Page 84 of These Jagged Edges

It hits me at this moment—Maddox never gave me a ring.

But the realization doesn’t sting, doesn’t even make me second-guess anything. I’ve been so caught up in the joy of it all, so consumed by how perfectly everything has come together, that it didn’t even cross my mind.

Not that I care. I don’t need a ring to seal the deal. What I have with Maddox is everything I’ve ever dreamed of—and more. A ring seems like such a small thing compared to the love and life we’re building together.

When Joe tells me she’s giving me her wedding ring, my chest tightens and my eyes well up with tears. It’s such a raw, beautiful gesture—her ring, the one she had worn through a lifetime of memories, now passed down to me.

But what really catches me off guard is how she insists on giving it to me herself. Do you believe she won’t even let Maddox give it to me?

She clears her throat, her hands trembling just slightly as she pulls out a small, royal blue box from her pocket. Her eyes soften as she looks at me. “As you know, I was never fortunate enough to have children of my own,” she begins, a teasing smile tugging at her lips, “but it wasn’t from a lack of trying, I tell you what! Anyway, you and Ally...” Her gaze shifts to where Allison sits beside Lucien at the breakfast bar, his hand wrapped tightly around hers. “You two are, in every way that counts, mine. Not born from my body, but from my heart. And to be honest, I can’t tell the damn difference.”

My breath catches at the emotion in her voice, but she keeps going, her face lighting up as she flips Vic the bird, making everyone burstinto laughter.

“Even if I have to share you with that jackass that lives next door to you,” she adds, the playful edge in her tone making it clear she’s only half-joking. “I love you just the same.”

Then, she turns back to me, her expression softening. “There was something about you that I knew my Maddy needed. So, when he asked me for this...” She opens the box, revealing a delicate piece of jewelry that takes my breath away. “I knew there was no one else I’d rather have it.”

The weight of her words hits me, and I can feel my chest tightening with gratitude and emotion. This isn’t just a gift—it’s a blessing, a symbol of how deeply she sees me, how deeply she cares for me.

Joe’s right. In every way that matters, I’m hers. Not by blood, not by birth, but by the bond we share—one that’s deeper than anything I’ve ever known. And in this moment, I realize that I’ve found a place to belong, not just with Maddox, but with her too. I’m not alone anymore.

I see Maggie from the corner of my eye dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Even Henry and Lou are misty eyed. Mercy’s standing with an arm around Soph’s shoulders. Maddox is sitting by Vic and Waylon on a stool and gives me a wink. The significance of this moment is shown on the face of every member of our family.

There’s something so powerful in this moment, the quiet strength of a woman passing on a symbol of love, trust, and shared history. It isn’t just a ring; it’s a legacy. And suddenly, I feel like I’m a part of something so much bigger than myself.

Joe opens the box and takes out a vintage ring, a cushion cut diamond with a thin solitaire setting. She carefully slides the ring on my hand and the ring feels delicate yet substantial, a treasured piece that carries the whispers of different love stories through the years.

I quickly pull Joe into a tight embrace, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “Thank you for everything, Josephine. You changed my life, and I am forever grateful for you.”

She stiffens for a moment, like she isn’t quite used to being thanked in such a raw, vulnerable way. But then she softens, her arms wrapping around me just as tightly, her voice thick with emotion. “You don’t have to thank me, baby. I’m just doing what any mama would do for one of her babies.”

But I know it isn’t just any mama—Joe is something rare. And as I hold her, I realize just how lucky I am to have found someone who loves me without reservation, who sees me and chooses to make me part of her world.

After a couple more hours of celebration and simply enjoying our family, we head back home. Both boys have passed out in the back seat and Maddox gracefully manages to unbuckle and carry them both swatting my hand away as I offer to help. I stand in the hall transfixed as I watch Maddox tuck both boys in, kissing one on the head and then the other before softly whistling for the dog to join them.

“So, more babies, huh, Big Guy?” I ask, the weight of his words still lingering in the air as the door clicks shut behind us. We stand in the dark hallway, and I can’t help but feel that same pull, the gravity of him, just like that night he stood on my porch returning our dog.

I was right. Maddox Wilder is walking devastation.

He leans down, his body towering over mine, the heat of his breath skimming my neck as he softly nuzzles me. His voice is low, teasing but filled with that raw intensity only he has. “Baby, if it were up to me, I’d keep you barefoot and pregnant for the next ten years.”

His words send a shiver down my spine, part of me laughing, part of me frozen in the promise he wrapped so easily around us. It was a joke, but with Maddox, I know there’s always a little truth beneath the teasing.

“I don’t know about that.” I laugh, my voice light, as I make my way into my room, Maddox hot on my heels. He watches mewith that familiar intensity as he sits on the bed, leaning back on one arm, like he has all the time in the world.

I kick off my shoes and carefully remove my earrings, my fingers brushing the delicate ring on my finger. I smile, looking at it with affection, but it’s more than just a piece of jewelry. It’s so much more than that.

Maddox didn’t simply go out and buy me a ring. He gave me something far deeper. He gave me a piece of history, something handed down from our family—a symbol of love and legacy. Something I can one day pass down to my own children when the time comes.

This isn’t just a ring. This is Maddox helping me lay down roots. He’s anchoring us to something real, something lasting. In this simple, shining circle, I can feel the weight of everything we are building together, everything we’re going to become. And for the first time, I don’t have to wonder about my place in the world. I’ve found it.

He gives me a knowing smile, that slow, almost smug grin that always makes my heart skip a beat. How he can ever say he lived in the darkness is beyond me, because the bastard has a heart as big as he is. He wears that darkness like a shield, but underneath it is something pure and wide and deep. It’s in the way he cares for me, for the people he loves, in every little thing he does, even when he tries to hide it.

Maddox Wilder may have walked through shadows, but he’s a man who’s somehow carved out a piece of light, and he’s handing it all to me. It’s all right there, in the curve of his lips, the way his eyes soften when he looks at me. The man who claims to be broken is more whole than I ever imagined.

“I don’t have the words, Mads.”

He gives me a smile that steals my breath. “That’d be a first, Pretty Girl.”

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