❝Whatever happens, just know that I never stopped trying.❞
. . .in which she must do whatever she can to protect the world and what's left of the ones she loves.
[BOOK THREE]
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★ ★ ★
4 YEARS AFTER DECIMATION
JUNE 2025
★ ★ ★
Marlena rolled over in bed, her arm instinctively draping itself over the broad chest of the beautiful blond man that lay at her side. A soft smile pulled at the corner of her lips as she remembered the night the two shared together. There were so many different emotions Marlena spent associating with Steve over the last few years, and she spent those years questioning each and every one of them until last night. Marlena knew exactly how she felt about Steve, and she was done feeling guilty about it. There was no one in the world who would ever replace Bucky Barnes—he was her first true love and the father of her beautiful children—but she spent so long fighting what she wanted for his sake. Marlena knew she would likely never see Bucky again, and she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to spend her life groveling over the pain of losing him. He would have wanted her to be happy, and Steve just so happened to be that for her.
As Marlena lay wrapped in the super-soldier's arms, she couldn't help but look over the precious features she spent years shying away from. She loved the fair color of his otherwise flawless skin. She loved the way his eyelashes seemed to brush the apples of his cheeks. She loved the way his dirty blond hair fell in his face. She loved the soft fuzz of his growing beard. His pink lips were closed as he slept, and Marlena couldn't help but gently brush her thumb across them before very lightly trailing her fingers across the soft skin of his bare chest.
For the first time in years, Marlena felt genuinely happy. There was still the dull ache associated with the loss of her family that would likely always remain, but she was okay with that. The pain served as a reminder that her family was real rather than some twisted fantasy she dreamt up when she was younger. She was ready to move on, and she was ready to do that with Steve. Marlena always wondered why Steve ever felt anything for her—she wondered why even through the constant battle contained within herself she felt for him as well—but after so many years she finally had her answer. The pain of their lives had brought them together under the most unfortunate of circumstances. They were each other's light in the darkness and the sail that guided their lost ship to shore. They'd always been there for one another without question and without hesitation.
Steve's eyes began to flutter open as he processed the feeling of Marlena's fingertips sliding across his chest. He grabbed her hand off of his chest and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her hand before returning it back to his chest.
"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile.
Marlena couldn't get over how attractive and husky his voice was fresh from sleep. Hell, she couldn't get over the fact she let herself ignore everything about him for the sake of guilt. "Good morning, Steve," she spoke softly.
