Page 138 of Accepting Fate

Leaning back in his arms, I brush his hair back. "Did that really just happen or am I dreaming?”

I didn’t have a long time to look at the ring before Gray took it. But from what I saw, it was stunning. The band is silver and shaped like tree branches with small diamonds on the tips. In the center is a teardrop diamond that is so bright when the sun hits it, the rays bounce off of it and create small rainbows in the air. As soon as we get out of here, I’m putting it right back on and never taking it off.

Grayson hugs me tighter to his chest and says, "It’s not a dream, Angel. This is real. You’re stuck with me forever, Mrs. Hayes.”

Butterflies fill my stomach at the thought of being Logan Hayes. A ping of guilt hits me at the idea of no longer sharing the same name as my mom, but I know in her heart that she would want me to be happy and most of all be free.

If the past has taught me anything, it’s that I need to stop letting others have a hold over me. I think I’ve subconsciously carried a hint of guilt that I didn’t get my mom out of that house a day sooner. Now I know that she was strong enough to finally leave but her demons took her down before she could.

I never thought I would find someone that would accept me for me. If someone would have told me this is where I’d be, I would have told them they were insane.

At the beginning of the year, I was moving into a house in a small town I knew nothing about and trying to get away from the noise of the city. Little did I know I would meet this amazing man that took my breath away the moment I saw him. I definitely didn’t think I would be in his arms and calling him my fiancé.

A raindrop hits my face, bringing me out of my thoughts. We both look up as the summer shower rains down on us.Our eyes meet and I can only see pure love in his midnight blues and I know in my heart this man was meant to be mine.

Grayson kisses my cheek as the rain falls faster.

"I love you, Bear.”

"You never told me why you call me that.”

I give him a quick kiss on his lips, his wet beard tickling my face. "I call you Bear because when I met you, you were this big man that could pass as a caveman plus you’re a little hairy.”

He mocks being offended and tickles my side.

I splash water at him and continue, "But as time went on, you were still a giant caveman, but I also saw the softer side to you, like a teddy bear.”

A big smile stretches across his face, and he kisses me. When we break apart, he flashes me an evil grin and splashes me.

This man and this life are everything I ever wanted and never thought I would have.

And it’s crazy to think all I had to do was leave behind the fear of what lurked in the shadows and accept that fate would guide me to exactly where I needed to be.

Chapter Forty

Logan

Thesunisshininghigh in the sky as I look out over the valley beneath me. A warm breeze whips through my hair and I sit down on a rock, dangling my feet over the edge.

Willow hits her nose against my arm and gently tugs at my t-shirt with her mouth. Understanding what she wants me to do, I scoot backwards and sit crisscross. Satisfied, Willow lays down and rests her head on my lap. Absent-mindedly, I comb my fingers through her hair and look back out at the valley.

After our engagement hike, I tried to stay positive but some of the hurt crept back in after telling everyone the good news. I am the happiest I have ever been but some days all of the guilt and pain crashes back down, shattering my happy bubble. On those days, I just want to be left alone with my animals and my bear.

I thought I just needed some quiet to get a handle on my emotions, but it turned out to be deafening. So I woke up today and realized Mom wouldn’t want this for me. She wasn’t always there when I needed her, but I know in my heart that she did her best. The memories of the last time I saw her have been playing over and over in my head. I know I will never be able to replace that image, but I need to try.

So, here we are at the top of this mountain, celebrating a life that ended too soon at the hands of a demon that was determined to make everyone’s life around him as miserable as he was.

When I told Grayson I wanted to have a celebration of life for my mom, he agreed immediately. What I didn’t expect was for my new family to want to come.

Almost everyone that means something to me is here. The brothers who, in their own ways, brought me into their circle. Shelly and Conrad who have taken it upon themselves to treat me as if I have been in their lives for years. Harper who has done everything in her power to make sure that I don’t fall back into my guarded ways.

Then there’s my Bear. This man has been my life raft in a sea full of darkness that is trying to swallow me back up.

On the hike up here, Grayson and Willow never left my side. I didn’t say much and let the trees around us calm me.

Hands touch my shoulders and a kiss is placed on top of my hat covered head.

"Angel. You ready?” Grayson says softly from behind me.