Page 196 of Thorns of Malice

"Are you nervous?" Jaxon asks.

I smile and say, "No. Just excited."

He grins and hugs me. "I'm really happy for you. For both of you."

Over the last few months, Dax and Jaxon have grown closer, forming a strong friendship and business relationship. It's made me happy and relieved.

"Thank you."

He adds, "We've come a long way, haven't we?"

I chuckle. "We have."

The music changes, and the "Wedding March" blares through the trees.

He straightens and says, "Here we go." He leads me through the remainder of the forest, and the lake appears. Sailboats dot the background. The sun shines brightly, and sparkles leap off the water. The freshly painted boathouse has a wall of Seducing Ivy, Tantalizing Ivy, Teasing Ivy, and Conquering Ivy twisting all over it, creating a spectacular display of colorful blooms.

As stunning as everything is, there's only one thing I can focus on.

Dax.

He pins his dark gaze on me, intensifying all the flutters in my belly.

Jaxon steps in front of him and says something I don't even pay attention to.

Dax replies without unlocking his eyes from me.

Jaxon steps away.

Dax takes my hands and caresses them with his thumbs, his lips curving up.

My flutters calm. My heart swells so big I think it might burst out of my chest.

Once upon a time, I was a young girl who wished for Dax Carrington to be my love story. I wanted him to be my forever and for my father to love him too.

The scenario I dreamed of was far from the path we fumbled down. The story was doomed from the start, written with a perfect hero and a naive heroine who could do no wrong to the other.

My fantasy ignored reality. In the real world, people aren't perfect. They create pain for the ones they love, sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident.

Maybe the agony is all part of true love. Perhaps those we can't live without need to test us, pushing us away until they realize they can't breathe without our love. Maybe there's no forever without the struggle to figure out how to unconditionally forgive the ones who hurt you so badly that, at times, you thought the grief might swallow you whole.

Either way, my reality is this: I fell in love with a villain. As much as he's grown, he'll always be one. Deep down, I know it, and so does he. Yet I wouldn't want him to change. The bad boy stole my heart, and he's not giving it back. Any chance he gets, he feeds me what I need. And once you've given in to a villain, you can't ever erase him from your heart.

But the villain also fell in love with a starry-eyed damsel who no longer exists. I'm fiercer, full of confidence, and no longer looking for anyone's approval but my own. Somehow, my newfound power didn't push him away. It pulled him closer, expanding his desire for me and giving me even more strength to step into my destiny.

My destiny is him.

Unfortunately, my father will never get to know the real man who stands before me, the one I know deep in my soul he'd beproud to call his son-in-law. I wish that chapter had been written differently. But some things you can't change, no matter how hard you wish.

As imperfect as Dax's and my love story is, it's ours. No one can change it or take it away. It's torn us apart and mended us back together, gluing the shattered pieces so our hearts became one instead of two.

So this is our real love story—flawed and stained, renewed by pain and laughter, smarter and wiser than the past. With every sin came the opportunity to bind us closer and start fresh with the knowledge you can't redesign the past. You can only create a brighter future, more aware of what will make the other person happy, even if it requires a sacrifice.

The naive girl I once was got one thing right.

Dax is my love story.

And as I stare at my love, the man who took me to Hell and then brought me back, I know I'd do it all over again. I'd relive every aching moment if I had to.

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