47. Epilogue
Epilogue
Nellie
S ix Months Later
“Don’t you dare!” I squealed, running to the opposite side of the counter. Ronan chased after me with a large glob of frosting stuck to the end of his finger, an evil glint in his stare.
He stalked around the counter, matching the pace of my steps with larger ones of his own. “Oh, come on, sugar. What are you so scared of?”
“We open in less than an hour!” The last thing I wanted to do was wash frosting off my face and risk taking my make-up off with it. I put my hands up in front of me like a warning when he sped up. “Ronan…”
I shrieked when he half-jumped over the corner of the counter to get to me faster. My arms didn’t go up in time to block my face before Ronan smudged the frosting over my nose and cheek. He cackled, throwing his head back and releasing a laugh that made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. I scowled at him.
While he continued rolling with laughter, I reached for the bowl of frosting, scooping some onto my finger and smearing it over his cheek. He went silent then, grabbing me and tugging me towards him. My own giggling was replaced by a small gasp and a moan.
Ronan kissed me as if there wasn’t frosting on our faces and cupcakes that needed to be decorated before the grand opening of our new location. His lips parted, and his tongue danced against mine, swallowing my nerves.
It had been an unbelievable six months. We had painted the walls pink, and Ronan insisted on installing the pink and white tiles. He went with me to pick out the countertops and each of the light fixtures, and he fucked me on every surface he could during the renovations.
When he stopped kissing me, he put his hands on my hips and took a step back. I lifted a brow when he knelt, trying to swallow the butterflies that rushed toward my throat. “What are you doing?” I asked, looking around the room I already knew was empty.
Ronan pulled a small box out, opening it to reveal a white gold ring with a large, princess cut pink diamond. I gasped, putting my hands over my mouth when the light caught it.
“Nellie, you have always been a part of me. I was always destined to find you over and over in this life. You made me see that life was sweet, and that frosting has way more sugar in it than I thought, and somehow, it’s as delicious as spending an entire day in bed with you.” He chuckled, and tears stung my eyes. I let them trickle down my cheek, catching one on my chin before it dropped onto my apron.
“I crave you in ways I’ve never craved anything before,” Ronan continued. “Not even cupcakes. I can’t imagine life without you in it. Be mine forever. Marry me, and I promise to spend every day loving you and eating every cupcake you make. I promise to take care of you for the rest of our lives, and when death do us part, I promise to find you again in the next and do it all over again. Tell me you’ll be mine forever.”
I nodded, barely able to see past the blur of the tears streaming down my cheeks. “Yes. Ronan, yes! I’ll be yours forever.”
He jumped up from the ground, scooping me up by one arm and weaving his other hand into the hair on the back of my head. When he kissed me, I melted into him. In his arms, I was part of him, and I wanted to be part of him for the rest of my life.
I gasped for a breath when he broke apart. Ronan slipped the diamond ring onto my finger, and I watched it sparkle under the new light fixture we had installed in the kitchen as he wiped the frosting from my face. It was beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it, even when the front door opened and the bell rang.
“Hello?” We looked at each other, and the excitement on Ronan’s face was replaced with a cruel mix of frustration and snark. He grabbed my hand, running his thumb over the diamond that rested on my ring finger and leading me to the front of the bakery.
“A little too late, fellas,” he said when we turned the corner and saw Detective Stanton and his partner standing in the entrance. He lifted our hands, drawing attention to the ring. “She already said yes. You’re not going to sink your claws into her now.”
Detective Stanton shook his head, almost like a disappointed uncle or someone who had placed a large bet on their favorite sports team, only to lose it. “So I see,” he said, seemingly uninterested. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“Well, we don’t open for five more minutes.” Ronan pointed to the clock on the wall, smirking. “So you’ll have to come back and get your cupcakes then.”
“I don’t have much of a sweet tooth these days,” Detective Stanton continued. “I came to tell you not to get too comfortable, Moretti. Nikki left town and nobody can reach her. We haven’t been able to track her down, and I know you had something to do with it. This is far from over, and I’m not going to rest until I have you and your entire family behind bars. Do you understand?”
Ronan laughed, throwing his arm around me. “You’ve made that threat before, Stanton. If you actually had anything, maybe I’d be a little worried, but you don’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my fiancée and I have a bakery to open.”
Detective Stanton scowled, letting the door slam behind him. “What was that all about?” I asked, turning to Ronan. He looked unbothered, but my nerves tied themselves in knots in my stomach. I turned the ring on my finger anxiously with my thumb.
“Empty threats as far as I’m concerned,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head. “Nothing you need to worry about. I promised to take care of you. Are you ready?”
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I said when I looked at the clock—less than five minutes until we were supposed to open.
“You did it.” Ronan wrapped his arms around me, forcing me to stand still. I couldn’t look away from his stare. “I just had a front row seat.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you. I love you.” I threw my arms over his shoulders, stretching onto my toes so we were closer to eye level. Maybe taking help from him wasn’t so bad after all.
“I love you more, sugar.”