Page 90 of Edge of Desperation

I grip the tarp and yank it off, revealing a pristine 1967 Chevy Impala. Aurora gasps and covers her mouth. I drop to one knee and open up the tiny blue box holding a two-carat princess-cut diamond surrounded with emeralds that match her eyes.

“Aurora, you’re so fucking strong. I’m in awe of you every day. I want to wake up to your beautiful smiling face every morning and fall asleep to your smart, sexy ass every night. I love you more than anything in this world and would do anything for you. Will you marry me?”

Tears flow down her cheeks as I wait for her response. I swallow and hold my breath.

“Put him out of his misery,” Bennett hollers.

“I think he’s gonna pass out,” Hudson adds.

“Shut up, assholes,” Aurora sasses and drops to her knees in front of me. “A million times, yes.”

I wrap her in my arms and drag her into my lap. I slip the ring on her finger where it will stay for the rest of our lives.

“I fucking love you.” I crash my mouth to hers.

After a few passionate moments, we stand and brush ourselves off while everyone takes a moment to congratulate us.

Carver holds out his hand. “Congratulations, fucker. You hurt her, and I’ll kill you.”

“Ditto,” Hudson and Bennett say together.

“You realize that she could probably kill me before any of you get to me, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” Carver whistles. “Good luck, man. Sleep with one eye open.”

Aurora elbows him in the gut, and he doubles over. “Youbetter sleep with one eye open.”

He gives her puppy eyes. “But I’m your favorite brother.”

“You’re my most annoying brother.”

“I resent that!”

I drape my arm over her shoulder. “Ready to go home?”

“Keys, please,” she says excitedly.

I hand her the keys, and she rushes to the driver’s side. As she slides in behind the wheel, she yells, “Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Bennett asks, confused.

I shrug. “I don’t know, but I’m gonna have fun finding out.”

I climb in the passenger seat and hold on for dear life as Aurora cranks the engine and peels out.

There will never be a dull moment with her.

EPILOGUE

Aurora

“You look beautiful.”Willow dabs her eyes.

The last six months have been eventful, to say the least. First, we had to deal with Vera’sdisappearance.Bennett made it appear as if Vera was unfaithful during her marriage to my father, and he doctored divorce papers and has Vera living with her lover in another country.

Next, we had to deal with Lace. Her situation was more complicated than any of us could even imagine, but it’s not my story to tell. I’ve forgiven her for the part she played in my abduction, and so has my father. I understand better than anyone the pain and suffering that she went through. The guys aren’t as forgiving as I am, though. They put up with her presence and are semi-friendly to her, but they don’t go out of their way to make her feel welcome. Thomas watches her closely as if it’s his personal mission to make sure she’s no longer a threat.

Today, I marry the man who brought me back from the edge of despair. Jaxson gave me the tools I needed to find thestrength to fight back. He never let me give up and was there, encouraging me every step of the way.

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