He’s never rushed me. Never made decisions for me. Every step we’ve taken has been a conversation. He always asked before stepping into our lives in bigger ways.
Edward saw a woman who was grieving and alone and moved quickly to secure her.
Blake saw a woman who had survived and made sure she knew she was safe.
The timelines might look similar from the outside—fast, intense, life changing—but the foundations couldn’tbe more different. My life with Edward was built on manipulation. This one with Blake is built on choice.
That he risked everything so we could be here right now makes me certain I’ve made the right one.
It’s bittersweet. I know my parents would have loved him.
Just like Tinsley and I love him.
Epilogue 2
Blake
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Ifix my tie in the mirror over the hallway table as Tinsley twirls around the living room in her yellow dress.
“Careful, Sprout,” I say with a chuckle. “You’ll make yourself dizzy.”
“No, I won’t,” she insists, stopping abruptly and wobbling before catching herself on the couch.
“You were saying?” I tease.
She ignores me, skipping over to fix her hair in the mirror. “What’s a gradutation again?”
“Graduation,” I correct, smiling at her in the reflection. “It’s where I walk across the stage, they give me a piece of paper, and everyone claps.”
“Sounds boring.”
A snort of laughter slips free at her honesty. “It is.”
“Do Rett and Emily have to walk across the stage, too?”
“They sure do.”
She narrows her eyes. “Why do you have to do this when you’re already finished school?”
“This is just the celebration ceremony,” I say with a shrug.
“Is Tori coming?”
I nod. “They’re getting ready at the hotel and meeting us there.”
Her face lights up. “Did they bring Jasper?”
My lips tilt up at the mention of my five-month-old nephew. “Yeah, he’ll be there.”
“I wish I had a little brother or sister,” she says wistfully, and my chest squeezes, because I have to admit the thought’s crossed my mind once or twice since he was born.
“You’d like that?” I ask. “If your mum and I had a baby one day?”
She nods with so much enthusiasm that her curls bounce around her face.
Shit.
