Page 10 of Austin

“Let’s sleep now, baby,” he whispers, as if he’s reading my thoughts. “And when we wake up, we’ll be ready for round two.”

I laugh quietly as my eyes flutter shut. “In that case, I’m only taking a short nap.”

And even though I’m definitely looking forward to round two, I also know I’ll be perfectly happy to lie here curled up against his warm, muscular body and just… sleep. Because this isn’t just a fling. It isn’t a one-night stand.

This is the start of something amazing. Something that’s going to last.

“You make me happy,” he says, echoing my thoughts. “I can’t wait to wake up with you later tonight. And tomorrow morning. And the next day.”

“That sounds like heaven,” I say, meaning it. “You make me happy, too.”

I might have only known him for a short time, but I already know he’s exactly what I want. Exactly what I need. He’s mine and I’m his, just like he said earlier.

That’s enough to make me smile as I drift off to sleep.

EPILOGUE

CASSY

I can hear Austin’s deep voice encouraging his team before I’ve even opened the door to step inside the school’s ice rink.

I never really imagined myself to be the type who would happily bring a basket of baked goods to my man while he’s at work, but here I am with enough fresh blueberry muffins to feed a small army. Or in this case, a high school hockey team.

Austin looks over with a grin as soon as I walk in. “Hey, beautiful. We’re just finishing up here.”

“I thought you guys might want a snack after your practice,” I say, setting the basket on the bench and quickly stepping back while a swarm of high school boys makes quick work of the treats. “Looks like I was right.”

“Hey, guys,” Austin calls out. “Let’s hear some appreciation for those muffins.”

A chorus of, “Thank you, Ms. Downs,” rings out as Austin puts his arm around me.

“No problem,” I say, laughing as I lean in against him.

One of the bigger boys on the team skates over and fixes Austin with a hard look. “You’d better propose to Ms. Downs pretty soon, Coach. You’d be crazy not to pop the question to a pretty woman who can bake like this.”

Austin snorts. “Take it easy, Aiden.” He nods toward my hand. “And maybe take a second look before you go shooting off your mouth.”

My cheeks flush as I hold my hand out and show off the sparkling diamond engagement ring on my finger. “Guess he’s not too crazy,” I say with a wink. “I do think it’s the muffins that clinched the deal, though.”

“Hey, congratulations,” Aiden says, shaking Austin’s hand and then mine. “Can I come to the wedding?”

“Can we all come?” another boy calls out.

“Yeah, we can be your groomsmen!”

Austin kisses my forehead, ignoring the boys. “See what we’ve started? Don’t worry, though. I won’t tell them when or where the ceremony is. Otherwise we’d have to elope.”

“I don’t care who else is there,” I say honestly. “It’s going to be our day, and it’s going to be perfect. Nothing else matters.”

It’s the simple truth, and it’s sort of been our guiding principle ever since the day we met. Other people might have thought we were moving too fast when we started dating and then moved in with each other shortly after, but I never had any doubts that I was doing the right thing. And when we finally do get to stand in front of our family, friends, and God to exchange our vows and promise our lives to each other, I won’t have any doubts about that, either.

Being with Austin is the only thing I want. The only thing I need to be happy.

Yesterday.

Today.

Always.

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