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She tilted her head to stare at him. “Are you serious?”

“Are you?” he countered. “When I suggested that we live together for a while, I only did so because I don’t want to rush you into anything. I want you to be sure. Because I already am.”

“And what are you sure of, Locke?”

He had no problem telling her. “Although we’ve known each other for a little over a month, what I am absolutely, positively sure about is that I love you.”

She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that, because I love you, too, and yes, I will move to Oregon with you. I don’t want a big wedding. I don’t even need to be engaged. We can wake up one morning, fly to Vegas, and just do it. But I will need to give Malik enough time to stand beside me as my man of honor.”

Locke nodded. “I have no problem with that, but I prefer an engagement because I want to see my ring on your finger, Hollis. But it has to be a special ring for my alpha woman. I’ll know it when I see it.”

“Your alpha woman?”

“Yes. You are my alpha woman, Hollis.” He stood and pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth in his. When the kiss ended, he swept her into his arms.

“What about our wine, Locke? We didn’t finish.”

“It can wait. We’ll be sharing glasses of wine for the rest of our lives, sweetheart.”

EPILOGUE

June

“It’s not every day that a girl gets to attend a wedding that society pages in just about every newspaper in the country consider the wedding of the year. How many other rich and famous people do you know?”

Locke smiled as he tucked Hollis’ arm into the crook of his. “I try not to keep count. But seriously, Frazier Connelly is Roland Summers’ brother, and you’ve met Roland and Frazier.”

Yes, she had. Two weeks ago, Striker insisted Locke bring Hollis to Charlotteville to meet his wife, Margo. That’s when she discovered a surprise engagement party had been given in her and Locke’s honor. Everyone had heard they were officially engaged, and Locke’s married surrogate brothers had wanted her to meet their wives. She had also met Roland and his beautiful wife, Lenox.

She met Dak and his wife, Amelia; Sheppard Granger and his wife, Carson; and his three biological sons and their wives. Hollis’ jaw had nearly dropped when Margo had casually mentioned that Frazier Connelly was her uncle and that she had made the bride’s wedding dress. Later, Hollis met the couple when they arrived at Margo’s party.

Everyone loved her six-carat marquise-cut diamond engagement ring and thought it looked good on her hand. She did, too. Locke said that when he saw it at a jewelry store, he thought it was the perfect ring for the perfect woman.

Even Karl and Nyla attended their surprise engagement party. It was good to see them again, and as usual, they looked good together. Nyla said her mother was recuperating at home and hoped she would resume her social activities soon. Her father had many regrets when he learned the extent of Attorney Michael Ramsey’s crimes.

Nyla’s parents asked Karl and Nyla for forgiveness. Her father had personally apologized to Karl for the ill feelings he had expressed toward him. Nyla appreciated that Karl accepted her parents’ apology. She was glad her parents understood that forgiveness didn’t mean automatic reconciliation and knew the relationship building would be a slow process.

After the arrests of a number of local law enforcement officials and FBI agents that covered four states, an investigative journalist did a piece on Karl after charges against him were dropped. The AP syndicated the article, and it appeared as an exclusive in several newspapers around the country. It revealed that although Karl had been thought of as a loan shark, he was considered more of a philanthropist, since he rarely collected on the loans he made and ended up giving far more than he took in. Even his interest rates were lower than banks’. The article also listed the numerous scholarships his foundation gave out each year, the STEM camps his foundation funded, and his establishment of the Sheppard Granger Youth Center in Tampa.

The article also included personal interviews of people he had helped. It mentioned his engagement to Nyla and that together they were committed to incorporating additional programs under their “Compassion Projects.” Needless to say, Walter Roker was stunned to discover his future son-in-law was twice as wealthy as he was and had made it all legally.

There was a special moment when Sheppard Granger arrived at the party. It was the first time Karl had seen him since those charges against him were dropped. He had crossed the room and engulfed Sheppard in a heartfelt hug that everyone in the room could feel. Sheppard had believed in Karl and called the people he knew could help him, once again proving the kind of man he was and the positive impact he’d had on his surrogate sons’ lives. Karl had proudly introduced Sheppard to Nyla and announced they would marry on Christmas Day.

“Another thing I can’t believe is that the bride is Electra,” Hollis said.

Frazier Connelly’s bride, Rylee, often went by the pseudonym Electra, the popular audio-narrator of thousands of books in just about every genre, both fiction and non-fiction. Over the years, she received several Audio Awards.

It was an outdoor wedding held on the Connelly Estate, right in front of a lake. The view and the decorations were absolutely breathtaking. An usher escorted them to their seats. Stonewall and his police lieutenant wife, Joy, sat on one side, and Quasar and his wife, Randi, sat on the other. She remembered Randi, a former FBI instructor, from a class she taught years ago at the Quantico academy.

So much had happened since that day she flew away from Tampa with Locke. Malik had returned the week before, congratulated them both, and said that when he met Locke at her house that night, he knew what they shared was the real deal. Before making his presence known when he had entered the kitchen, he had seen the way they had stared at each other, and the raw intensity of it had been compelling. He had felt their connection and knew then that what they shared was deep and undeniable. He had left town knowing she was in good hands.

Hollis loved Locke’s home in Portland. It was huge, and he told her she could redecorate if she wanted to, but she wouldn’t change a thing. His condo was in the Pearl District and was simply beautiful with all the luxury high-rises. She also liked that everything ─ restaurants, art galleries, and parks ─ was within walking distance. That also included the waterfront.

The Dangerfield, Duke and Wasilla Law Firm occupied an entire floor of the U.S. Bancorp Tower, Portland’s tallest skyscraper. The downtown area was considered the central business district. She loved that she and Locke often walked to work. Living with him was wonderful. They got along beautifully, and he was so accommodating, going out of his way to make her feel special.

She liked Carol immediately, as well as the other members of his office staff. He introduced her as his personal private investigator and his future wife. Everyone’s shocked expression was priceless. So far, they hadn’t taken on a new case, which gave her time to adjust to her new life with him.

The wedding music pulled her back into the festivities when the ceremony began. Moments later, everyone stood when the bride appeared on her father’s arm. Rylee looked absolutely beautiful, radiant and breathtaking. Hollis couldn’t help but shed a few tears when she saw the groom dabbing at his own eyes. There was no doubt in Hollis’ mind that today Frazier Connelly was a very happy man.

Margo said her uncle Frazier, who would be turning fifty in a few months, had sworn to remain a bachelor all his life. That changed after meeting Rylee. He hadn’t known what hit him, and by the way he was staring at his wife-to-be as she walked down the aisle toward him, she believed it.

The ceremony was beautiful, and when it was over, everyone headed to the huge, covered area where the reception would be held. Holding tight to her hand, Locke leaned toward her and whispered. “Do you still want to elope to Vegas?”

She knew his mother preferred a church wedding in Atlanta, and she was tempted to give the older woman what she wanted. Hollis was convinced she could not ask for a more wonderful future mother-in-law.

“Hmm…we’ll see,” she whispered.

He chuckled. “Yes, the future Mrs. Dangerfield, we will see.” He then leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips.