Page 271 of At the Edge of Surrender

I felt consumed. Overtaken.

Bliss flamed around us.

The two of us standing in the fire.

The juts and rocks of our bodies as we crashed into one another.

An inferno that consumed.

“Let go.” Kane commanded it low at my mouth.

But I was there.

Already gone.

Completely taken by this love that had been purposed for me.

I rode it.

This rapture.

With him as we both soared into the star-strewn heavens.

He gripped and pulled at me as he poured into my body.

Breaths heaving from him, he curled his arms back around me, holding me fiercely against his chest.

The two of us gazed out on the beauty, and he murmured, “There’s never been anything as beautiful as this. My girl blooming like a morning glory. Pulled from the darkness and coming alive. You are my perfect ten.”

Emery – Six Months Later

The bell jingled over the door of Ivy Threads. It was no longer locatedin Wisconsin. It was here in Moonlit Ridge, in the building two doors down from Moonflower.

Kane came striding in with that easy smirk on his face. The man so intimidatingly beautiful he never failed to steal my breath.

“Ah, I see you have been making magic, Little Warrior.”

My cheeks pinked at the pride in his voice. “You think so?”

I glanced around at the displays of clothing and accessories. Mine and my sister’s dream. The one I’d let go out of fear that now had come to fruition.

“It’s amazing. Whole town is going to be clambering to get through that door come tomorrow morning.”

Excitement blazed in my chest, and he rounded the counter that he’d built then helped me paint.

The store had been decorated in pinks and whites, something Charleigh had suggested and Raven had reluctantly climbed on board with, the two of them helping me design and put everything together. The shelves and floors were whitewashed woods, and the seating areas were soft blush velvet.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling, giving a glam vibe to the different displays situated around the store, and Raven had insisted on bringing over a slew of pink and white flower arrangements from Moonflower for our grand opening.

Kane wrapped his arms around me from behind and hooked his chin on my shoulder. He swayed me back and forth. “No chance of it not being amazing. Not when you are behind it.”

Air puffed from my nose, and I rested against his chest, watching the flurries of snow fall out the big windows in front. Colorful lights and wreaths adorned each storefront outside, the streets of Moonlit Ridge decorated for the holidays.

I couldn’t wait for my mom and Ted to come visit for Christmas. For them to see our new home. This life we had made.

The joy we had found amid the horrible grief.

“I’m so happy,” I whispered.

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