Epilogue
CLAIRE
A nother day later, I woke to the sound of a door closing.
I sat up, groggy, the sheets tangled around me, Marcus’s scent still clinging to my skin. The bed beside me was empty, the warmth of his body already fading from the space where he had slept.
Frowning, I pushed the covers back and slid out of bed, my body aching—not from pain, not from bruises, but from the way Marcus had worshipped me, again and again.
I found his t-shirt on the floor and pulled it over my head, padding barefoot toward the door.
The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that only came after a storm. But when I stepped into the hall, I saw them.
Marcus stood by the front door, his back to me, his broad shoulders tense. Atlas was there too, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his expression unreadable.
He was leaving .
“Where are you going?” My voice came out rough, thick with sleep.
Atlas glanced at me. “Got some things to take care of.”
I didn’t miss the way Marcus’s jaw tightened. His fists were clenched at his sides, his posture rigid. This wasn’t just about Hart.
This was about something bigger. Something they weren’t telling me.
Atlas smirked. “Don’t worry, Claire. I’ll be back.”
And then he was gone.
Marcus stood there for a long moment after the door shut, his breathing slow, measured, controlled. Too controlled.
I stepped closer, resting a hand on his arm, and just like that, the tension in his body eased.
His blue eyes met mine, and the storm that lived inside them settled.
I didn’t ask where Atlas was going. Not yet. Because today, there was something else waiting for us.
Diego’s parents.
We had made arrangements to have my friend’s body sent back to New York, where he would be laid to rest. The Gils had barely stopped crying when we’d met with them yesterday, their grief raw and endless. Today wouldn’t be any easier. But at least they wouldn’t be alone.
And neither would I.
Later, after the meeting, Marcus and Ryker—plus me and Izzy—would head to the Sullivan’s Island house for a cookout and some much-needed time on the beach. Noah, Charlie, Elias, and Silas had just returned to town to regroup after everything that had happened, and they’d be there, too, reconnecting, catching their breath before the next inevitable storm. The Gils would stop by before they left town, a quiet goodbye before they returned to the city.
Atlas had said his goodbyes already. Whatever he was chasing, it wouldn’t wait.
The late afternoon sun was golden, stretching long across the sand. Waves lapped lazily at the shore, and the scent of grilled steak and salt air filled the breeze. The backyard of the Sullivan’s Island house was alive with laughter. Charlie was throwing a football with Elias while Silas was perched on a lounge chair, sipping whiskey like a king surveying his kingdom.
I stood by the railing of the deck, Izzy beside me, both of us watching the chaos unfold.
She nudged me with her shoulder. “We’re really in it now, huh?”
I smiled, shaking my head. “Yeah. I guess we are.”
She was right.
This wasn’t just Marcus and me. This was all of them. The brothers. The fights. The loyalty that ran deeper than blood. We weren’t just guests here. We were part of it now.
Family.
Marcus caught my eye from where he stood near the grill, talking to Ryker. His gaze never lingered far from me.
The possessiveness in it sent a shiver down my spine. The love in it wrecked me.
And suddenly, I knew .
I couldn’t wait.
I turned, plucked a beer bottle off the table, and climbed onto one of the deck chairs, clearing my throat.
“Can I have everyone’s attention for a second?”
Marcus’s brow furrowed, but the conversation died around me. Six Dane brothers. One Isabel. And me. Everyone was here but Atlas.
My family.
I swallowed hard, feeling my pulse race, then lifted my chin.
“I’m doing this before one of you tries to claim it first,” I announced, my voice steady but my heart hammering. “Because let’s be real, Marcus Dane would probably make a big show of it, and this big city girl doesn’t have the patience for all that.”
A slow, dangerous smirk curled on Marcus’s lips. His eyes darkened.
The others were watching now, curiosity sparking.
I took a breath. “Marcus, I love you.”
The smirk vanished. Something flickered across his face—shock, awe, something unguarded, completely open.
“I love you,” I said again, my voice softer now. “And I already live in your house, so I figured we might as well make it official.”
I tossed him the beer bottle cap, my makeshift engagement ring.
A stunned silence stretched.
Then Ryker barked out a laugh. “Holy shit. Should we make it a double wedding?”
Charlie whistled. Silas grinned. Isabel was already crying.
Marcus … Marcus just stared at me .
I swallowed. “You don’t have to say yes. But I?—”
I didn’t get to finish.
Marcus grabbed me, pulled me off the chair, and kissed me so hard I forgot my own damn name.
Laughter and cheers erupted around us, but all I could feel was him.
When he finally broke the kiss, his forehead pressed against mine, his breath uneven, he muttered against my lips?—
“You’re mine.”
I smiled. “I was always yours.”
His chest shook with laughter. Then he growled, low and possessive.
“We’re getting a real ring, baby.”
I grinned. “Fine. But I get to pick it.”
His hands tightened on my waist. “Like hell you do.”
The argument dissolved into another kiss, into laughter, into a life that had once seemed impossible but was now undeniably mine.
Because I hadn’t just found Marcus.
I had found all of them.
A family. A home.
A future.
And I wasn’t letting go.
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