Page 125 of The Truth of Our Secrets

“Unhinged psychopath,” Madyson spits.

“I called, you didn’t answer, and my mind went to a dark place.”

“Daddy.” Madyson cups my face. “It’s my fault. We wanted to celebrate that Peter’s in jail. We wanted to surprise you.”

I nod. According to my lawyer, they’ve been investigating him for over a month and have enough evidence to bring him to trial. It’s a relief, but I won’t truly relax until he’s convicted.

I clear my throat. “There’s something else. I’ve been thinking—”

“Oh no, brace yourself, Firecracker,” Emmet teases.

“We can’t legally marry each other, so I think the two of you should get married.” They’re younger than me and it makes sense.

“Nope. No way.” Emmet jerks his head back. That was not the reaction I was expecting.

“Why not?” Madyson’s either hurt or offended and I don’t blame her.

“I’ve got a ton of debt, Jayce’s health insurance is better, and I’m a bad risk. My mom is barely hanging on and I still need to get my sister to graduate,” he says as if any of that would prevent Madyson from marrying him.

“Well, my boyfriend is married to a man who tried to steal all our money, my best friend barely talks to me, and my parents think I’m the devil. And my other boyfriend is a dumbass, so I guess I’m a bad risk too.” She raises an eyebrow at him with a death glare.

“We don’t need to decide today.” I’m not used to being the peacemaker.

“We can do a commitment ceremony with our friends. It doesn’t have to be legal, but we can get rings or tattoos or something.” Emmet’s voice is hopeful.

“I will pledge my life to the two of you.” They are more than I deserve.

“Now let’s celebrate.” Madyson reaches down and tosses a streamer in the air.

Epilogue

Madyson

Ayear later

“What, no blindfolds? What kind of kidnapping slash reveal is this if we just walk in with our eyes open?” Emmet chides with one hand in my back pocket as he slaps Jayce’s ass. “Don’t you watch HGTV?”

I giggle, my skin prickling with excitement. It’s the big day. We’re doing the final walk through on our new loft.

Jayce abandons the keypad and rips his tie off. “Angel, I’ll blindfold you any time you want. Here,” he stretches the material out in front of Emmet, “cover your eyes.”

“Kinky, I like it.” Emmet swipes his tie and binds it around his wrist. “But I’d rather you tie me down and have your way with me.”

“I’m in.” I bounce on my toes and kiss them. “Now open the damn door.”

He swings the door wide, and it’s magnificent. A mix of modern industrial and cozy. It turned out better than I dreamed.

I run my fingers along the quartz countertop. It’s gray with veins of white and darker gray, and I spent hours picking out the finest slab. The island and bottom cabinets match the dark gray veins and the upper cabinets are white.

Emmet swings the white island chairs as he walks by and flops down on the royal blue sectional couch. Half the couch faces the windows and the other half the built-in bookshelf that hides our TV.

Jayce opens all the cabinets and drawers to test them and turns on the water in both sinks. He’s the practical one. I snuck in and made the final touches two days ago, but I’m still giddy about it.

“Firecracker, you did an incredible job picking out the artwork and colors. I can’t believe I get to live here.” Emmet shakes his head, incredulous.

“Well, I happen to know some talented artists and all I had to do was get down on my knees and ask pretty please.” I fold myself on the couch and into his open arms.

“How’s a guy supposed to say no to your begging when you look so good stuffed full of my cock?” He smirks and kisses my temple.

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