Page 124 of Her Greatest Mistake

Addie cocks her head. “Braxton gets an adorable pet name, and I get a group greeting? You wound me, Cooper.”

“What would you have preferred I call you?” he asks, staring down at her with a wry smile as Ava giggles.

“Adalyn or Addie. You do still remember my name, right? Or has old age finally caught up to you?”

Something along the lines of amusement flares in his eyes before he’s blinking it away, stepping to the side to make room for us to walk inside.

“My apologies, Adalyn,” he says slyly as she slips by him.

I follow the two women inside but pause beside Cooper, narrowing my eyes at him. “What have you been doing in the clinic?”

“Me? Nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s a good thing it doesn’t matter, then,” he tosses back and then lifts his gaze to the older man behind me. “Please tell her to stop bugging me.”

Oakley laughs, and I roll my eyes at Cooper’s tattling. “You’re going to let bugs inside, Braxton. In you go.”

“You’re far too old to be asking a grown-up for help, Cooperoni,” I mutter before sidestepping him and walking into the clinic.

He starts to laugh, but it fades into the background when I take in the picture in front of me.

My stomach swoops as I focus my eyes on Maddox. He’s standing in front of Hades’ pen, affection heavy on his features as he stares at me, our eyes locking. The air tightens around us as neither one of us says anything for a few moments, my tongue tied simply from the way he’s looking at me. Like he wants to whisk me away and seal us in my office for hours on end but also wants to drop to his knees right here in front of me and profess his love for everyone to hear.

It’s not until I catch the movement of him shifting something in his hands that I’m able to look away, down at the leash in his grasp. I follow it down to where it’s connected to a familiar collar, the one I bought Hades only a couple of weeks ago.

My sweet boy stares up at me, his body language a mix of calm, excited, and a bit nervous. I smile at him, anxious to rush over and give him some pets but far too curious as to why he’s leashed up.

Looking away from Hades, I find other people in the room, surprising faces that have me gasping. My mom and sister are off to the side, both wearing such encouraging, soft expressions. Anna wiggles her fingers in a wave, and I puff out a laugh.

Noah and a beautiful, tall brunette with caramel-brown eyes that belong to none other than Tinsley Lowry stand beside Addie, Oakley, and Ava. Despite the cold look on Noah’s face as he watches me and keeps a close eye on Tinsley at the same time, I’m happy that he’s back in Vancouver.

“You’re gorgeous even when you’re surprised,” Maddox murmurs, drawing my attention back to him.

“And you’re handsome even when you’re confusing me,” I reply, and quiet laughter fills the room.

He takes a confident couple of steps toward me before stopping and dropping to his haunches, pressing a kiss to Hades’ head and letting the leash fall to the ground.

“Go get her, buddy,” he mutters.

Hades rushes toward me, butting his head against my knees before I drop to his level and finally give in to the urge to shower him with pets. Something cold brushes my fingers when I scratch beneath his collar, and as I push his dog tag out of the way, I feel something else dangling beside it. Something I didn’t put there.

A hand flies to my mouth when I find a new silver tag beside his original one, the wordsWill You Marry Mewritten across it.

“Dox,” I whisper, looking up to find him right in front of me, on one knee with a small black box in his hand.

He’s staring right at me, eyes clear, his heart and soul bared for me. I blow out a shaky breath and pinch that silver tag, staying crouched, not trusting myself to stand out of fear of collapsing.

“Baby girl, I’ve loved you since the moment our eyes met, and I knew I wanted to marry you just moments later. It’s been two decades since then, and while I spent eight years without you, I don’t think you were ever fully gone.” He covers his chest with his hand, throat bobbing heavily. “You were here the entire time because I refused to let you go.

“You are my soulmate, Braxton. I believe that wholeheartedly, and I know you do too. We were meant to meet that day, and we were meant to meet again. Fate brought us back together because we weren’t finished yet. Fuck, I don’t think we’ll ever be finished. In this life or the next. I’m never letting you go again, not now or ever. So, Curly Fry, what do you say? Will you marry me?”

I release a mangled sob and throw myself over Hades, looping my arms around Maddox’s neck and nodding frantically.

“I would have married you when I was five, Dox. Yes. Without a doubt, yes,” I cry, burying my face in the crook of his shoulder and slicking his skin with my tears.

Our friends and family start to shout their congratulations, but the only thing I focus on is the man nudging Hades out from between us and pulling me close, taking me into his arms.

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