Page 52 of Save Me

"No. Um, I might have snuck out," she admits.

"Isla. He's going to lose his mind."

"He won't. I left a note."

I kind of doubt that'll help any at all. But when she rises up on her toes, pressing her lips to mine, I forget all about Mac.

"I'm right where I want to be, Brantley. And I'm not going anywhere. He's just going to have to learn to accept it."

My eyes flash to hers.

"I'm not going home."

"You mean tonight."

"I mean ever." She bites her lip. "I mean, so long as you still want to keep me. I made up my mind before I left that I was done hiding you. I'm tired of it, Brantley. You aren't a secret, and I'm not going to keep treating you like one just because I'm scared."

"Marry me," I blurt.

She blinks wide eyes at me. And fuck, maybe I should keep my damn mouth shut, pretend I didn't say anything. But I don't do that. Of course I don't. If she's afraid of being sent away, I'm not going to let that happen. I can protect her right here.

"Marry me, little bird," I breathe. "Your father will probably hate me for it. He'll be mad as hell. But I don't fucking care. I want you tied to me in a way that's real. I want you in our home, in our bed, wearing my ring and my last name because it's where you belong. You were meant to be mine. I felt it the day we met. I've felt it every day since."

"Yes," she says.

"What?"

A bright smile breaks on her face, wiping away every single shadow. "I said yes, Brantley. Yes, I'll marry you."

Fucking hell. She said yes.

"Right now? Tonight?"

"I mean, I doubt that's possible, but yeah, I'd marry you tonight."

I scoop her up into my arms, crushing my mouth to hers. This gorgeous, fierce, amazing little goddess just agreed to marry me. She's going to be mine permanently. If there's a heaven, there's no way it's better than this. It isn't feasibly possible. It just isn't.

Chapter Twelve

Isla

We don't get married in the middle of the night. We spend it making love and talking instead. But Brantley and I find ourselves at the courthouse first thing in the morning, standing before the judge. We exchange our vows with Daniel and a clerk acting as our witnesses.

When Brantley slips his ring on my finger, promising to love me forever, I know he means it. He won't get it right everyday. He'll mess up. We'll argue. I'll worry about him. But he'll love me. We'll fight for each other. And we'll make it through. Because, despite everything—or perhaps because of everything he's been through—he knows what's important to him. And he's finally fighting for it.

I repeat my vows with tears in my eyes. And I pray he knows just how much I mean them too. I won't get it right every day. I'll mess up, too. But I'll love him. There isn't a world or a future where I won't love him and every broken, exposed piece of him. He deserves that more than anyone I've ever met.

I can't save him. Only he can do that. And for once, he's finally ready to do that. Not for me or because he loves me. Not for his mom or Daniel. But because, for once, he's finally letting himself believe it's what he deserves.

By the time we make it back to his place, I'm a bundle of anxiety. Because now…we tell my dad. We tell Bella. I already know they're going to be disappointed that I've kept so much from them, and hurt I got married without them, but this wasn't about them. It was about me and Brantley. It was about reminding him that no matter what, he's the future I choose.

I know Bella will understand eventually. Of course my mom will. I'm not so sure about my dad, however. He's never liked to admit that we're not little girls anymore. Now, Bella has Cormac, and I have Brantley. And somehow, they're both the best parts of our dad. They're protective, devoted, and loyal. He might not have chosen Brantley for me, but if given a choice, he would have chosen a man just like him for me—gentle, courageous, and infinitely compassionate. And he would have chosen one like Cormac for Bella too—fierce, kind, and infinitely patient. They're exactly who we need.

"Are you ready to go see your dad, little bird?" Brantley asks, running his hand down my arm as he steps up behind me in the bedroom.

I spin to face him, and then swallow, caught off guard again by how damn handsome he is. But how much love shines in his eyes. He's so damn soft with me, so open. It blows my mind that anyone can look at him and not see the same things I do. His story is right there, peeking out no matter how he tries to hide it. As much as he might think he's broken, he's never been that. He turned all that pain into something beautiful, shaped it into a man full of kindness and goodness—one who takes my breath away.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head. "I'm not ready yet, Brantley. There's something important we need to do first."

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