He had been planning to ask me to marry him.
All the what-ifs crashed over me at once. Where we would be right now if he’d made a different choice during that meeting with Rupert. If Vanessa hadn’t interfered in our relationship.
His arms tightened around me. “I carried it with me for months after. Didn’t matter that Vanessa had gone out andbought her own ring. I still couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the one I’d chosen for you. Even though I knew I’d lost you. Not until the day I made the second biggest mistake of my life and married her.”
I liked that he hadn’t gotten Vanessa a ring but had bought one for me, but something else he said piqued my curiosity. “That was only the second worst?”
“I hit rock bottom the day I lost you.”
His answer made me equal parts happy and sad. It showed how much I meant to him, but it also made me think about the years together we’d lost.
I pressed my palm over his heart. “You have me back now.”
He grinned. “I do.”
His word choice was unfortunate. “But I’m not ready for a ring.”
“I get it.” He brushed his lips against mine. “Take all the time you need.”
I was glad that he understood we couldn’t rebuild trust overnight. That it might take a while to heal the damage left behind.
“I’m enjoying getting to know you all over again.”
“I am too. And I’m not going to drop to one knee anytime soon, baby,” he reassured with an understanding smile. “No pressure. I’m beyond fucking thrilled that you agreed for us to be exclusive. I just didn’t want to keep any secrets.”
“Thanks.”
Letting him back in was still risky. It still scared me. The memory of that voicemail still played on a loop in my head sometimes. So did the engagement announcement. But we’d come a long way in the past couple of months.
Maybe love wasn’t supposed to feel safe. All I knew was that being with Gage felt like coming home after being away for fartoo long. And my mom had taught me to be brave enough to unlock that door and walk through it.
EPILOGUE
GAGE
The music started to play, and Ethan murmured, “Ready?”
“Absolutely.”
My wedding day was finally here. I lost three years with Tessa due to my own stupidity, and it took me another three to get her to walk down the aisle to me.
She preferred a small ceremony with only our closest friends and family, rather than the big production people would expect from a Langford. And I made sure the wedding was exactly what she wanted. Even when it meant sending Jace an invitation since he was her friend, the price I paid for messing up six years ago.
I stood under a makeshift arch draped in white roses and fairy lights in the backyard of my parents’ house. Ethan was at my side as my best man, and his daughter toddled toward us, tossing rose petals in her wake.
The idea that Tessa was about to walk down the aisle to become my wife still felt like a dream I didn’t deserve.
Lily’s flower basket was still half full when she climbed onto Callie’s lap and blew a kiss at her dad. My chuckle at her antics cut off when the string quartet switched to the wedding march. Ilooked up and lost my breath at the sight of my bride at the end of the aisle on her father’s arm.
Tessa had never looked more beautiful. The ivory lace dress skimmed her curves, her dark hair was half up, loose curls catching the late-afternoon sun, and she carried a bouquet of honey-colored roses.
She’d opted not to wear a veil, and her gaze found mine immediately. Unconditional love shone from them, and I took an instinctive step forward. Her plush lips curved into the smile she saved only for me, and she shook her head.
Ethan grabbed my elbow. “Hold steady, Gage. Let him bring her to you.”
I knew he was right, but it took everything I had not to rush forward. Her dad had finally given his blessing for our wedding, but he still hadn’t fully forgiven me for hurting his daughter. That was fair since I hadn’t forgiven myself either.
He walked her toward me at a painstakingly slow pace, as though he was still deciding whether to hand her over. When they reached me, he leaned in. His voice was low enough that only I could hear as he murmured, “You break her heart again, son, and they’ll never find the body.”
