Page 117 of Protect

“She loves you,” I tell him. “But you already know this.”

“I do,” he says, nuzzling his nose against mine. “And I love you,” he adds, kissing me.

“Did you ever think we’d end up like this?” I ask him, feeling sentimental about our past, where we are now, and where we’re headed.

“Yep, the moment I saw you when I walked into Shifty’s, I knew you’d be mine again,” Rowan says it as sure as the sun rises. “And I knew you wanted me, even when you wouldn’t admit it.”

I laugh and pinch his torso through his T-shirt. “Is that so?” I ask.

He pulls me tight to him and kisses my neck, right below my ear.

“It is, and I’m gonna spend the rest of my life making sure you always do,” he whispers.

“The way I love you is as unstoppable as flames coming over a mountain. I could never fight it,” he murmurs, his thumbs tracing my waist under my robe.

“Every hotshot knows you don’t fight a fire.” I grin as his lips dot my neck with kisses. “You can’t stop it, only harness it and guide it right?”

“That’s right, and with you, I’ll stay as close to the flame as I can, Vi. Because, fuck, we burn so goddamn good together.”

“Mmm,” I mutter. “That is true.”

“All right, I’ve convinced you to live with me, I’ve convinced you to ink my existence into your skin…” Rowan slides his hand down my arm and lifts my wrist up. I glance down at the tiny symbols there that now match his. The symbols for protons and electrons under the wing of a hawk on my inner wrist, a much smaller, daintier version of his. My first, and probably only, tattoo. Rowan says those symbols no longer signal loss, but our fate and the common thread of Jacob’s spirit that brought us back together. He leans down. “Now I’ve just gotta convince you to marry me,” he says against my lips.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you.” I laugh.

“Euchre later?” he asks. “I’ll play you for it.”

“Prepare to lose,” I retort, knowing I’d marry him tomorrow if he wanted. “I can be very distracting,” I add.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, ever heard of naked Euchre?” I ask, my mind wandering as he sucks my earlobe into his mouth and takes it between his teeth.

Rowan chuckles then grips my face with both hands, kissing me so deeply I almost forget how to breathe. “Fight me all you want. You will be my wife. And naked Euchre? All I’m hearing is, either way I win.”

“Fucking hotshots.” I giggle, as he kisses me in my kitchen, soon to beourkitchen. “So cocky.”

Rowan pinches my waist as his lips come down on mine again and everything around us becomes hazy.

Myhotshot, I think I’ll keep him.

ONE YEAR LATER

“Stop pacing, son, everything is taken care of,” my dad says, his mustache turning up into a grin.

“You have the rings?” I ask. “I just want everything to be perfect. They deserve perfect.”

My dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out the rings that Violette and I are about to put on to pledge our love to each other for eternity.

“Well, the bride’s still here so I guess that’s a win-win for you,” Opp says with a wide smile, peaking around the corner of the covered porch where I’m standing with most of my squad.

We’re at a resort in the valley at the base of the mountains where Jacob fell into that ash pit six and a half years ago, because this is where Vi feels close to him. I look around thecorner of the cabin we got ready in and take in the scene. A hundred chairs face a natural wood altar, adorned with greenery and fall flowers, and the aisle is lined with white lanterns and rose petals. The valley itself is the showstopper. It’s a wide open space surrounded by trees and the leaves are like flames that meet the sky with the fall colors. The sun is high, and the air is just crisp enough that it will be warm when we say our vows in front of everyone we love, a rarity for Washington in October.

Sup makes his way around the space and passes out a can of Jacob’s favorite beer to each of us.

“A toast,” Sup says, holding his can high. We all raise ours, and I smirk. I know he hates Corona, but he really loves us all and this is one of the ways he shows it.

“To King, for having the balls to make things right.”

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