Page 150 of Reveal

“You ready?” he asks, and we both nod. “Here goes.”

Ryker lets the paper lantern begin to lift from his hand and turns it just before it takes flight so the writing is visible.

And then my heart stops when I see the words: Will you marry me, Vaughn and Lucy?

I stand frozen as I read them, as I try to believe that he really means them, but when I can tear my eyes from the words and over to the wonderful man who wrote them, I can’t speak.

Tears are glistening in his eyes. His smile is wide. His invitation is written all over his expression.

I step toward him and press my lips against his for an answer. It’s brief and tender, but it says everything I could ever want to say to him in that simple touch.

“Yes,” I murmur against his lips.

He leans back. “Yes?”

“Yes.”

And the look on his face will forever be burned in my mind.

Love swells within me.

I never wanted this. A man. A love. The promise of a future and happiness.

But then there was Ryker. The man who proved to me that you don’t always have to find love in the sunrise because it can often be found in the sunset. The man who said he didn’t believe in love, loving the woman who said she never could love.

And the rest is history.

We found our sunset.

Ryker

One Year Later

People are milling about on the green lawn down below. Decorations and flowers and lights strung across the terrace illuminate the space.

It’s perfect, if a man can ever really think shit like this can be perfect.

But when her arms slide around my waist and the heat of her body presses against my back, I know I was wrong.

This is perfection. Her. Now. The ring on her finger. My last name attached to her first name. The life we’re starting together from here on out.

“What are you doing up here all alone?” she asks.

“Just taking it all in.” Just taking a breather to realize how much she changed my fucking life from a miserable existence of meaningless flings to actually wanting to share my life with someone.

“You know your friends down there are taking bets, right?”

“Bets?” I shift so that I can wrap my arm over her shoulders and pull her against me. When I look down at her, my breath catches again.

Who knew a woman could look so damn amazing in white?

“Yep.” She smiles. “They’re all taking bets on how long we’re going to last.”

My laugh rings out so loud it pulls the attention of our guests below to glance up at us. “Well, I guess I better go put my bid in too, then.”

“Is that so?” She lifts a brow in mock protest, but her smile says she knows I’m joking.

“Yep,” I say, repeating her word. “Everything we have to the winner that this till-death-do-us-part thing will be how long we’ll last.”