Epilogue
Nisha - Three Months Later
“Wait a sec,” I say, glancing at our surroundings from inside Patton’s car. “This is the same place you had me meet you a couple of years ago after the taekwondo tournament.”
He smirks. “Stay put for a second. Let me come around and open the door for you.”
I roll my eyes, knowing there’s no point in arguing with him that I am, in fact, capable of opening the car door and getting out myself. His non-negotiable rule is, if we’re in the same car together, he will always open my door to help me out and he will always carry the baby carrier.
Coming around the front of his 1956 Chevy Corvette, he pulls my door open, letting the warm August breeze travel over my skin.
Yes, the man has other cars besides his truck—though that is still his favorite.
And then there’s the Land Rover he bought me as a “push gift”.
I told him all I wanted was sushi and a nap, but instead, I came home to a new car waiting in my driveway.
This Corvette, however, is only available to him when he visits L.A., which is what we’re doing this weekend.
Patton had two talk shows to attend, both to talk about The Winning Pitch and raise awareness for the foster programs here in L.A., so I decided to come along with him.
It’s our first weekend away from Gia, and I won’t lie, we’ve spent most of it missing her, FaceTiming my dad and Emanuel every chance we get in order to see her little face, hear her little coos, and watch her hands curl and uncurl.
Every time she smiled at the camera, my heart skipped a beat and I wished I could snuggle her.
This afternoon, Abby and Hector were at Dad’s house, too.
Since meeting them both at the hospital after Gia’s birth, Dad and Emanuel have made it a point to befriend Abby and Hector, even going on hikes with them and inviting them over for lunch.
The four of them have also kept in touch with Patton’s foster parents, often video chatting with them, especially when Gia is around.
It’s been incredible to see the six of them get closer, but honestly, it’s not surprising, either. Sure, having a grandbaby to unite and dote over was the catalyst for their friendship, but I give a lot of the credit to my amazing dad, too. His heart is as immense and boundless as his personality.
With the sun low on the horizon, I let Patton pull me up, my chest colliding softly with his.
The second the door shuts, he pins me against it, though I’m not exactly protesting.
His gaze drops to my mouth before his fingers trace up my spine, bare under my backless sundress, sending waves of goosebumps skittering over my skin.
Goosebumps and butterflies.
My body has no shortage of them when it comes to this man.
His forehead meets mine as his hand cradles my face. “I figured we’d finish the date we were supposed to have that night before you rushed off like a scared kitten.”
My head tilts up to meet his hungry eyes, reminiscent of smoldering wood after a fire, and I take a greedy inhale of his masculine scent, that heady combination of bergamot and mint I love so much.
“I remember thinking nothing had changed. That you still belonged to the world.”
“And now?”
Our gazes hold for a moment, charged with electric currents that feel otherworldly. Because how could two people have this kind of chemistry, this magnetic pull, on this earth?
“And now . . . you belong to me. To our baby girl.”
His thumb drags over my bottom lip. “In my heart, in my soul, and in every fucking molecule that resides within me, I have always only ever belonged to you, Little Borealis. No one else.”
My mouth finds his then, my hand curving around his neck to pull him closer.
I suck his tongue into my mouth, swallowing the groan that rumbles from his chest, thundering through me.
Heat barrels inside me, making my nipples pebble behind the fabric of my dress and my pulse rev, kicking my body into overdrive.
Our bodies press together, desperate and certain, as my hips fling forward, seeking the kind of friction and release only he can provide. I need more. So much more.
While he had to be careful about how rough he could be with me throughout the pregnancy and as I healed postpartum, we’ve now gotten back into the normal swing of things. Just last night, Patton tied my wrists to the bed in our hotel room while he fucked me so hard, I forgot my own name.
His hands curl over the backs of my thighs and suddenly, I’m airborne, pressed against him as he carries me to the hood of his car.
My chest heaves as my ass lands on the warm metal. My knees fall open, inviting him closer, as I brace my hands behind me to steady myself.
