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Then it’s like all the fight drains out of him, and he sags in Tor’s grip.
And finally nods.
“I never did anything wrong.”
He closes his eyes, but he isn’t saying another word and I guess that means this whole thing is over.
The priest is gathering his things, but I’m not done.
“Baby.” I grab her and turn her back to me, dropping down onto one knee. “I’ve had this since the day I met you.” I take the box out of my back pocket, and open it up, showing her the ring. Rose gold with a five carat, flawless antique diamond I bought years ago from an estate in France. It was said to have been given to the great grandmother by a prince. Never worn because she died from fever before they could be married. Love and tragedy but this time, it’s going to happily ever after. “The priest is right here. I’m not waiting. If you want your parents to see you get married, now’s the time.”
I reach over and tug the bullshit thrift store engagement ring off her finger and fling it into the trashcan.
“Is that supposed to be a proposal? Because as proposals go, I’ve heard better.” She smiles and my heart thunders in my chest. My dick is so hard it could etch our initials into the diamond I’m holding.
I slip the ring on her finger. “I’m not asking, baby. Because I know the answer already. I’m just saying, let’s not waste time.”
She stares into my eyes, and I see the flicker of brat. Her badass wants to come out and play and I’m good with that, as soon as I get the formalities out of the way.
“You need me to convince you?” I lower my lips to her ear. “I’ll take you in the other room for a minute. Bend that sweet ass over my knee and remind you of a few things.”
I pull back, take her chin in my hand and press my forehead to hers.
She nods slowly. “You’re right. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Nine
Cyrus
Epilogue - Eight Years Later
“To Cyrus and Anna!” Sophia raises her glass, grinning at us, and I’m grinning right back. My little sister, toasting eight years of marriage for her big brother. Who would have guessed?
All of our kids are here, not just mine and Anna’s, but Tor’s and Natalie’s, and Sophia’s and Chance’s too. The older kids have a table of their own, where they get to pretend they’re grownups already eating the same gourmet shit we’ve got in front of us, while the younger kids dine on French fries and burgers, still cooked up by my talented little sister.
“What an eight years,” Anna whispers by my side, and I nod.
“Best eight years of my life, baby. And I just know that the next eight will be even better.”
She smiles as she looks over at our oldest, Ryan. He’ll be seven in a couple of months, which is younger than anyone else at the big kids’ table, but he insisted and who are we to argue? That kid’s age doesn’t make a blind bit of difference, he’s got smarts that he must have inherited from his mother because he knows more than I do now, let alone than I did at his age. We had to hire him a tutor and home school, because there wasn’t a damn thing his teachers could teach him anymore. So if he says he’s eating with his older cousins, he’s eating with his older cousins.
“We did good, huh?” she asks, blowing a kiss to our other two children. Who knows what the future holds for them? Alice and Caroline, the twins, started school a year ago, and they’re doing fine.
“Very good, baby,” I reply, and place a hand on her belly. “And we’re still going.”
She blushes, glancing around to make sure nobody’s looking. Natalie looks away immediately, but that doesn’t mean anything. And who gives a shit? So it’s early days yet, I’m ready to announce to the world that I got my wife knocked up again.
Her mom and dad aren’t here this evening, even though we invited everyone. Niko has been out of prison for two months, and to his credit he’s trying to make amends for everything that happened. We looked after Anna’s mom while he was in there, of course, but it’s a job he made sure I knew he was taking over as soon as he got out.
He wants to live differently now, and enjoy his twilight years, and I can’t exactly begrudge him that. He paid for his crimes, and you can’t ask any more.
He’s even tried to get in touch with Alex, wanting to apologize. Who knows how that will turn out, but I’ve hired a PI to assist. Alex disappeared after everything that happened, and when I happened to drive by his house a couple of months later, it was unoccupied with a “For Sale” sign outside. We haven’t heard from him, and nor did we want to try, but Niko needs to give it his best shot and I’m trying to be supportive.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I whisper to my wife. “I can’t wait until you are big as a house again.”
“Are you joking?” She slaps my shoulder. “Did you just say that to me?”
“Fuck, yeah. It’s true, baby. You’re fucking hot in that eighth and ninth month.”
