Page 101 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

A part of me wishes she’d told them the whole truth. But I think she was scared, either that they wouldn’t believe her or that they’d put themselves in danger looking for him.

Still, I’m sure she’ll tell them about him eventually. My job is to make sure that bastard ends up behind bars or dead, with no particular preference.

“He’s dangerous,” I tell Carson. “And Emilia thinks he might be stalking her. She’s worried.”

“Why does she think that?”

“She said she’s been getting strange calls for a couple of months.”

“She should have told me,” he mutters. “I would have taken care of it.”

“We can take care of it now,” I state. “I don’t know why, but my gut’s telling me that he’s close. He’s hanging around, biding his time until he can hurt her. But I’m not planning on letting that happen. You’ve got contacts with the cops right? I want to start a search. I’ll hire some independent muscle as well. If he’s lurking around, he won’t be far. I’m sure we’ll find him soon.”

I’m not really worried. Men like Lucas Rojas are cowards who get off on preying on people weaker than them. I’ll smoke him out eventually, and then I’m going to make him pay.

Carson nods in agreement. “Yeah, I’ll get on it. He won’t be able to hide for long.”

Later that night, Emilia and I are lying on my bed, gazing at each other. We put Stella to sleep a couple of minutes ago. Emilia had to physically drag me away from her crib because I couldn’t stop staring at her and how perfect she is. Now, it’s Emilia’s turn.

“You’re going to burn a hole in my face,” she mutters.

“I just can’t believe you’re here. Or that you’re real,” I tell her.

She bites down on her bottom lip. “I’m real, Sterling. And I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

I shift to pull her closer, relishing in her warmth.

“So what’s the plan now? Have you ever considered moving to New York?”

She giggles. “I’ll have to think about that. I’ve never lived in a big city before. There’s a chance I’ll hate it.”

“Or you might love it.”

“Maybe. I guess we’ll have to see.”

Relief washes through me. “So you’ll do it?”

“I didn’t say that, Sterling. I said I’d think about it.”

As far as I’m concerned, that’s a yes. I grin, titling her head up to place a soft kiss against her lips. When I pull back and our eyes meet, I feel a bone-deep certainty that this is where I was always meant to be. I open my mouth to say the words, but Emilia talks first.

She sits up to pull the pendant around her neck out. I’ve noticed that she wears it at times. I know it’s special to her. The word ‘survive’ written on it makes that pretty clear.

She exhales a deep breath before starting to speak. “I spent the better part of my life living in fear. My stepfather made my life hell and my mother enabled it. She was so blind to his faults and it made me so angry that she let me continue to live with a man like that. After she died and I ran away, I bought this pendant on a whim. It says ‘survive’ because that’s what I’ve always had to do. My mother died and I could have died too, but I survived. I think I survived because I was always meant to findmy way to you, Sterling. You complete me in ways I didn’t think were possible. You make me feel less scared. You make me feel safe, and I love you so much for it.”

I gaze at her, wondering what the hell I did to get so lucky.

“I love you too, Emilia. So much. I’ve been wanting to tell you that for a while now. I just didn’t want to scare you off.”

She scoffs. “Tough luck, then. Because you’re stuck with me now. For life.”

I grin. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, gorgeous.”

Epilogue

TWO YEARS LATER

Sterling and I got married a few months ago, in a small, private ceremony with all our family and friends with us. It was the best feeling in the world, getting to marry my best friend and love of my life. I met him four years ago and it’s crazy to think about just how much has changed since then.

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