Epilogue
One year later
Hades took a deep breath and gripped the small velvet jewelry box in his pocket. Unexpectedly, nerves hit him, which was absolutely stupid. He was Hades fucking Sinclair. He didn’t get nervous.
Except when it came to proposing to his girlfriend.
She was far more than that silly title. His lover.
His best friend. His absolution. His everything.
He wanted to make all her dreams come true, and at the same time, he wanted to lock her away so she’d never get hurt.
Didn’t matter how many times, or how many positions he fucked her in.
He never got enough. She consumed his thoughts and his heart, and now it was time to tie her to him in every way possible.
And that included the paperwork in his other pocket.
When he opened the door to their home, he heard Christmas music and in the den he saw the love of his life decorating the large tree placed in the corner. The smile on her face filled him with warmth and joy. He went from a man who had ice in his heart to a heart overflowing with love.
Cora stretched up on the ladder to place an ornament and wobbled a little. Fear suddenly gripped him and he hurried over to steady her.
“Oh!” she said, smiling down at him. “When did you get home?”
“Stop scaring me,” he scolded. “Get down.”
“But I need to finish the tree.”
He scowled at her. “I’ll do it.”
Lifting her off the ladder, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I love you.”
Just like that, his scowl disappeared. He’d do anything for her. Lie, cheat, steal. And, apparently, Christmas tree decorating.
“I love you, too,” he said gruffly. “And if you break your neck, I’ll spank your ass until it’s bright red.”
She grinned innocently. “But you’ll do that anyway.”
He groaned. “Now my dick’s so hard I can hammer nails in a two by four. Thanks for that.”
She patted his chest. “I’ll make sure to treat him extra special tonight.”
“Minx,” he muttered, but winked at her.
He took off his suit coat and went up the ladder.
She handed him the ornaments and he finished the tree.
Later, once he put the ladder away, he sat on the couch with her in his arms. The room was lit by the fireplace and Christmas lights, which danced over her beautiful face.
With her wide eyes and graceful smile, he was captivated all over again.
“Cora, I have something to tell you.”
She shifted, concern coming over her features. “Is anything wrong?”
He shook his head. “I want to tell you that you are amazing.”
When she opened her mouth, he placed a finger over her lips.
“Please, let me finish,” he said. “I love your smile. Your eyes. The way you can forgive, especially forgiving me because we both know I’m not a good man. You are the truth in my soul. My strength. My everything.”
He rose and knelt before her, pulling the velvet box from his pocket. She covered her mouth with a hand, and her eyes welled up with tears.
“I want you to marry me. I can’t imagine my life without you. In fact, I don’t want to imagine that at all. Be my wife, my lover, and the mother of my children.”
Her brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth, but he beat her answer by continuing.
“Look.” He pulled out the piece of paper in his other pocket. She took it and read it. “I had the vasectomy reversed and my physician said there’s no reason why we couldn’t have babies.”
“You did this for me?” she asked, shock and awe on her face.
“I would do anything for you. I would burn the world to the ground if you asked. Marry me.”
She nodded. “Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
He slipped the large diamond ring on her finger and then pulled her into his arms. He never thought he needed love. Turns out, that was exactly what he needed all along.