Grace and Glory (The Harbinger #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,164

hundred percent serious. “I would love you as much as I do now when you were eighty. There was no way I was going to let any of that get in the way of the time I had with you, but there was going to be nothing easy about watching you slowly leave me, day by day, year by year. And when that day came, I would’ve found my way to you. I would’ve followed. Nothing would have stopped me.”

My throat clogged with emotion. “I know.”

His gaze searched mine. “But to not have to worry about that? Dread that day? To know that you will be beside me fifty years from now? A hundred?”

Now was probably not a good time to mention the whole Antichrist thing. Later.

“I almost can’t believe this is real. That we’re this lucky.” His gaze now tracked over my features. “That we have this. A real future where I’m not dreading the day I lose you and you no longer have an obsession with broken hips.”

I laughed again, and more tension left me.

He kissed me, quickly and deeply. “I love that sound.”

“I can tell,” I breathed.

His lips curved into a smile against mine. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Well, I haven’t told you everything.”

“I don’t think anything could shock me more.” He kissed my cheek.

“Peanut was Michael. Or is my father.”

Zayne sat back.

“My father is Peanut,” I repeated. “He’s been Peanut this whole time. A figment of his...younger years, or a manifestation. Something extremely bizarre and confusing.”

“What?”

I nodded. “You heard me right. It was the only way he could be a part of my life,” I told him, exhaling roughly, and then I told him everything my father had told me.

It all sounded just as ridiculous coming out of my mouth.

“Okay. You were right,” Zayne said when I finished. “That is... I don’t even know what to say.”

I snorted.

“But didn’t he often walk...in on me while I was showering?” Zayne asked.

I cringed. “He claims it wasn’t anything creepy and that he didn’t do it half the times he said he did, but yeah, I don’t know.”

“I’m just not going to think about that.”

“Probably for the best.”

He smoothed a hand along my cheek, catching the strands of my hair. “What do you think of all of this?” He pressed a small kiss to the corner my lip. “How do you feel?”

“I... God, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve even begun to process any of it,” I admitted, toying with the edges of his hair. “Especially how much Michael...my father has done for me. How much I never knew, and here I was, hating on him—hating on him to Peanut. And that makes me feel like a grade-A douche.”

“Don’t feel like a grade A-douche,” he told me, and hearing him say that made me crack a grin. “I think he understands why you felt the way you did. He’s your father. He loves you.”

“He does,” I whispered, blowing out a deep breath as I lifted my gaze to Zayne. There was a lot going on in my head, but I would have... I would have forever to process through it all. “We defeated Gabriel.”

“We did.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “We saved the Heavens.”

“And God saved mankind.”

“I think we also get some credit for that.” His lips brushed over my brow. “Lucifer disappeared again.”

“That was Michael,” I said, wondering if I would ever stop feeling weird calling him my dad or my father. “He’s being escorted back to Hell. By the way, how did you know I was here?”

“After Lucifer vanished, Grim showed up.” He pressed his lips to my temple. “Told me I would find what I was looking for if I returned home. I knew he had to be talking about you even if I was too afraid to hope.”

I rested my forehead to his. “I heard you demanded that Lucifer bring me back and then called for Grim. I hate that you had to go through that.”

“What you went through when I died was far worse. Yeah, those minutes felt like an eternity for me, but you had days.” He curled his hand around the back of my neck. “But we don’t have to worry about that happening again. We’re together now.”

“Forever.”

“Forever,” he repeated, kissing me softly.

I smiled. “We need to let the others know I’m okay.”

“We will.” His hand slid down my spine as his wings opened. “But not right now. I have different priorities that involve you and me,