Page 198 of Between Hate and Desire

“That was…surprising,” she says, searching my eyes.

“Hayden asked if I invited our parents. He said he would, if I wanted, and I told him I didn’t care. Honestly, I didn’t expect them to show up, considering I’ve always been a disappointment to my dad.”

“They’re trying, Hunter. Maybe you should give them a second chance.” Her lips gently touch mine, and I melt into her, allowing her calmness to wash over me. Somehow, she magically has that effect on me when I’m upset. When I’m with Lennon, nothing else even matters.

“I know. But some people don’t deserve them.”

“And if you truly believed that, then we wouldn’t be engaged right now. It’s a start at least.”

I pull her into my arms, missing her closeness and how sweet she smells. “Why are you so logical?”

She grins. “Because one of us has to be.”

“You look so beautiful,” I whisper, my mouth grazing the shell of her ear. Lennon leans into me and hums. The curve of her body rests against mine, and all I want to do right now is get the hell out of here so we can be alone, just us.

The sun is barely setting over the horizon, and Lennon searches around for Alison. Mrs. Locke is holding her while Mr. Locke chats with the Corrigans. We walk over, and Lennon gives love and kisses to Allie, and we say our goodbyes to everyone. She wants to get out of here just as quickly as I do since Mrs. Locke is keeping the baby, and we’ll have all night together.

“Leaving so soon?” Maddie asks.

“Yeah, we want to gocelebrate.” Lennon waggles her brows, which makes Maddie gag in response. Before we go, Lennon pulls her into a hug. “Take care of Sophie, okay?”

Maddie nods, and as we walk away, I look at her.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing. Just sister stuff.” She shakes her head.

I wrap my arm around her, not wanting to push it, so I change the subject. “So were you surprised?”

Though she tries to pretend she wasn’t, I know better. “Of course I was shocked. I think I still am. I didn’t expect any of this. It’s not a dream, right? Like I’m not going to wake up with your rock-hard cock in my back wishing this were real life?”

I wrap my arm around her as we walk past the Hickory Dickory Clock, and my laughter bounces through the park. “Waking up with my cock in your back sounds like a plan, but no, it’s not a dream. It’s real life. And we’re going to spend the rest of our days together. I can’t fucking wait.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, and for a second, she chokes up.

“No, baby. Thank you. You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet.”

I hold her tight, never wanting to let her go as we continue through the park. I think about where we started and where we’re at right now. I think about everything we’ve been through and how we made it together. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about Lennon being in my life.

I take her hand as we walk over the bridge past the pirate ship and eventually pass King Arthur’s castle. I look around and smile, thinking how perfect this place is. “We’ll have to take Allie here when she’s a little older. I think she’d love it.”

Lennon lights up. “Absolutely. Now it’ll always hold a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to tell her about how I met my Prince Charming when she’s older.”

“Just leave out the part where I was a major asshole, okay?” I chuckle, and Lennon laughs with me, agreeing. We walk to the truck, and while we make our way back to the apartment, she asks me tons of questions about planning all of this, which surprises her even more.

My heart is so goddamn full I can barely contain the way I feel. Lennon will have my last name, and we’ll finally get our happily ever after.

Once we’re inside, we both let out a sigh at the same time.

“People-ing is exhausting.” She sighs. “But I’m so happy they were all there. My parents. The Lockes. Hayden and Savannah. Your parents. Liam and Mason. My sisters. So blessed to have them all in our lives.”

“We are. And I’m so blessed to have you,” I admit, and she takes two steps forward and removes the space between us. As our mouths touch, we become more ravenous for one another as the seconds tick by.

“I’m the lucky one,” she says between pants and moans.

No matter how many times I have her, it’s not enough, and it never will be. I’ve imagined being engaged to her since the moment we pretended to be married. Then I never thought it would happen.

She teases me with her mouth as she nibbles on my bottom lip. I need her but can’t rush this, not tonight. We have forever, and I want to take my time and live in the moment with her, appreciating every curve of her body.

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