatest advantage I can look back and seeback on that year in particular I see that I owe you soy And your prize, of course"

"Prize?" She sat up in bed and batted her eyelashes at hiotten my prize"

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands"

She reluctantly obeyed "The last tiet the prize I wanted"

"You’ll want this prize," Søren said He pressed so thin and smooth "Open your eyes"

She opened the crop in her hands Thin black polished ith a white carved bone handle