Epilogue
EVIE
One year later
The sun had just set when Ash pulled me outside onto the back porch, his arm slung around my shoulders. The world felt still and silent.
Peaceful.
I leaned into him, breathing in the scent that undeniably made up Ash. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. We’d moved farther out of the city and bought a little three-bedroom house in the country, but we were close enough to the bar that we could commute daily for work.
“You happy, baby?”
I exhaled, the answer slipping from my lips so easily and without hesitation. “More than I ever thought I could be.”
He shifted, pulling away from me so that I could see him grabbing something from his pocket. “That’s really good, baby. Because I need you to be sure about something.”
My breath hitched. In his rough, calloused fingers was a small velvet box. My heart slammed against my ribs, and I placed a hand over it, my throat tightening. “Ash…?”
“I’m not good with words,” he admitted and glanced down, his voice low, gruff, sounding slightly nervous for the first time ever. “I’m not perfect by any means. But there’s not a single thing in this world I want more thanyou.” He opened the box. Housed inside was the most beautiful piece of jewelry I’d ever seen. It was a simple but elegant ring, with a round diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds.
“Oh God, Ash,” I whispered and covered my mouth, not sure what to say.
“I’ll never ask you to be anyone but who you are.” He stared into my eyes and sank down to one knee. “I just want you to be mine. Forever.”
Tears blurred my vision. I’d been so afraid of being trapped. Afraid of what I thought was love—what I thought I deserved.
This was freedom.
With Ash, I had choices for which way I wanted to go in my life’s decisions.
With Ash, I had control.
With this man, I hadeverything.
I swallowed hard, then nodded, a tear slipping down my cheek. “Absolutely yes,” I whispered.
His lips broke into a huge,genuinesmile that not only reached his eyes but filled them. And when he slipped the ring onto my finger, I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face.
“This is the start of therestof our lives, baby.”
Yes. Yes, it was.