Page 83 of These Jagged Edges

His breath shudders, and in that moment, it feels like the space between us dissolves, leaving only the raw, unfiltered truth of what we’ve become to each other.

Maddox is completely relaxed now as he cups my face in his hands. “And your smell woman, Jesus Christ. Honey and Lilacs, that’s all you and drives me wild.”

Two things you can smell.

The look on his face tells me where this is going but it’s Maddox, so I expect nothing less. “One taste of you and I knew it was the last pussy I wanted to taste for the rest of my life.”

One thing you can taste.

Then he brushes his lips across mine. “Marry me, Evie. Marry me and let me give you messy, loud, and hard. Fuck, let me give you everything.”

Make no mistake, Maddox Wilder is not the down-on-one-knee kind of man. He doesn’t do things the traditional way, doesn’t follow anyone’s script but his own. And maybe that’s what makes him so damn perfect.

I love every grouchy, stoic, stubborn part of him. His edges, the way he never lets anyone in—those are the parts that draw me to him. But what really breaks me is knowing that the man has killed for me. Not because I’m some helpless damsel in distress, but because, I deserved it.

“What about you? What do you want?” I rasp.

Maddox looks at me, and for a split second, fear clouds those stormy green eyes. He swallows hard, his throat working, before leaning in and pressing his forehead gently against mine.

His voice comes out low, raw, and filled with something I can’t quite place. “I want to have a baby...or two...with you.”

It’s a raw wish from a broken man. His words hang in the air between us, vulnerable and tender.

I playfully tug at the hair on his nape. “Then I’m your girl Wilder.”

“He didn’t even get down on one knee! What the fuck kind of proposal is that?”

A familiar voice calls out from somewhere in the back, shattering the bubble Maddox and I had wrapped ourselves in. It’s Mercy, of course. His tone is loud and blunt, cutting through the quiet, intimate moment like a knife. Reminding me so much of the night of my impromptu birthday party in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

A few seconds later he follows it up with. “Ouch! Yes ma’am.”

I can feel Maddox tense beside me, and I can’t help but stifle a laugh. “You invited the whole family, did you?”

Maddox pins me with a look before calling out, “Alright come out! She said yes!”

With that the whole family piles out from the kitchen, flooding the empty cafe. The boys come running out and jump on Maddox.

“We told you she’d say yes!” Bash beams at Maddox.

“Wait, you both knew?” I pin each child with a look.

“Duh mama! Charlie made him ask us for permission.” Bash gives me a hug before running off to see what trouble he could get into.

I straighten Charlie’s little glasses. “Did you now?”

“Yes, ma’am. You’re my mama,” Charlie says, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “Besides, he had to ask somebody.”

“Did you know about this place?”

My child avoids my gaze, and I know I caught him.

“Yes, but it’s been the hardest secret to keep!” Charlie declares, a mischievous glint in his eye. “They all made me promise to keep quiet because everyone knows I won’t lie to you, and since you never asked, I didn’t technically lie.”

I kiss his little nose. “You’re right and thank you Charlie. I love you.”

Charlie wraps me in the tightest hug and tells me he loves me too then he’s off to findhis brother.

It isn’t until halfway through the night that Maddox turns to Joe and asks if she brought it. A wave of confusion washes over me, and I tilt my head, wondering what the hell he’s talking about. Joe’s laugh rings out, and she shoots a teasing glance my way. “Was your proposal lacking anything?”

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