Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 15909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
The lights of the city and the shushing of the ocean waves in the half-dark are almost hypnotizing, and we don't speak for a long moment. Then, I feel Dante shift, and he's reaching into his pocket.
What's going on doesn't hit me until he's sinking down on one knee, and then my heart is hammering, tears already forming in my eyes.
He cracks the small velvet box open, the gold band and enormous diamond sparkling in the moonlight. "I love you, and I won't apologize for the lengths I had to go to get us to this moment. But I can, and will, make you my wife. Will you marry me, Isla?"
I'm crying now, and I nod, barely able to speak, "Yes, I'll marry you."
Dante slides the ring on my finger and kisses me. And then he picks me up and spins me around, and I'm laughing through my tears, the city lights blurring. I belong to Dante Vale, and it's exactly what I’ve wanted all along.
EPILOGUE
DANTE
One Year Later
Islow the car down in front of the iron gates, reaching out to type the PIN into the keypad and watching as they swing open. The papers are signed, the deed handed over, and we are finally home.
All three of us.
Our daughter Mia gurgles in the back seat, and I watch as Isla reaches back to soothe her. My wife is a bundle of nerves about the new house, but it's everything I wanted in a home. It's sprawling and just isolated enough that I never have to see a neighbor. I have space, privacy, and control. Everything I need.
I park the car, and Isla unbuckles Mia's seat. She goes to lift the carrier out, but I stop her. "You're not lifting a finger. You're still healing."
She huffs a laugh, but lets me take our daughter as we climb the steps to the house. Inside, it smells of fresh paint, and all of the personal touches Isla asked for have been placed. Sun beams through the high windows, but nothing is brighter than the smile my wife gives me.
"How do you like it?"
"It's perfect,” she gushes, fingers trailing along the walls as she explores. She's glowing, and a surge of pride hits me.
The penthouse was unrealistic now that we have Mia, but it was still hard for Isla to leave behind the place where we first fell in love. Our wedding was understated on the beaches of Hawaii, and we knew she was pregnant almost as soon as we got home. It took some time to find the right house, and we've been living in the penthouse until it was ready, but now all the work has paid off.
I lower the carrier to the ground, Mia snoozing comfortably inside, before sliding an arm around my wife's waist. She leans into me, and I breathe in her scent, like honeysuckle and springtime.
"I'm glad you like it," I say, pressing my lip against her temple. "Because you're not going anywhere. This place is for us, for you, and for Mia. Forever."
She sucks in a surprised breath, the same way she always does when I remind her that she belongs to me. Isla loves it, even if she won't say so. The way her body reacts gives her away every time.
Mia makes a small sound, breaking the spell between us, and I kneel to unbuckle her. She's so small, with her mother's bright eyes and my dark hair. I didn't think I could ever feel more protective of anyone than I do Isla, but Mia proved me wrong from the moment she was born. No one will ever touch either of them.
I kiss Mia's forehead and then lean over to kiss my wife soundly on the lips. "Welcome home, girls."
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
ISLA
Ten Years Later
The dress is a gift. Something Dante ordered specially made for me, and I should be grateful, but instead it feels like some sort of enemy.
Sleek, black, fitted at the waist and cut daringly low in the front, it's a dress that I would have worn in a heartbeat a decade ago. Now, three kids later, I'm not so sure I can bring myself to put it on.
Dante ordered the dress and planned the date himself. We rarely go out alone since he trusts basically no one with the kids, but after a hiring process that included multiple background checks and a CPR demonstration, Dante has settled on a young woman he likes well enough so we can have some time as husband and wife.
It's sweet, but I just don't know if I can do it. Dante has barely changed over the past ten years. He's still packed with muscle and sculpted like a god, but I've gone quite a bit softer.
I can hear him coming up behind me before he wraps his arms around my waist. "What's wrong?"