“But that’s permanent.” I swiped my tears.
“Exactly. Not fake, not temporary. As soon as our child is born, I’ll have theirs and Theo’s tattooed somewhere as well.”
“Oh, Griffin. I can’t believe you did that.”
“That’s not all. I canceled the IPO. Fired Sam, too. So you see, I don’t care about legacy or money. I care about you. About Theo. About the life I almost destroyed. I don’t want a fake fiancée. I want forever.”
Behind me, I heard the screen door creak. My mom and Aunt Patty stood there silently watching. But for me, the entire world narrowed down to him. He dropped to his knee.
“Jessa, I know I don’t deserve forgiveness,” he went on, tears cutting down his face. “But I’ll earn it, one day at a time. I’ll show up for every appointment, every craving, every sleepless night. Hold your hand during delivery. I’ll be the father that this baby and Theo deserve and the man you believe I could be.”
I dropped to my knees too, and the boards creaked beneath us. My hands cupped his face.
“You’re so entitled,” I sobbed, half laughing through it. “Thinking a pasta noodle and a tattoo could fix everything.”
His lips twitched. “Did it work?”
“It worked,” I choked out. “Because you finally showed up asyou—not the billionaire. But the man I love.”
He exhaled, his forehead pressed to mine. “Say you’ll marry me. Come back to New York not as my nanny or a fake fiancée, but as mywife.”
I kissed him instead. Desperate. Forgiving. Holding on to every second with him until I pulled away breathless.
I whispered, “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
Relief tore through him. He gathered me up, holding me so tight, my body remembering the feeling of being in his arms.
From the doorway, my mother sniffled. “Well, Patty. Look at that. It’s about damn time one of us Cole girls got a happy ending.”
“Here. You left these behind.” He slipped the diamond ring back on my finger, and put the earrings on my earlobes. I laughed through tears, looking up at the man who’d just torn down every wall that once stood between us.
We were each others missing pieces. Together, we were finallywhole.
WantTWO more bonus scenes featuring Jessa and Griffin, one steamy, and one sweet? Get it here.
Read about their wedding on the next page =>
EPILOGUE: THE WEDDING
Holden West
The frog hitthe floor first.
Then the groom’s platinum ring.
“Mr. Kermit! Come back!” Theo yelled, chasing it.
Half of the wedding guests let out a collective shriek as the slimy little daredevil launched itself at the bride and groom. It sailed right past Jessa and landed by Griffin’s polished black shoe—pausing there like it wanted to be part of the ceremony.
“You brought your frog to the wedding?” Jessa laughed.
Beside me, Atlas snorted into his champagne and whispered, “Well, that’s one way to liven up a ceremony.”
Griffin bent down mid-vow, cool as ever in a custom navy suit. He plucked the frog up with two fingers, handed it to Theo, and said in a no so low voice, “Next time, kiddo, make sure the frog’s on the guest list.”
The crowd laughed. Jessa’s eyes sparkled, completely unbothered by the chaos her soon-to-be stepson had caused. She kissed Theo’s hair, took the ring from his shaky hand, and slipped it onto Griffin’s finger without missing a beat.
The officiant cleared his throat. “As I was saying…”