Patton moves forward, his dark gaze trailing down my body. “You have two options. My tongue or my dick. Which one is it going to be?”
A frustrated sound tumbles out of me, making him chuckle. “I can only choose one?”
“For now, baby.”
“Ugh, fine,” I say, reaching out for him until he’s finally in my arms. I reach down to cup his erection, heavy and throbbing between my thighs. “I want this.”
I fumble with the buckle of his belt before he takes over, rising only to unbuckle himself and lower his pants and boxer-briefs.
I watch his long length bob against his abs, his tip already glistening with pre-cum. My tongue darts out to lick my lips, and Patton’s nostrils flare.
“Fuck. There is nothing sexier than seeing you salivate for my cock.”
His fingers yank off my panties, and a needy whimper unfurls on my lips. “Patton, God, I want you so much.”
And just as soon as those words leave my mouth, I’m being tugged down the hood of his car until he’s situated between my folds. He guides his tip through my slickness, mixing our juices, before he inches himself inside.
“I love being inside you, filling you until you can barely breathe.” His fingers trail down my stomach, his thumb rubbing circles over my clit. “I love the way your body always invites me in.”
“Please,” I say, panting. “I need you inside me right this second.”
Patton grasps my hip, our matching bracelets glinting in the dimming light, before he pushes inside me with a rough groan. For a second, all my breath leaves my lungs before I feel him start to move.
My arms stay locked behind me, keeping me upright as he fucks me hard and fast on the hood of his Corvette, thrusting so deep, my head rolls back. I mewl with each deliberate and punishing stroke, wondering if I’ll ever catch my breath.
He releases one side of my hip before his hand curves around my neck, squeezing just the way I’ve always loved. “I love you.”
I melt, closing my eyes before crossing my ankles behind him. “I know.”
His hips thrust harder, and I get closer.
Closer to the infinite sky. Closer to our forever and ever. Closer to shattering only in the way this man can make me.
Patton’s hand slides to the back of my neck, his hips continuing their assault against mine, before he melds our lips together. He kisses me as hard as he fucks me.
“We were written right under this sky, weren’t we, Little Borealis?”
My body rocks and my hair sways behind me as I look up at the dusky sky, painted with hues of orange and pink. Distant stars sparkle through the haze like diamonds embedded on silk.
It’s not the same as the night we watched the Aurora Borealis glittering like magical dust scattered across the heavens, but it’s breathtaking all the same.
Because I’m with the boy I loved first.
And now the man I’ll love last.
“Yes,” I whisper, though I can’t explain the pricks of tears at the corners of my eyes. Maybe it’s because we’ve waded through so much to get here, or maybe it’s because it still feels like a dream. Our lives, our baby, our love.
Patton’s forehead presses against mine as he pummels me, the tip of his cock finding that place deep inside me. “We were always going to find our way back to each other.”
“Like two halves of the same soul.”
His jaw tightens, the blink of his eye telling me he’s feeling the same emotion echo inside him, pure and unshakeable. Ours.
“I love you,” I breathe, my fingers fisting the front of his shirt. “So fucking much.”
His lips find mine as my orgasm crests and those same stars find the backs of my lids. “I know.”
I moan, long and guttural, into his mouth as Patton finds his release inside me, both of us coming together like colliding ocean waves.
Our ragged breaths settle as our heart rates find normalcy. Patton peppers kisses over my jaw and neck before he finds my lips again.
“So,” I say, a smile dancing on my lips. “Is this what you brought me here for? To defile the hood of your car?”
A snicker escapes him before he tugs my bottom lip between his teeth. “I told you I wanted to finish our date. The defiling was just a bonus.”
I flick my nose against his. “I seem to recall that our last date here had Cheeky Mike’s tacos and pineapple margaritas.”
Thank all the gods I got my taste back for pineapples!
“Well, that’s good, because this one does, too.”
My heart fires off a strange beat. “What?”
He tips his chin down to our still-connected groins. “How about we get our clothes on and head to our spot? Actually, leave your panties off . . .” He adds quickly, “It’ll make it easier for when I’m ready for dessert.”
