“By the power vested in me, and in the presence of these witnesses, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
The officiant’s words rang out through the Vance Conservatory, sealing the pact. William Croft turned to Sophie Laurent, his eyes shining with the manic relief of a man who believed he had finally outrun his ghosts. He took her face in his hands–hands that had once delivered his son in a storm and dug through avalanche snow–and kissed her.
It was a kiss of desperate finality. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Flashbulbs popped like lightning, capturing the image of the “healed” billionaire and his savior. Sophie clung to him, the weight of the platinum ring on her finger feeling heavy and permanent. She was no longer the nanny or the spy; she was Mrs. Croft. The winter was officially over, and the new season had begun.