Page 41 of Aspen's Defense

"You really talked to him?" I ask, more surprised by that than anything.

"I did," she whispers. "He knows everything now."

"Everything?"

"I mean, I left out the part about your tattoo, but I can call him back if you want…" she says, shifting as if she's going to reach into her pocket for her phone.

I grab her, flipping her onto her back beneath me.

She laughs out loud, her eyes shining with happiness as she stares up at me. "He knows everything, Noah." Her expression softens. "I think we're both going to be okay now."

"Yeah?"

She nods.

"Yeah, you are," I agree, leaning down to capture her lips with mine. I kiss her long and deep, sealing my vow. She will be okay now. My new goal in life is making sure she's more than okay every day. I made her brother a promise, after all.

I fully intend to keep it.

"I love you," she whispers as we strip each other bare.

"Not nearly as much as I love you."

"Lies," she moans as I lift her legs over my shoulders, skimming my lips up the inside of her thigh. "All lies."

"I bet I can convince you otherwise, Dimples."

"Do it."

I bury my face in her center, taking us both to heaven all over again.

Epilogue

Aspen

ThreeYearsLater

"Mommy!" Owen squeals my name, scurrying across the shop as fast as his little legs will carry him. "Mommy!"

I step out from behind the counter, scooping him up into my arms. "Hi, baby boy," I croon, pressing kisses to his adorable little face. "I missed you today."

He laughs, placing his palms against my cheeks. His green eyes shine with happiness. "Misseded you." He squirms for me to put him down.

I give him another kiss and then set him back on his feet. He immediately takes off toward the play area we set up on the far side of the shop to keep kids occupied while their parents enjoy a peaceful coffee.

At two, he's always on the move. He's been the same way since he was born. He's just like Noah in that way. My husband spent his life on the ice, exhausting himself every day. Now that he's retired from the AHL, he has an unlimited supply of energy and far too much time on his hands. He teaches a little league team here in town. He also opened a gym last year. He spends a lot of his time torturing other people with physical activity.

It works well for me because it means he's not torturing me with physical activity. I prefer to keep mine limited to the bedroom. And the occasional treadmill. He wants to traverse mountains and run. That does not sound like a good time to me.

"Damn, Dimples," he says, stalking across the shop toward me with a smirk on his face. "You look good enough to eat."

"Noah," I chastise, swatting his hands as he reaches for me. "We agreed you weren't going to make inappropriate comments in public anymore."

"This isn't public, Aspen. It's your shop."

"And it's full of people," I point out.

He glances around like he's just noticing them for the first time. He probably is. When I'm around, his eyes are always on me. He's pretty oblivious to everyone else…right up until he thinks they're trying to flirt with me anyway. And then he sees them all too well. He's kicked more men out of here than I can count.