Epilogue
Red
A Year Later
Doors fling open. The world narrows to one impossible reality that's only mine.
My bride.
My Bluebird.
She steps into the light, glowing. Her dress steals the air from my lungs.
White lace, delicate and flown in from France, somehow moves with her instead of against her.
Threaded through it are hand-stitched roses across the train.
They bloom in soft reds and pale blues, layered so subtly that they almost look like they're growing out of the dress rather than resting on it.
Red for her fire.
Blue for her calm.
Chaos and steadiness, woven together exactly the way we live.
She designed it herself. The bodice fits her like a promise, the lace dipping just enough to be daring, just enough to be her. The skirt floats when she walks, brushing the aisle with a whisper, and every step she takes feels like it's aimed straight at my heart.
I forget how to breathe.
Her eyes lock on mine, and everything else fades. The chairs, guests, flowers, and the entire carefully constructed world dissolve until it's just her and me and the space she's crossing to get here.
Adrian leads her down the aisle, standing tall and proud.
She doesn't take her gaze off mine. Her smile widens until it can't anymore.
My chest tightens so hard, it almost hurts. I've spent my life believing love was something to be measured, managed, and observed from a distance like a risk factor.
Then Blue walked into my life and burned that belief to the ground.
When she reaches me, Adrian tugs her into a hug and kisses her cheek. Then he steps in front of me, leans into my ear, and says in a stern tone, "If you hurt her, I will kill you."
My stomach flips.
He retreats, winks, then smiles. "Welcome to the family." He puts his hand on Blue's cheek, pauses, then kisses her forehead. He takes his seat next to Skylar.
Blue slides her hand into mine. It's already shaking and turns my cock hard. Her eyes sparkle. She whispers, "You okay?"
I laugh quietly, nodding. "Yeah. I'm fantastic." Then I lean into her ear, murmuring so no one else can hear, "You have me hard as a rock, Bluebird."
Her cheeks flush. She takes a shaky breath.
That's my soon-to-be wife.
The officiant starts speaking, but the words blur in and out like background noise. I'm too busy memorizing the feel of her fingers curled around mine, the way her thumb brushes my knuckle when her nerves spike, the subtle inhale she takes when she's holding too many emotions at once.
When it's my turn for our vows, I face her fully, and suddenly every carefully rehearsed sentence evaporates. All that's left is truth. "Blue, loving you rewrote me."
Her breath catches.
"I vow to see you. All of you. Light. Dark. I promise you will always have me to hold you."
Her eyes shine, tears threaten to fall.
I continue, "I vow to be your anchor when your thoughts race ahead of your heart, and your shelter when the world gets too loud. I will never ask you to be smaller, quieter, or easier to love."
My throat tightens. "I choose you. Not despite your intensity. Because of it. I choose the life we build, the storms we survive, and the joy we don't apologize for." I squeeze her hands. "Forever."
She inhales sharply, blinking fast, and then it's her turn.
"Red," she says, and her voice trembles in that way that means she's feeling everything at once, "you saw me when I didn't know how to be seen."
I caress her hand with my thumb.
Tears spill down her cheeks. She continues, "You didn't try to fix me or save me. You stayed. You held my hands when I didn't trust myself with them. You loved me when loving me was messy and loud and terrifying."
My vision blurs.
She adds, "I vow to choose life with you. To keep believing in joy even when fear tries to steal it. To love you fiercely, honestly, and without hiding."
She laughs softly through tears. "And to remind you—daily—that you're not as calm as you pretend to be."
A ripple of laughter moves through the crowd.
She finishes, "I choose you. Always. Only you."
The words land in my chest like something locking into place.
The officiant barely finishes before I'm kissing her, diving into her trembling mouth, holding her quivering body against mine, wanting to devour her for hours.
But the world explodes back into color and sound with applause, cheers, and movement.
Our love isn't a promise.
It's a truth.
I hold her close to me, and one thought settles deep and unshakable in my bones.
Blue is my forever.
For the rest of my life, I will choose her. Again and again, always with no hesitation, she will always be mine.
A note from Maggie Cole
Thank you for diving into the Beautiful Delusions Duet.
Red and Blue’s story has been one of obsession, tension, and impossible choices, and it means the world to me that you spent your time inside their world.
If you turn the page you can get one more spicy scene from Blue and Red!
If you’re wanting to dive into Blue’s parents story, you should read Vicious Protector in the Mafia Wars Series.
What’s up next?
Well, after writing this intense story, I’m ready to write some funny scenes! Up next is Married By Margaritas, a laugh-out-loud summer rom-com! But don’t worry! If you’re dying for Demi’s story, I promise you it’s on my list of future works!
Get your copy here!
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