He smiles, brightly enough to make me think dawn is already breaking. It’s not, we still have hours until sunrise. But I think the sun has already risen for us in other ways—ways that matter even more. And I hope it never sets again.
“You’re perfect,” he says. “Where have you been all my life?”
My cheeks hit up as all that emotion in his voice hits my chest. “I’ve been right here, waiting for you.”
“I wish we’d met sooner,” he says, brushing my hair away from my face then cupping my cheeks.
“We met at exactly the right time,” I tell him. “And now we have the rest of our lives to make up for all the time we might’ve lost. I’ll take that and be grateful.”
He smiles wider. “Yeah, me too.”
Then he kisses me, love and all those other good feelings flowing into me like a gentle waterfall, washing away the rest of the crustiness left by all those years we’d spent alone, away from each other, each fighting our demons alone. We don’t have to do it alone anymore. I hope he feels the same for him. No. Iknowhe does. That’s how connected we are in this moment.
And Iknowwe’ll stay that way for all the years and decades to come. Our forever starts right now. We have plenty of time left. But I still plan on making every moment count.
EPILOGUE
A few months later
Nico
I asked her to be my wife on the first day of spring. Couldn’t sleep for a week leading up to it, afraid she’d say no, afraid she’d find me lacking, afraid my forever with her was slipping out of my grasp. The things holding us together are strong. But the things pulling us apart are too.
My past, my wayward ways. Her tortured past.
I didn’t believe it would happen until the moment she breathed, “I do,” a few hours ago. We held the wedding in the yard of her clubhouse, surrounded by all her friends, and some of mine, away from any semblance of a church and priests. The reception was held here too. A wild affair that’s not dying down yet even now, as the night tips towards morning.
But we’re alone in our part of the yard at the back of the clubhouse. The light of the bonfire we’re sitting next to illuminates her beautiful face, makes her long, soft platinum hair sparkles a pale gold. The engagement ring on her fingersparkles too. It doesn’t have a big, flashy diamond on it. I had it made specially, with the diamond flat against the band, so she could wear it under her riding gloves. Even as I feared she’d refuse it.
“Me, a married woman… never thought I’d see the day,” she says, looking at the way her ring sparkles in the firelight.
“Me either,” I say and get one of those sharp looks from her. The ones I love so much and that never fail to make my dick hard.
But then her eyes soften as she gives me a soft kiss on the cheek. “If I have to spend the rest of my life proving you’re worth every bit of my love, I’ll gladly do it. But I do wish you’d just know it already.”
I kiss her lips, can’t help it, wanting to get even closer to the words she just spoke.
“I do know it,” I tell her. “I just hope I’m worth it.”
She wraps her arms tighter around me as she leans closer. “There’s nothing we can’t do together. I think we’ve proven that once or twice already.”
“That we have,” I say and hold her closer still.
“And we’ll continue to prove it,” she says. “You’re stuck with me now.”
I kiss the top of her head. “Stuck? You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She cocks her head and grins at me. “Oh, yeah? So maybe it’s time to consummate this union of ours, don’t you think? Make it official. Our lovely, five-star honeymoon room awaits.”
She insisted we get that honeymoon suite, thinking it’s what I wanted. But I mostly just want what she wants.
I grin at her too. “What’s wrong with right here? Who needs a hotel room when we’ve got the whole night and all the stars to ourselves here.”
The wedding party is still going on inside the clubhouse, loud and wild. But we’re alone by our bonfire.
“You sure?” she asks, her voice leaden with doubt. And it’s true, I am partial to the finer things in life. Like nice restaurants, fancy hotels, classy clubs and such.
But above all, I’m partial to her. And I don’t think I can wait to drive to a hotel before having her tonight and making it official, as she said.
