Page 99 of Sheltered

I lifted my hands up to curl my fingers around his wrists. Slowly, I nodded as tears rolled down my cheeks. “You did the same for me, boss. I never knew it could be this good, but I’m so thankful every day to have met you.”

“Who would have thought the world’s worst date would have turned into this?” he teased.

I laughed. And following a beat of silence, I asked, “When do you want to get married?”

“I’d do it today.”

“I would, too. But I want our families and friends there. Maybe we can plan something small within a month,” I suggested.

“Eager?”

I shrugged. “I’ve never been married before, and it’s one of those things on my list I’d really like to cross off.”

Blaze pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. “Whatever you want, baby, I’ll give it to you.”

“I love you, Blaze.”

“I love you, too.”

We kissed each other once more. Then we enjoyed the delicious food Blaze had packed and had the best picnic to have ever existed. Without a doubt, it was the best day of my life.

But I knew I didn’t need to worry that it would never be this good again.

With Blaze in my life, I was confident this was only the beginning, and there would be so much more to come.

EPILOGUE

Blaze

Three months later

I was sitting on the couch when I heard Harlow’s footsteps descending the stairs.

That simple sound meant the world to me.

Because it meant that she was here. She was alive.

And now, she was my wife.

Though it had been a surprise to me that she’d want it that way, Harlow and I got married in a small ceremony with our closest family and friends about a month after I proposed to her.

If she had wanted the big, extravagant wedding that would have meant needing to wait a year to plan for, I would have happily done anything to give it to her. But I loved that she was more interested in being married to me than anything else.

Harlow had gotten back from work just a little while ago, and she’d wanted to run upstairs to shower and change. I’d gotten home from work just before she did, so I’d started dinner and already had it in the oven. Things didn’t always work out that way, but I didn’t mind when it did.

When Harlow entered the room, she practically skipped over to me and bubbled, “I think I’ve finally got it.”

“Got what?” I asked, my brows pulling together.

“I’ve finally got the riddle that’s going to stump you,” she clarified as she settled herself on me, straddling my lap.

My lips twitched. She’d been at this ever since we met, and she had yet to succeed. But I loved her tenacity. She was determined to make it happen one of these days. While I didn’t know if she’d ever accomplish her goal, I was certainly enjoying the game and her enthusiasm for it.

“Alright, well, lay it on me,” I urged her.

“There’s a catch,” she warned me.

“Okay. What is it?”