Page 132 of Keep Me

She mended my past.

She would build my future.

Until the day I die, she was everything I’d ever want.

I took Britt’s hand and placed it on my chest before giving it enough of a squeeze to divert her attention from what I was doing. Her eyes were closed, and she hadn’t flinched. I guessed I got away with it.

“Britt.” I kissed her forehead, and when she opened her eyes, she looked at me with a calm, serene smile. My breath inevitably caught. Welp, that confirmed it. It didn’t matter how close I got to Britt, her beauty would continually stun me.

I cleared my throat. “There was something I wanted to ask you.”

I lifted her hand, drawing her attention to the gold ring with the single solitaire diamond with two emerald stones to frame it. It was my mom’s ring, and it looked just as beautiful on my wife as it had her.

She drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, Matty.”

“I know we didn’t have the most conventional start, but there’s nothing more I want to do in this life than continue to be your husband. You are my best friend. The one person I want to know everything about. I want to be a better man because of you, and I want to watch you shine. Will you let me? Will you marry me, Britt?”

She stared at the ring and was quiet for a minute, but when she looked at me with soft eyes, I relaxed.

“I already did,” she whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“Then keep me?” I swiped the tear away with my thumb, so in love with her that I couldn’t breathe as I waited for her answer.

“Forever.”

Epilogue

“Is that it?” Britt asked, looking at the four boxes sitting in the living room of my apartment with Tanner and Jackson. Her brows were furrowed, and her tone sounded almost disappointed. How much stuff did she expect me to have in my room?

“Yup.”

“Wow. Okay.”

“Is there a problem?”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “Why did we rent a U-Haul to pick up four boxes?”

“We didn’t. We have all your stuff too,” I reminded her, stepping toward my wife and placing my hands on her hips.

With her hair in a bun, she was wearing my old high school T-shirt, and the combination was turning me on. I leaned in to kiss her, but she backed away until her back hit the kitchen counter.

“Is there something wrong, Mrs. Mathieson?” I placed my hands on either side of her, encasing her against the counter as I rocked my hips into hers. Even though she tried to hide it, a smile quirked on her lips at the mere mention of her new lastname. The one she officially changed it to. The paperwork had been sent and I hadn’t stopped saying it since. I knew she liked hearing it almost as much as I liked saying it.

“You know I love hearing that, but you can’t just throw my name around like that, you know?”

“Why not? I was with you when you signed those papers in the courthouse. You’re officially a Mathieson now.” Grabbing her hips, I lifted her up and she squealed when I sat her on the cool marble.

“Technically, but we still haven’t told my brothers, and I’m worried about their reaction.” I opened her legs, stepping between them, and kissed her on the lips. Her hands cupped my cheeks as I backed away, seemingly wanting more. Something I’d never deny my wife.

Although Britt’s mom practically screamed down the phone when she heard the news, she didn’t think her brothers would be as excited, and she knew them best. Since I planned on being with her for the rest of my life, we needed to make sure her family became mine too.

Due to her brothers’ extensive schedules, we’d arranged a dinner with them in a couple of weeks, and we were going to see how things went. I couldn’t deny I was a little nervous about it. If Bryce and Max were anything like Sam, I had a feeling I’d be on their shit list for a few years, but I could handle that. Britt was worth it, after all.

“One phone call would change that. I’m happy to do it right now and admit everything if it means I can fuck you senseless on this countertop.” I grinned, nipping her earlobe.

She gasped, turning her head while she whacked me on the chest. “Stop it.”

I kissed her on the cheek, then placed my lips against her neck, breathing in her scent. My hands were still resting on her thighsas I gently caressed them, making my way up to the only place I wanted to be.

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