Epilogue
Athena
I gaze in the mirror at the gold locket hanging around my neck. The etched lilac on the front catches the light and shimmers.
I haven’t taken the locket off since Liam put it around my neck the day he asked me to move in with him. It was almost two weeks after his surgery.
I ate a bite of chocolate cake before I opened the locket to find two pictures.
The one on the right is of me.
Liam must have taken it when I didn’t realize it. I’m looking forward in it, but my eyes were fixed on something to the left of the camera.
The image on the left is of Liam.
Short hair, a rugged jawline, and those beautiful blue eyes of his.
I’ve stared at the images for hours on end.
This is the locket that was always meant to hang around my neck. It will always stay there.
“If you walk around naked, I’m going to have to take you back to bed.”
I glance at the doorway to find my boyfriend completely naked too.
“We can’t.” I tilt my head. “We were supposed to be at the hospital an hour ago.”
Before I can say another word, I’m up and over his shoulder. My protests about us being late are met with a slap on my ass.
“Liam,” I cry out. “That hurt.”
He tosses me onto my back on the bed before he crawls over me.
I zero in on the lust that’s filling his eyes. “You want me.”
“Jesus, lilac.” His thick cock brushes against my thigh. “When the fuck do I not want you?”
I can’t answer that. We make love at least once a day, sometimes more.
I’m often woken with the brush of his cock against my ass or his face between my legs.
We stopped using condoms months ago because I’m on birth control. The raw feeling of him inside of me is everything. I can’t get enough of it.
I can’t get enough of him. We both still work too much, but we set aside time every week for an entire day together. I’ve hired another florist full-time and another will help temporarily when Leanna starts her maternity leave.
“Fuck me now,” I whisper.
“You’re trying to kill me.” He laughs. “My heart is strong, but when you talk like that, it stops. It fucking stops beating.”
I dip a hand between my thighs. “I’m wet.”
He glides down my body, trailing soft kisses over my skin. “I’ll make you wetter.”
My eyes drift closed as his tongue hones in on the tight bundle of nerves. The rest of the world can wait for us. This is exactly what we both need now.
I tug on one of my boots.
“Liam!” I yell from the bedroom. “Have you seen my other boot?”
“Under the bed,” he calls back from the bathroom. “I think I might have kicked it under there when I was fucking you into tomorrow.”
My pussy aches with those words.
It’s still tender.
We’re still late.
“Are you almost ready to go?” I tie the top of my black blouse in place.
I want to look nice today. First impressions are everything, so I want to look my best.
Brushing up behind me, he drops to his knees. “I’ll find that damn boot.”
I kiss the top of his head, relishing in the sight of him shirtless. “Thank you, babe.”
I turn toward the closet to fetch my purse.
“Athena.”
“What?” I call back over my shoulder.
“Turn around.”
I spin in place and lose my balance almost immediately because of the sight in front of me.
“Oh my God,” I whisper. “Liam.”
He’s on one knee. There is a small square box in his left palm. His right hand is firmly planted over the scar that runs the length of his chest.
“I had a speech.” He huffs out a laugh. “But fuck it. I love you, lilac. Marry me. Please marry me.”
I nod. “Yes, please.”
The box pops open to reveal a small diamond nestled in a plain silver band. I’ve seen it before. We picked it out together at a market in Brooklyn one rainy Sunday afternoon weeks ago.
He promised he’d wait until my birthday to ask me, but I was hoping that he’d break that promise.
He slides back to his feet to slip the ring on my finger. With a kiss to the top of it, he smiles down at me. “We’ll show everybody today.”
“At the hospital?” I exhale. “Today is all about little Jacob Wolf.”
Our nephew, Sebastian and Tilly’s son, was born at six twenty-five this morning after seven hours of labor and dozens of phone calls between Liam and his siblings.
“Jacob won’t mind.” Liam tilts up my chin with his hand. “We’ll kiss him, drop off some flowers for Tilly, and let the family know that there’s a wedding in the very near future. I’ll text Gareth and Rhys on the way to give them the good news.”
“How soon do you want to get married?” I question with a perk of both brows. “I need at least a few months to get ready.”
“You name the date, and I’ll be there, lilac.” He presses his lips to mine for a slow kiss. “I plan on being next to you for the rest of our lives.”
I can’t ask for more than that.
This man.
This love.
This life is everything I’ve ever wanted.