Chapter 19 Atticus #2
“Now, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Unable to remember a single word of my carefully prepared speech, I dropped to one knee and pulled the green velvet box from my pocket. “I hope you say yes. I mean, your dad already did—wait, that came out wrong. Your dad said I could—”
“Mason, ask me already.”
As I opened the box, revealing my grandmother’s Art Deco diamond ring, the sapphires around the center stone caught the light from the setting sun.
“Brenna Austen. We started with a fake marriage that I immediately knew I didn’t want to end.
I love you. Completely. Ridiculously. Permanently. Will you marry me? For real this time?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she breathed, tears streaming down her face.
I slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, like everything about us was once we stopped fighting it. She pulled me to my feet and kissed me with ten years of waiting behind it.
Luke burst through the porch door before we could even catch our breath. “Did she say yes?”
“She did!”
“Mom! Dad! Emma! She said yes!” Luke shouted behind him.
We were mobbed within seconds. Cathy was crying, and Andy was clapping my back hard enough to leave bruises.
“You all knew?” Brenna accused, laughing through her tears. “Even you?” she said to Emma, who nodded.
“Atticus asked permission like a real gentleman,” Andy said proudly.
“He even asked me,” said Luke.
When his eyes met mine, I no longer saw anger. Both Brenna and I had talked to him on our own, and he’d said he forgave us. Adding that he supposed he had to with me since I was going to be his boss.
The six of us settled at the dining room table for dinner after Andy opened the bottle of champagne he said he’d been saving for this exact moment.
“I’ve got one with your name on it too,” he said to Luke, who turned ten shades of red.
Cathy immediately started listing possible venues that we’d have to book soon if we wanted to marry in the next year.
“Mom, we just got engaged,” Brenna said, rolling her eyes before turning to Emma. “So, before my mom takes over planning this entire wedding, will you be my maid of honor?”
Emma’s composure cracked for the first time since I’d known her. “I—yes. Of course. I’d be honored.”
“And you,” I turned to Luke. “Best man?”
He raised his beer. “Likewise, honored. But, fair warning, my speech will include several embarrassing stories from our days at the academy.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Luke nudged Emma with his elbow. “Looks like we’ll be spending lots of time together between now and the big day.”
Emma’s lips twitched, then she smiled and winked. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
The surprise on Luke’s face was priceless, but I couldn’t help think about Kodiak and wonder if Emma was just teasing Brenna’s brother or if the two were really flirting.
Either way, it didn’t matter. Brenna and our life together did.
Our wedding took place a month later in the Austens’ backyard garden on a perfect August afternoon. The temperature had miraculously dropped below ninety, the humidity was manageable, and hundreds of flowers were in bloom, their scent mixing with the garden roses in Brenna’s bouquet.
I stood at the altar—really just an arch drowning in more flowers that Cathy and her garden club friends had spent three days assembling—with Luke beside me. He checked his pocket every thirty seconds to make sure the rings were still where he’d put them.
“Nervous?” he whispered as guests settled into their seats.
“Terrified. Is it too late to elope?”
“Brenna would murder you. Then marry your corpse. I swear she’s been planning this since she was nineteen.” I smiled when he elbowed me.
I looked out at the gathered guests. My parents, sisters, and their husbands were seated in the first row on my side of the aisle. Admiral, Alice, and their baby sat right behind them.
Kodiak, Tank, and Dragon, along with some of the other people from the Sentinel Cyber crew, spread out further back, and Brenna’s family and friends filled the rest of the chairs that had been set up.
When the music changed from a classical guitar to piano, Emma appeared and walked in our direction. She glanced to the side just once, at Kodiak, who beamed.
Then the music changed again, and everyone stood.
Brenna appeared at the back door of her parents’ house with her arm through her father’s. She was radiant as she floated toward me in a simple white gown that moved like water. She looked perfect. Was perfect. And she was mine.
“Hi,” she whispered when Andy placed her hand in mine, his eyes suspiciously wet.
“Hi back. You look…like a dream.”
She pinched my arm. “I’m very much real, Mason Finch.”
“Thank God.”
The ceremony was short, and when the officiant finally said I could kiss my bride—my real, actual, legal, no-surveillance-required bride—Luke whooped loudly enough that all the birds that had been perched in the trees scattered in all directions.
“Really?” Brenna hissed at her brother.
“It’s tradition!” he protested, and she and her mother both rolled their eyes.
The reception was pure chaos in the best way.
Tank had appointed himself DJ and was currently playing eighties’ dance tunes while Dragon tried to wrestle the laptop away from him.
My mom and Cathy were comparing notes on some recipe that required fourteen steps and possibly a chemistry degree.
Admiral had cornered Andy to discuss military history, both men gesturing with their beers as they debated strategy in various conflicts.
“Dance with me,” Brenna said, pulling me onto the makeshift dance floor Luke and I had painstakingly installed yesterday afternoon, square by square.
I held her in my arms, and she rested her head on my shoulder.
“Look,” she said.
I followed her gaze to where Kodiak had finally convinced Emma to dance. She was actually laughing at something he’d said. His hand rested on her waist, and she appeared completely relaxed.
“Think they know?” Brenna asked.
“That they’re perfect for each other? Not a chance. They’re both too smart to see the obvious.”
“We should help.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mrs. Finch,” I said, raising my chin in the opposite direction, where Luke stood, scowling as he watched them.
“Mrs. Finch,” she repeated, grinning. “I love that.”
We danced and laughed as the party continued around us. Emma caught the bouquet and held it with the same look of horror she’d have if there were a rattlesnake coiled in it.
As Luke had promised, his speech included a couple of embarrassing stories from our days at the academy, plus a few other creative embellishments.
“To Atticus and Brenna,” he concluded, raising his glass. “Who proved that sometimes the best things come from the worst circumstances. And who showed all of us that love, real love, is worth fighting for. Even when it takes a decade and a fake marriage to figure it out.”
As we drove away toward our honeymoon, tin cans rattling behind the car, Brenna reached over and put her hand in mine. Behind us, the lights of her parents’ house faded into the darkness. Ahead lay DC, our new life together, and whatever chaos K19 would throw our way.
But tonight, we were just Mason and Brenna Finch. No covers, no pretense, no surveillance required.
Finally, officially, and forever.
______________
Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next book in
Heather Slade’s K19 Sentinel Cyber series,
Code Name: Kodiak
He’s the lone wolf who thinks he’s too damaged for love.
She’s the analyst whose fraud investigation just put a target on her back.
When protection becomes partnership, the real danger might be to their hearts.
KODIAK
Investigating cyber attacks on VA payment systems with Emma Sinclair should be straightforward—trace the money, identify the hacker, close the case.
But Emma refuses to back down despite the escalating threats.
I walked away from her six months ago when I thought she was with someone else.
Now, as we chase leads across the country, I’m falling for the woman I never should have left behind.
When evidence points to someone in her inner circle, keeping her safe might mean admitting I was wrong about everything.
EMMA
Having Coleman “Kodiak” Emeric assigned to my VA fraud investigation wasn’t my choice—but when someone rigs your coffeemaker with explosives, you need K19’s cyber expertise.
Working with the man who disappeared six months ago should be strictly professional.
Instead, I’m falling for the lone wolf who walked away without an explanation, just as we uncover $30 million stolen through fake veteran charities.
The closer we get to the truth, the more dangerous this becomes—and not just for my heart.