Page 63 of Temptress

“What—what are you saying?”

I tangled my fingers in her hair and brought her forehead down on mine. “I’m saying I know without a shadow of a doubt I’ll never feel that untarnished happiness again if you aren’t in my life. I’ll go through the motions, maybe one day I’ll even be able to fake a smile, but it won’t be the same. A happiness that pure can only happen when you’re sharing your life with your soul mate. That’s what you are to me, Sassy.”

Her breath hitched as I pulled her tighter against me.

“I know I hurt you, baby, and I wouldn’t blame you if you were never able to forgive me, but if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making you a priority. There will never be a night where you don’t go to sleep feeling cherished. If you let me, I’ll love you in a way no other man ever could. You own every single piece of me, Sloane, and I don’t want any of it back. I’m saying I want to spend the rest of my life loving you with everything I am.” I squeezed my eyes closed, my heart racing so fast I worried it would shoot right through my chest.

“Please, baby. I know I have no right to ask this, but please give me another chance. I swear right here and now I’ll never break your heart ever again. From here on out, I’ll treat it like the treasure it is.”

She sniffled, her hand slowly coming up to rest in the center of my chest. “But what about Darcy?” she asked on a barely-there whisper.

My lips curved into a smirk as I remembered the dressing down my baby girl had given me. “Honestly? I’m afraid if I go in that house and tell her I wasn’t able to win you back, she’ll pack up all her shit and move in with you.” I chuckled at her wide-eyed surprise. “Apparently, we weren’t nearly as inconspicuous as we thought, and she’s made it quite clear she’s Team Sloane.”

She giggled for the first time since we left the hospital, and the sound was enough to fill the hole that had formed in my heart the moment I walked away from her.

“So you really love me, huh?” she asked quietly, her tone holding a small hint of disbelief.

“Baby, I didn’t know what true love was until I met you.”

Her smile lit up my world and pushed out the cold that had taken up residence in my chest. “Big words for a grumpy asshole, don’t you think?”

“Tell me about it,” I grunted playfully. “I moved next door to the most tempting woman on the planet and turned into some love-sick fool.” I dragged my fingers through her hair and looked at her pleadingly. “What do you say, Sassy? Will you put me out of my misery and take me back so I can start proving to you that you’re it for me?”

“Well,” she dragged out, the sadistic woman enjoying torturing me way too damn much. “When you put it that way, how could I resist?”

I tangled my fingers in her hair and slammed my mouth down on hers, and just like that, the last piece of my heart clicked back into place, making me whole.

EPILOGUE

SLOANE

Four months later

I finished putting the last of my mom’s groceries away and turned to face the stove where she stood, her back to me as she made herself some scrambled eggs. “All right, you’re all set. Are you sure there’s nothing else you need before I go?”

She smiled at me over her shoulder and shook her head. “No, baby, I’m all set.”

A lot had changed over the last few months, but the biggest, most shocking change to occur was that my little speech had seemed to have had an impact on my mother. Our relationship still had its fair share of bumps, but since the day I told her to let go of the hate or lose me, she’d been trying her hardest to be the mother I’d always needed. She quit smoking, was eating healthier, and taking her meds to keep the worst of her pain under control. She was like a whole new woman.

“You’re still coming over tomorrow and staying the night so you’ll be there for Christmas morning, right? Kim’s flight gets in really late so Silas and I were hoping you’d stay with Darcy while we went to pick her up from the airport.”

Mom threw me a thumbs up over her shoulder. “Wouldn’t miss it. I’ll be there with bells on.”

I wasn’t sure what surprised me more, the tight-knit relationship my mom had with Silas, or if it was the unshakeable bond she and Darcy seemed to have developed the moment I introduced them, however, the fact that the three of them had a love all their own made that happiness Silas worked day after day to give me much stronger.

This year, we were having a huge family Christmas with me, Silas, Darcy, my mother, Kim, and Lucille—who Silas would be picking up tomorrow morning so she could spend the day with us. I’d tried to talk her into staying the night as well, but she insisted she had a gentleman caller she’d be spending time with tonight, so she was otherwise unavailable. I stopped asking questions after that announcement, worried she’d go into detail.

Since I was a little girl I’d dreamed of spending Christmas surrounded by all the people I loved, and thanks to Silas and Darcy coming into my life, that wish was finally coming true.

I moved to my mom, leaning in to place a kiss to her cheek. “Okay, I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Tonight, honey. I love you.”

Hearing those words from my mother never failed to choke me up. “I love you too, Mom,” I replied hoarsely, pushing the words through the ball of emotion.

When I turned onto our street a few minutes later, I smiled as I got closer to the house Silas and I now shared.

Not long after forgiving him, he’d insisted that I move in with him and Darcy, claiming his house was bigger and would be easier to grow into. It hadn’t taken much to talk me into it, and before I knew it, my house was packed up and everything was moved next door. I still owned my old place, choosing to rent it out instead of selling it, because after seeing pictures, Kim was considering moving into it when she finally returned from London for good. For Darcy’s sake, I really hoped she’d fall in love with the house, because I knew nothing would make her happier than having her whole family close by.

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