He wasn’t wrong.
Jason had even packed a bag for me, so I didn’t have to return to the house and do it myself. It was a sweet gesture that I appreciated.
The moment I’d had the opportunity; I’d taken a long bath and scrubbed myself raw. I only wished I could do the same to my brain after those videos. I’d told Jason about what happened. He’d already arranged an appointment with a therapist.
I reached the small family room and my heart warmed at the sight of Jason asleep on the couch with Elias. It would never get old. The way Elias little fingers curled around his shirt, holding onto Jason.
He’d missed… his son. Had he said that to keep pretenses up with Colter? Or had he meant it?
I sat down on the edge of the couch and watched them sleep. Both safe. Both breathing evenly. Both beautiful.
Jason took a deep breath and his eyes slowly opened. “Hey.”
He began to move and I stopped him. “Stay.”
“He needs?—”
“His dad.” I hesitated for a second. “That’s if you meant what you said to Colter…”
He shifted until Elias was in the crook of his arm and he was lying flat on his back. His hand reached out and cupped my cheek. “I should have told you I loved you before I left the house. I thought for a while there, I might not get the chance. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Butterflies took flight in my stomach. My pulse jumped.
The hand on my cheek slid to the back of my neck and pulled me down to kiss him. The softest, most chaste kiss I’d ever experienced with depth and meaning behind it.
I set my forehead against his. “Colter said you were dead, and I thought I’d wasted so much time trying to pretend I wasn’t in love with you. You thought I was saving your life that day your dad attacked, but I wasn’t. I was saving my life because if anything had happened to you, I would have died right along with you.”
As I brought my lips to his again, I laid down next to him, my arm draped across him and over Elias.
That kiss was different. Layered. Love and hope and promise. A tempered fire with a forever heat.
“The wedding next weekend…” He said as he broke the kiss. “It will be forever, Cora. I’ll mean every word of my vows. When I slip that band on your finger, that’s it. And Elias is mine as well. I have every intention of giving him my last name.”
I smiled and brushed my lips across his. “I know.”
“No,” he said and shifted a little more. “It’s not just some romantic gesture. I mean this is done. We can argue, we canfight, we can disagree, but this thing between us, is forever. If you have a problem, you come to me. If you have fears or hopes or dreams or anything else, you come to me. We work it out. There is no leaving. There is no splitting. We are forever.”
Tears pooled in my eyes. “Then we’re in agreement.”
He pulled me closer, resting his forehead against mine. “I love you. I love all of you.”
“I love you,” I said and touched my lips to his.
Epilogue
CORA
Whew.
I was jittery, like I’d thrown back every Mountain Dew ever made.
In less than twenty minutes, I would be walking down the aisle toward the man of my dreams. A man who loved me so thoroughly that I don’t think my cup would ever run empty.
We’d found another venue. A beautiful little church with a large piece of property. I’d still wanted an outside wedding, and Kane had even shown up with his guys to offer extra security. A wedding gift to Jason and me.
“You look incredible.” Anna pressed the comb into my hair that was attached to the veil. “I don’t blame you for changing dresses either. This one is even better than the last one.”
After what Daisy pulled, there was no way I was wearing that dress. I’d flown to Chicago with Anna and found a dress there. It’d been a wild day trip. I could have stayed longer, but I still couldn’t take Elias out of the county. I couldn’t be away from him any longer than that.
