I swallow and nod because I can’t push the words past the lump in my throat. When Dae slides the ring onto my finger, I release the breath I’m holding.
He rises to his feet, cups my face, and says, “Thank you for saving me that day in the alley. Thank you for being my little warrior when I’d given up on myself. And thank you for forgiving me.”
I cup his face as he rises to his feet. “You saved me, too,” I remind him as I pull him in for another kiss.
EPILOGUE
Dae
Six months later
“What the hell are you doing?” Taehyun demands to know as he frowns at me, messing with my bowtie. “Are your hands shaking?” he asks with a smirk.
“Fuck off.” It’s our wedding day, and anxiety courses through me. I want to get this over with. Not because I don’t want this wedding, but because I can’t wait to make it official.
Kennedy’s always belonged to me, but making the declaration in front of everyone, including the law, is what I’ve waited years for.
“Who’s that?” I growl when there’s a knock on my dressing room door.
“Probably Jersey,” my cousin answers.
I shake my head. “She’s with Kennedy.” Jersey is serving as one of Kennedy’s bridesmaids.
“Oh shit,” Taehyun says when he pulls open the door.
A second later, six men dressed in impeccable suits enter the room. They all come to stare me down, arms folded.
Kennedy’s father, uncles, and twin brother.
I lift an eyebrow, staring all of them in the eye while continuing to mess with my tie.
Her father takes a step closer to me. “This is the last time I’ll say this,” he starts. “If you hurt my daughter—”
“You’ll kill me,” I finish for him. “And I’ll deserve it.”
His scowl never wavers. He doesn’t crack a smile, but he nods—a sign that I’ve earned his approval.
He approaches and pushes my hands out of the way, taking the bowtie. “I’m not giving you my daughter,” he says, focusing on me while he fixes my tie. “But I am letting you marry her.”
His eyes meet mine and narrow.
A smirk crosses my lips. “Not that I ever needed anyone’s permission besides hers to make her my wife.”
I gasp for air when he tightens the damn tie, almost to the point of choking me. Still, a laugh spills from my lips.
“Fingers slipped,” he lies.
“I bet.”
He finishes the tie and steps back. “I have three sons I’m extremely proud of. So, it’s not like I’m gaining the son I never had.” He peers over his shoulder at Kyle and looks back at me. “But if I had to choose another son …”
He looks me up and down.
“There’re worse options.”
He gives me one final look before turning his back on me and leaving.
“Stasi’s never getting married, though,” he says before leaving.