Page 155 of Theirs to Corrupt

He shakes his head. “There are no guarantees. I know I’m controlling. But you mean more than anything to me. I can promise I will always try to be the man that you want. That you need. That you deserve.” His face twisted with raw anguish and honesty, he drops to his knees. “I promise—I vow—that I will die trying to be someone worthy of you.”

Giant sobs rack me.

He’s shredded my heart.

I run to him, lower myself to the floor, and wrap him tight.

He grabs me hard, as if he’ll never let go, and he gulps giant breaths of air. I sob into his shoulder, soaking his shirt, shedding tears for the boy who’d been emotionally crushed and for what we’ve come so very close to losing. “I love you, Link Merritt. You dictatorial, know-it-all?—”

“Bastard,” Pax supplies

Grinning, we both look at him.

“Little dove, say anything you want. I’ll take it.”

I place my palm alongside his face. “I love you. Link. I love you. Now and forever.”

We both hold on tightly, desperately.

Minutes later, Pax helps us up, and the three of us embrace.

“I was afraid I was going to have to beat some fucking sense into you.” Pax’s voice has lost its edge, and I’m grateful for that.

Link nods. “As long as you did it before she got away from us.”

“For damn sure.”

All three of us joined together, Link looks at me. “Please say you’ll be my wife—our wife—now and forever.”

“There’s one condition.”

“Name it.”

“I want to renew our vows.”

He frowns. “We just?—”

“With the wordlovein there.”

He nods. “Of course.”

“We’ve had something official. I want something meaningful, just for us.”

Both men grin.

“Link knows how to organize events,” Pax says.

“I’ll make it happen. Within a month?”

“Yes. It’s okay with you, Pax?”

“More than,” he assures me.

Everything inside me melts.

“Little dove…” Link tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I’ve missed you,” I whisper. Then I look at Pax. “Both of you. More than words can say.”

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