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I kick off my sandals, and when Reid’s done taking off his boots, he grips my hand and leads me down the steps. We walk toward the beach, and when I step onto the sand, it’s soft and warm.

He tugs me down, and sitting beside him, I watch as he rests his elbows on his knees, his eyes scanning over the blue water that stretches as far as the eye can see.

He’s finally relaxed.

The breeze plays with his hair, then his gaze locks on mine.

“Welcome home, my wolf.” Knowing how dark and horrific his past has been, I say, “I hope the rest of your life is filled with long, lazy days and cozy nights.”

I reach for his hand and trace my fingertips over the faint bruising on his knuckles. “I hope people will leave you alone so you never have to kill again.”

I brush the strands of his hair from his forehead. “I hope the only touch you feel is loving, the only words you hear are kind and caring, and the only thing you see is beauty.”

My voice grows hoarse, and I take a moment to breathe through my intense emotions.

Reid’s eyes are locked on my face as I continue, “Most of all, I hope the memories of your past fade until they feel like a distant story you once heard.” I clear my throat and look at him with all the love I feel for him. “Because I plan to make so many new memories with you in this house, and you’ll need space for all of them.”

I lean closer and whisper, “I love you, Rowan, my wolf, my darkness.” Staring deep into his eyes, I see how much my words are affecting him. “I love you, Reid.”

He presses a tender kiss to my lips and holds still for a moment before he pulls back a little, his eyes shining with happiness.

He takes a deep breath, then says, “Thank you, my light.”

We link our hands, and I lean my head against his bicep, staring at the waves rolling in and pulling back.

Every now and then, he presses a kiss to my hair, and after a while, he murmurs, “As your husband and the man who loves you with all of his soul, I vow to always protect and care for you.”

I lift my head to look at him, and seeing the serious lines on his face, my heart beats faster.

“I will never give you a reason to second-guess how I feel about you. I will always treat you like the miracle you are.” His voice is rough, but every word is like a tender caress to my heart. “Until the day I breathe my last breath, I will love you with everything I have in me. I choose you to spend the rest of my life with because I can’t fathom a single day without you by my side.” He presses his forehead to mine and whispers, “I love you, Annie, my light, my wife.” He pulls back an inch and meets my eyes again. “I love you with everything I am, everything I have, and everything I will ever be, Ana.”

“Jesus,” I whimper as I throw my arms around his neck, happy tears sneaking down my cheeks.

Reid’s mouth claims mine as he lies down on the sand, positioning me until I’m half on top of him. My palms find his jaw, and as I kiss the love of my life, there are only dreams of the amazing future that awaits us.

Epilogue

Reid

(Fifteen years later . . . )

“Hit me with another,” Rafa, one of the locals and a regular at the tiki bar, says. He’s looking down in the dumps again because Sofía is flirting with the surfers, Ben and Javi.

I pour him another Cuba Libre and push the glass over to him. “Don’t worry. She’ll come around,” I tell him as I lean my forearms on the worn counter, while glancing over the tables on the deck as a soft breeze comes off the ocean.

“I don’t know, man.” Rafa shakes his head. “I’ve been trying for months. She doesn’t want to know nothing about me.”

Thinking about the bar where I met Ana, I say, “I once knew a couple in a similar situation as yours. The woman flirted with everyone but him.”

Rafa’s eyes lock on me. “What happened?”

“He grew a pair and asked her out. She said yes.” Straightening up, I pat my hand on the counter. “Maybe you should give it a try.”

I walk to the other side of the counter and glance around the back. Seeing Lila and Tyler sitting at a table, busy doing their homework, I call out, “Where’s your mother?”

Tyler looks around as if Ana will magically appear from thin air, then shrugs.

I swear, sometimes my son tests my patience as if it is all he was born to do.