Page 134 of Exes and Oh Hell No

I scoff. “That’s where you’re wrong. Only with you, Harper.No oneelse.”

She gives me a shaky smile, swiping at the tears sparkling on her cheeks. They match what’s in my pocket—the ring I’ve been dying to put on her finger all night.

“Ford.” She exhales, her voice unsteady. “You’re ruining my makeup.”

Oh, it’s about to get so much worse.

But I just smile, keeping my arm wrapped around her as we stroll to the dock by the lake.

The place where we’ll be saying our vows in too many days because it’s not tomorrow.

I’m ready to marry this woman.

I’ve been ready.

“So, you’ve been social media stalking me for the past decade, huh?” She peeks up beneath her long lashes.

I chuckle. “Baby, I can’t believe you never figured it out. I watched your accounts, picked female ones you interacted with, and then messaged you pretending they’d been hacked. I was behind every one of them, building you up.”

She laughs, shaking her head. Her eyes shine with love and happiness. “Now that I know, it seems obvious.”

“You are the strongest, most badass woman I know. Well, aside from Gram.” My lips curl in a smirk at her expression, half impressed, half horrified.

I get it.

Gram is a lot.

But we love her for it.

Just like I love Harper for everything she is.

“You’re perfect, baby. I love you for all you are and all you’re becoming.”

We reach the dock, and I pull her into my arms, overwhelmed by the love surging inside me.

I’ve had enough of us being apart.

I may have lied to myself for far too long, but no matter how I tried to fill the gnawing emptiness, I knew only one person could.

Harper.

My every damn thing.

“Everything I do is always going to be… what do you call it, abnormal?” I arch my brow.

She giggles, nodding.

“We are unconventional, Harper. And even though youpretendedto hate the kidnapping and my other ‘unhinged behavior’…” I smirk, doing air quotes. “I knew you liked it. It sparks a fire in you. You come alive beneath my words, my touch, my behavior.”

I squeeze her hands before dropping to one knee, pulling the box from my pocket on the way down.

Her expression morphs from baffled to surprise to pure, unadulterated joy as I open the box, revealing the ring inside.

The one she lit up over when she saw it.

The one she tried to hide when I caught her looking at it on my laptop.

“You’ve always been mine, Harper. I’m not asking—youaremarrying me. We’re going to spend the rest of our days fighting, making up, kissing like we’ll die without it, exploring your mask and primal kinks, and discovering new things together. Always together, Harper. Never apart.”

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