Page 28 of Say It's Forever

“I’ll try not to.” She sniffles.

I step over Joseph’s body, carrying her back to the bedroom. She has seen enough fucked-up shit for a lifetime. My phone starts to go off in my pocket. I sit Snow down on the bed before I pull it out, knowing already it’s my brother.

It’s a text.

Ace:The Target is acquired.

Well, fuck me. He was only supposed to be doing recon.

“Ace has your sister.”

“What!? How do you know?”

I show her my phone.

“What does that even mean? How do you get that from a text? Can you call him?” Snow fires off one question after another.

“If he could call, he would. He's probably still on his way out.”

“Are you sure?” Tears start to stream down her face.

“Yes, I’m sure that’s what his message meant,” I reassure her. I know her tears are happy ones, but they still bother me.

“You really did it. Everything you promised me.” She wraps her arms around my neck, tugging me until I fall onto the bed on top of her. I start to speak, but she covers my mouth with her hand. “Last time you cut me off, so now it’s my turn.” She says this with a huge smile on her beautiful face. "I was so scared that if they took me away or something happened to you, I'd never get the chance to tell you that I love you too."

I never thought hearing her say those three little words would have such an impact on me. I should have known better when it comes to Snow.

“Say it again,” I all but demand it.

“I love you.” I close my eyes and savor the words.

“Then, marry me.”

“Of course I’ll marry you.” Her hands come up to my face. The same way I’ve done to hers so many times. “But what about the dead bodies?” Snow deadpans.

I throw back my head and laugh. She bursts into giggles under me, letting me know that Snow can not only handle my past but our future too.

EPILOGUE

WINTER

Years Later

“This is always so cool to me,” I tell Garrett as the doctor does my ultrasound.

It’s been years since I left Heaven’s Temple, but technology still fascinates me. You’d think it did Garrett too, by the way he’s intensely staring at the screen. But this isn’t his first rodeo. That’s evident by our baby girl he’s holding on his side. He picked her up so she could clearly see the screen too.

“Is it a sissy?” she asks. Her curious little eyes probably have no clue what they’re looking at.

Rose has been hoping it’s a girl. When I told her it might be a boy, she gave me a horrified expression. I had to hide my laughter. All Garrett cares is that it’s healthy, and I’m much the same. Though he is a really good girl-dad. Every time I see him with our girls, I melt inside.

“It has to be a girl,” Daisy says from beside Garrett, who she calls Dad. He and I are really all she knows. She was only two when we adopted her from Heaven’s Temple’s demise. I’m thankful she doesn’t remember that place at all. It can still haunt me at times. I don’t want that for her. To know how cruel the world can be.

She’s ours now. We even named our little one Rose to match Daisy's name, and if we have another girl, Daisy picked Lily for her already.

I love the family we’ve created. If someone had told me that I had to go through all of the suffering at Heaven’s Temple again in order to have this life with Garrett and our girls, it would be a no-brainer. Never in a million years did I think this was possible.

The doctor turns her head toward Daisy. “You got yourself another sister.” Both she and Rose break out in cheers. My husband gives my hand a squeeze with a smile on his handsome face. It’s the same one I got when we got married.

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