My cheeks heat. Yes, we just had wild sex on the hood of his car in the middle of nowhere. Yes, he’s seen and felt me in ways I haven’t let anyone else. And yet, he can still make me blush.
Five minutes later, Patton and I have crossed over that scary, rickety old bridge, and I’m too busy marveling at the glittering L.A. skyline against the darkening sky to notice what he’s been leading me to. Until I do.
The same flannel blanket is laid out at the end of the cliff with almost the same rocks and large cooler flanking the sides, as if he recreated that night down to the last detail.
Spread on the blanket are tortilla chips, bowls of salsa, and bags of tacos from my favorite food truck, all covered by an enormous glass dome so the wind won’t steal our food.
Also present are flameless tea lights, each one flickering like they’re competing to outshine the other.
When did he . . .?
“Patton . . .” My smile tugs at the corners of my mouth even as my throat tightens.
I turn to my right, then my left to find him.
He was right here two seconds ago.
But then I feel him before I see him, his warm presence at my back. I turn around, gasping when my gaze dips.
There, in the middle of this cliff, illuminated only by the dusky sky, the city lights far below, and the flickering tea lights, is my ex-husband.
On one knee.
Presenting me with an open velvet box.
My breaths feel ineffective inside my lungs. My hand trembles as I brush my fingers over the back of his hand. “Patton . . . oh, my God.”
His throat works before he speaks, his voice thick and rough.
“You’re not just the mother of my child, baby; you’re my best friend, my fucking heart and soul. You always have been. Losing you once nearly broke me, and I swear to God, I couldn’t survive it again. I barely survived it the first time.”
His voice shakes, his eyes shiny as they stay locked on mine. “I love you, Nisha, more than anything. Nothing comes before you, before our family. I am so damn grateful to be here, to be yours again, and to get a second chance at us. I vow to never ever fuck it up again.”
A laugh bubbles out of me as I wipe a hot tear off my cheek.
Patton’s lips tremble before he swallows hard and puts his other knee on the ground.
“So here I am, Little Borealis, on my fucking knees for you, begging like the fool I am for you to give me another chance. To marry me again and make me the happiest man alive. Not because we have to, but because we get to.”
Sobs wrack my body, and despite wanting to lunge at him, I sink to my knees in front of him. My fingers shake as they find his face, my thumb dragging away a tear that slips from the corner of his eye.
This beautiful, relentless man.
He fought for this . . . for us. He poured not just his time and effort, but his whole heart—along with a bit of scheming—into stitching us back together.
And he thinks he needs to beg me?
“In what universe, under which sky am I not yours, Patton?” I ask, sniffling.
He stares at me, shoulders loosening just enough for me to notice.
I shake my head. “Let me tell you, there isn’t one. I’m yours. Heart, body, soul, and anything else that might exist. In every lifetime, in every universe, under every sky, I’m yours.”
It’s as if all the tension leaves his body. He takes a shaky breath, cupping the back of my neck to pull me closer until our foreheads connect.
“Fuck, baby. Your answer . . .” His throat works on another swallow. “It might have been better than the speech I worked my ass off to remember.”
I can’t help but laugh. I splay out my left hand, my eyes fully taking in the enormous, brilliant round diamond, haloed by smaller diamonds so it looks like a star.
My laugh is replaced by an intake of my breath. “Patton, that is . . . beautiful.”
He slips the ring onto my finger before his brows pinch together. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head. “No, I absolutely love it. It’s just that . . .” My eyes trace down his worried face. “I was thinking we could get matching wedding band tattoos this time.”
Patton’s smile is immediate, his thumb brushing over the edge of my jaw. “Then that’s what we’ll do. A ring, a tattoo, hell, I’ll wear a neon sign for the rest of my life if it means telling the world I’m yours.”
And that’s when I finally launch myself at him, my arms circling his neck as I kiss him like if I don’t, the earth may spin off its axis.
When we finally break apart, breathless and laughing through the tears, he nods at the blanket. “Come. Let me feed and water you.”
THE END!