Page 124 of Sweet Escape
My eyes trail down to where he’s kneeling on the ground, one hand holding a small ring box with a shiny gold bread tie in the center, the other cradling our wide-eyed baby girl. Emmy Lou is standing beside him, a bright smile on her beautiful face.
“Olivia Bennett-Sullivan. Light of my life, mother of my children. You brought me back to life when I was barely breathing. I love you more than you will ever know. There’s just one problem—we’ve got these two Hayes girls when there should be three. Will you marry me and take our last name?”
With my hand over my heart, I glance up at the sky, then back to the man I love. With a smirk, I call over my shoulder, “Hey Griff, do you have a counteroffer?”
He chuckles. “Afraid not. Looks like that’s the best you’re gonna get ‘round here. It’s not too late to run.”
Wilder quirks a brow, the sly grin on his handsome face instantly melting my panties. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him senseless, taking care to avoid jostling Gracie. “I think I’ll keep you,” I whisper.
He slides the makeshift ring onto my finger, and the crowd erupts into excited cheers. Gracie startles at the sudden, boisterous sound. I pluck her from her daddy’s arms and inhale her lavender lotion before kissing her head. I close my eyes and pinch my arm, wincing at the small bite of pain.
Ok, so not a hallucination.
Just when I think things can’t get any better, Wilder whistles and Daisy trots over with a small drawstring bag attached to her collar. He pats her head and holds out a treat, rewarding her as he unties the bag.
He pulls out another ring box and pops it open. Inside, there's a dainty silver band with a pink emerald-cut diamond in the center. “You didn’t really think I’d havemy womanwalking around with a bread tie on her finger, did you?”
“That’s more like it,” Grammy says. “Give me my great-grandbaby so you can give that man a proper kiss.”
I laugh, but inside my heart is threatening to beat out of my chest.
Wilder chuckles, replacing one ring for the other. We lock eyes, and everything around us fades away. He threads one hand through my hair and tilts my head to the side.
“I can’t wait to call you my wife.” He kisses me hungrily, swallowing whatever I’d been about to say in response. The kiss is filled with pent-up emotion, a year’s worth of memories, our past, present, and future all rolled into one perfect moment.
We’re both breathless when he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.
“Happy birthday, Cupcake.”
“Happyanniversary, Big Guy.”
Bonus Epilogue
Jaxon
?Drunk On You - Luke Bryan
A throat clears, pulling me from the vivid battle scene still playing out in my head. I peer over the cracked spine of a well-loved paperback in the quiet corner of my sanctuary, surrounded by the comforting scent of old books, wood, and leather.
It’sher.
I’ve studied that face for months: those full lips and her piercing blue-green eyes hidden behind wire-framed glasses. Short, dark hair frames her rosy, heart-shaped face, and there’s a small gold hoop through her septum. I’m not too proud to admit I’ve let my eyes wander lower, too; to the delicate book tattoo along her collarbone, the soft belly I wish I could rest my head on, and those thick thighs I’d love to…
“Jaxon, right?”
“Yeah. And you are?” I already know her name, I just want to hear her say it aloud so I don’t mistakenly mispronounce it. I’ve said it a million different ways in my mind since the first time I laid eyes on her, trying to work up the courage to approach.
She points to her name tag. “Callie. Like alley with a k.”
“Nice to meet you, Callie.”
“Sure. Um…” She shifts uncomfortably, crossing one foot then the other, uncertainty warring in her features. It’s cute.She’scute.
I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“We’re… closing.”
My lips tip up at one side. “You don’t seem too sure about that.”
