Page 82 of Trust in the Fallen

The police came to talk to me the day after I came home, and I gave them my full statement, complete with all the details Crew and Elias made sure I had a handle on before their visit.

Elias places me down on the edge of the bed and walks into the closet they cleared out for me before I was taken. I told them I didn’t need that much space, but it fell on deaf ears, and if I’m honest, after so many years of being ignored and undervalued, it’s kind of nice having them do things like this for me. “We’ve talked about this, pretty girl.”

I sigh and lean back on my elbows. A few days ago this would have made me go through the roof, but a lot of the pain has started to settle now, and mostly it’s just a dull ache that fades a little more each day.

He comes back with a black garment bag and lays it out beside me with a look in his eyes that seems completely out of place for him.

Is he nervous?

“What’s in the bag?” I ask.

“A dress.” He shoves his hair from his eyes in an anxious gesture. What the heck has gotten into him?

“Can I see it?”

He nods and takes a breath. “Close your eyes.”

I do as I’m told, and although it’s tempting to take a peek, I keep them closed.

Elias drags the zipper of the bag down, and the rustle of fabric makes it harder to stay put, but this is obviously important to him, and I don’t want to ruin it.

“Open,” he says, and when I do as I’m told, he’s not standing alone anymore.

Wyatt’s standing beside him with a huge smile on his handsome face and a small jewelry box in his hand while Elias holds a stunning white dress.

A wedding dress.

The bodice isn’t completely dissimilar from the one I wore just a week ago, the delicate lace weaving around into a strapless sweetheart neckline. But it’s the rest of the dress that takes my breath away. Soft satin falls to the floor and into a sweeping train. So simple. But so me.

This is the dress I would have picked for myself.

This is what I always imagined I would walk down the aisle in.

And this is the moment I dreamed of as a child…well apart from marrying two men, that part I never could have expected.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, and that just makes Wyatt’s smile grow larger.

He flicks the box open and drops to one knee while Elias carefully lays the dress down beside me and helps me sit up before joining his best friend.

“There’s no version of my life where I thought I would deserve a woman like you, but then you walked into our lives, and I knew there was nothing we wouldn’t do to keep you. You brought a light to our darkness, and every second we’ve spent with you has been more than I ever thought I would have. I love you with all of me, my angel.” Wyatt’s words are so beautiful tears spring to my eyes.

“Before I met you, I thought I was happy. I thought I was okay with living the bachelor life with my best friend. I thought I’d loved before and decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. But as soon as I saw you, it was all over for me. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, both inside and out. Your heart is so big, big enough for the two of us.” He chuckles and takes my hand. “And we want nothing more than to spend the rest of our lives with you. We want to give you the life you deserve, full of love and joy. We want to be the ones to put that beautiful smile on your face every single day for the rest of forever.”

“Will you marry us, Leighton?” Wyatt flicks the box open, and the ring staring back at me takes my breath away. The ring Jason gave me was expensive, but it was also excessively big. The damn thing would get caught on everything, I’d scratch myself on it at least twice a day, and it got in the way constantly.

The ring nestled in black felt is just as me as the wedding dress lying beside me. A beautiful diamond sits among a halo of smaller ones. The platinum band is simple, but beautiful, and I reach for it immediately.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I brush my fingers over the diamond, a quiet sob clawing its way up my throat. “Yes,” I choke. “Yes.”

Their faces light up, and they quickly rise from their knees, enveloping me between them as they kiss every part of my body they can reach without letting go.

This is what it feels like to be loved and cherished, and I wouldn’t give up these men for every dollar on this earth.

“You don’t have to wear the dress if you don’t want to. You can choose whatever you want. You can have anything you want.” Elias presses a kiss to my tear-stained cheek.

“I love the dress. And I love you both so much. Thank you for loving me.”

I might not be able to see the future, but I know ours will be everything I ever dreamed of as a child. I never thought my happily ever after would involve two dark princes, but there’s no one who could love me more than the two men holding me like their very own precious angel.

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