Page 132 of Burn It Down

Jake steps forward.

“Yeah, that’s me,” he rasps. “Could you please call Lieutenant Stewart and let him know Coraline Cosey is right here.” He points to her and she throws a sweet, innocent smile at the officer whose brows pinch in confusion and Jake continues talking. “While you make that call, could we have a minute? My fiancé and I need closure.”

My ears snag on one word.

So do Cora’s.

“Iwas supposed to be yourfiancée,Jacob!” she snarls.

The officer whips his head toward Cora and then back at Jake and I, stopping on where our hips are connected and his arm remains around my waist. His fingers have managed to find their way under the hem of my shirt and his fingertips are brushing back and forth along the top of my hip.

“Fine, but the door stays open and anyone who runs is getting tased.”

“Fair enough,” Jake agrees before turning to face everyone in the foyer of his childhood home.

“I want to make this very clear,” Jake starts, punctuating his words the best he can considering he still has very little voice. “I am gay. I am in love with Dylan and nothing, and noonewill keep us apart. Money or no money, we will no longer be involved in any of your lives. I will be having restraining orders drawn up against Steve and Cora as soon as we leave here. Martin, you’ll continue to have my vote, but beyond that, I think our relationship is also over.”

A second later, Officer Patterson saysyes, sir, slides his phone in his pocket,and pulls out his cuffs.

“Coraline Cosey, you’re under arrest for the attempted murder of Dylan Ryder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can, and will, be used against you in a court of law.” He continues to recite her rights as he clicks the cuffs in place. Cora doesn’t argue, but her face has gone completely blank again.

It’s eerie. Like she’s no longer inside her own head.

On the other side of Jacob, I hear Martin sniffle and I know it kills Jake to not offer the man some kind of comfort. Instead, he squeezes me tighter.

As Officer Patterson walks Cora toward his police cruiser, Officer Graves steps inside and looks at Jake’s father. “You need to come down to the station for questioning as well. In fact, you probably all should.”

Hours later, we’re lying in bed and Jake sends an email to the fire chief, asking to be pulled off the volunteer rotation for the next month so he can fully recover and process the traumatic event. He’s unsure what he’s going to do with his role as CFO of Ellington Wealth Management. He might sell, he might be a silent shareholder, he might branch out on his own. Only the future knows what it holds, but one thing is certain, there will be no lawsuit from his father and if he still wants his job, Steve isn’t going to take it away now.

“What would you do instead?” I whisper.

He moves up onto his knees. Looking down at me he says, “I hear Ryder Automotive needs a new office manager.”

I quirk a brow. “If you work at an autobody shop, would that make you a blue-collar billionaire?”

He grins. “I guess it does. If you marry me does that makeyoua blue-collar billionaire as well?”

“Yeah,” I laugh. “I guess it does.”

He rolls to straddle me. His powerful thighs on either side of mine as he leans in and whispers against my lips. “Will you? Will you marry me, Dylan?”

“Y—”

I can’t even get the entire syllable out before his tongue cuts my answer off, his hands cup my face, and his hips roll into mine.

“Say it again,” he pants a few seconds later, making me laugh.

“I never even got to say it the first time!” I push at his chest playfully, but he catches my wrists in his hands and forces them over my head as he leans in again.

“My sincerest apologies. Try again.”

“Ye—”

Again, his mouth cuts off my answer. Delirious from exhaustion or happiness over being alive, together, and completely in love, we’re both laughing uncontrollably at this game. It still hurts like hell, but it’s well worth the pain.

Looks like Jake was right: sometimes you have to burn it down to make it the life you want.

Epilogue

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