There’s a hint of vulnerability beneath the bravado, and it tugs on my heartstrings.
“You have,” I admit. “And I love you too, Elias. A whole fucking lot.”
His shoulders shake with laughter again. “You have a way with words. Almost like you don’t write them for a living.”
“Tell me again,” I order him.
His eyes settle on mine, soft but serious.
“I love you, Jules. I adore you. Will you marry me?”
Tears blur my vision, obscuring him behind a watery veil.
“Yes,” I say with a sniffle. “I’ll marry you, Elias Vale. Today, tomorrow, whenever. I’m yours.”
His smile seems a bit shaky as he takes the ring and gently slides it onto my finger. I admire the way the light catches in the sapphire’s facets. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at this ring. It’s us.
“Thank you,” he says after a moment.
I furrow my brow. “For what?”
“For sticking your nose into my business,” he answers matter-of-factly.
I punch his shoulder for the third time. “Fucking ruining the moment. Such a man.”
His eyes sparkle with mischief.
“Your man.”
EXTENDED EPILOGUE – ELIAS
Two weeks after we’ve left Graves County, I’m sitting in the new trailer we repurposed specifically for Sinners’ business meetings.
“This is nice,” Cole comments, his arms extended over the couch’s backrest.
“Hey,” Logan complains next to him. “This isn’t a cinema date, keep your paws to yourself.”
Silas throws popcorn at them. “Speak for yourself.”
“Boys,” Jonah rumbles from the recliner. “Boss was talking.”
Si bows in an exaggeratedly pompous manner. “Our apologies, esteemed brother. What were you saying?”
I roll my eyes at them.
Secretly, I’m glad for moments like these. When I look at them, I still see the malnourished, bruised boys in ragged clothes, who we were before we escaped the Sanctum.
“Right.” I sigh. “I said Jules found an article in theAshford Gazette. Looks like everything went according to plan with the Caldwells.”
Rowe grunts, sounding dissatisfied. “Those abusers didn’t suffer enough.”
“No,” I agree. “But it was the cleanest way.”
“Sometimes we get our hands bloody,” Jonah remarks, “and sometimes we let others do it for us.”
“You did well,” I tell Si. “There’s no suspicion of foul play at all.”
My brother’s grin would terrify a more innocent man. “I have my moments. It wasn’t hard to arrange.”
