“Then they aren’t really your friends. And if they do, screw them. We don’t need them.” She throws her arms around me. “We only need each other.”
“Together,” we both say at the same time and I’m smiling as I lean in to kiss her.
* * *
We takea few days to discuss it at length, debating all the pros and cons, until I finally decide it’s the right course of action. It’s the only way to get Ren out of our lives. Before I broach the subject with Rod and the guys, we visit my attorney in the city to get some legal advice. Once he has all the facts, he believes there is minimal risk of me being prosecuted, but he can’t guarantee that there won’t be some form of punishment.
We stay at the penthouse that night, talking it through, and we both agree it’s worth the risk. The next day, I call Rod and the guys over, and I tell them everything with Mike in the room, because he deserves to know the truth too.
The guys are visibly shocked, but I’m surprised at the reason for it. They’re all upset that I’ve carried this burden on my own for so long. And they’re a bit pissed that I didn’t share it with them sooner. Rod, of course, knew most of this, but he wasn’t aware of the blackmail, and he’s livid with me for not involving him from the outset.
Zeta leaves us to help Maggie with dinner, and we talk it through, particularly the potential ramifications for the band if I go ahead with my plan. The guys are unanimously behind me, and I’m a bit of an emotional mess, if truth be told. These guys are like the brothers I never had, and their unflinching loyalty means the world to me.
It’s after midnight when we call it a night, and I’m pretty drained from reliving the most traumatic parts of my life, but I also feel freer, like a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
That night, after a marathon sex session that left both of us sweating and exhausted, I sleep more soundly than I have in years, and I can’t help wondering how different things might’ve been if I’d spoken up sooner.
I wake ahead of Zeta for a change, and I sit in the chair by my bed, smiling at my sleeping beauty, so grateful she came back into my life. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know she’s the only one I want by my side for eternity.
I should wait.
Plan this properly.
Make it romantic and something she can talk about to our kids.
But I’m done holding back on my life. Now that I’ve decided I’m revealing the truth to the world, and Rod’s setting the wheels in motion today, I want her with me at the press conference, standing by my side as my wife.
I flip open the little black box I’ve had in my safe for years, grinning as I gaze at the custom fit engagement ring I had created especially for her. I’d done it on a whim, never truly believing I’d be in any position to give it to her. This moment is a moment I’ve wanted for years, and I’m silently begging my sleeping girlfriend to wake the fuck up, because I can’t wait a minute longer to propose. I can’t wait to call her my fiancée.
38
Zeta
“Hey, baby.” I lift my head, surveying Ryder through blurry eyes. Peeling back the covers, I pat the empty space beside me. “Come back to bed, and let me demonstrate how much I love you.”
Morning sex is a relatively new concept for both of us, and I know he’s come to love our morning quickies as much as I have. I’ve never had any of this before—a proper relationship, living with someone twenty-four seven, amazing sex on tap. But I’m loving it, and it’s as natural as breathing for us. With the exception of the Ren stuff hanging over our heads, I’ve never been this happy before.
“As tempting as that is, I thought we might do something else today,” he says, getting up and rounding my side of the bed. His eyes shine with emotion as he leans down to kiss me.
I pull back as his tongue seeks permission. “I don’t want to inflict my morning breath on you. Let me brush my teeth real quick.” I fling the covers off, and his eyes follow a path up my bare legs and over my very naked body.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful, and I don’t give a shit about morning breath. I love kissing you anytime.” Ignoring my wishes, he leans down and kisses me again, lapping at the seam of my lips until I open for him. He sits down on the floor, pulling me into his lap, and we kiss deeply and passionately while his hands roam up and down my back. “I could kiss you forever, but then I’ll want to do more, and my plans for today will be forgotten,” he says, when he finally breaks the kiss.
I circle my arms around his neck, curling my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. He’s letting it grow out again, and I can’t wait until it’s longer so I can fist my hands in his hair when he’s fucking me. “What plans?” I ask while he practically purrs at my touch.
My fingers stall as he looks at me with emotion brimming in his eyes. Butterflies scatter in my chest as I wait for him to speak. “Let’s fly to Vegas and get married.”
I blink profusely, sure I must have heard him wrong. “What?” I splutter.
Holding onto my hips, he slides me off his lap, positioning me on the edge of the bed as he drops to one knee. My hand is shaking as I raise it to my mouth. He flips open a little black box, and tears pump out of my eyes as I stare at the exquisite ruby and diamond ring. “From the instant I laid eyes on you, that first day back in juvie, I just knew you were the one. I know it sounds crazy, but it was like being struck by lightning, and I was never surer of anything than we were meant to belong together. We share an intense connection, and it’s only grown stronger over the years. Nothing in my life has ever felt right unless you’re in it. I love you so fucking much.”
His voice cracks a little, and the smile he gives me is tinged with nerves. “You’re the only woman for me, and I know I will love you every day for the rest of my life. We lost years, and I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to wake up beside you every morning and go to sleep with you at night. I want to navigate all the highs and lows with you by my side. I want to watch my babies growing in your belly, and I want a family, something I never thought I could aspire to, but with you, everything is possible, and I want the world for us.”
He takes the ring out of the box, holding it out to me. “I want you to be my wife. I want you to call me your husband. And I don’t want to wait another minute longer. So, please, will you fly with me to Vegas today and marry me?”
“Yes. Yes. A million times yes.” I’m sobbing. Huge, big, fat monster tears roll down my face, but I’ve never been happier.
He pulls me down onto his lap, cradling me in his arms, and I nuzzle my face in his neck, crying and laughing and just living. “Thank fuck. For a minute there, I was terrified you’d say no.”
