Page 27 of Yours, Now and Always
I thought he meant we’d rent it. I didn’t even know it was for sale. It wasn’t. But Gage didn’t care. Apparently, when a Black wants something,everythingis for sale.
Gage made some calls. Bribed someone, probably. Or threatened. I didn’t ask. Two weeks later, we had keys. And then he got to work.
We talked about what we wanted. What we’d change. What we’d keep. The bones were already beautiful, but we wanted it to feel likeours. He let me dream out loud and then turned around and built the whole damn thing as if I’d given him his marching orders.
We named itBlackbriar.
Black for him.
Briar for me.
Gage suggested Briar because he thinks I’m like a wild briar rose. The kind that blooms even in the hard times. Resilient. Fierce. Still standing when everything else dies.
He brushed his lips over mine and said Briar was also for our love.
Wild and beautiful.
Strong enough to survive the storms.
Soft enough to keep blooming anyway.
A love that never pretends to be perfect.
As the circle drive curves us toward the front steps of the house, I glance out at the hedges that are slightly overgrown in a way that’s definitely noticeable if you’re a billionaire with a team of landscapers and control issues.
Gage wanted them trimmed for the wedding. I told him they were vibing.
He told me they were uneven and possibly a tripping hazard.
I told him if anyone tripped on a hedge, that’s Darwinism.
He dropped it.
Amelia: 263.
Gage: 5.
I’m pretty sure he put it on a secret list of things to “fix” next week. Which means I’m already planning my counterattack. Possibly involving emotional manipulation and telling him I want the feral version of him. No leash.
Gage pulls up in front of the house and brings the car to a smooth stop and I feel the exact moment his attention shifts. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. Just sits there. And when I glance over, I catch that look in his eyes. Not the one he gives me when we’re alone and I’m seconds away from being ruined. The other one. The one that wrecks me without even trying.
The one that saysyou’re my peace and my purpose and I would burn down the world before I let anyone touch you.
His hand comes to my thigh. And when I drop my gaze to it, I don’t see a wedding ring on his finger. Even though it should be there. Even though I know itkillshim for it not to be there.
We haven’t told anyone we’re already married.
I pushed for this. Not because I wanted to keep it a secret. But because I didn’t want our girls to feel like they missed it. Luna and Sarah deserve to feel like they’re a part of all of it.
Our friends and family would have been fine. But our girls need to know that bringing our worlds together doesn’t mean they’re getting less of either of us. Keeping our marriage secret has been Gage’s gift to them.
I slide my hand over his, and when I look up, he’s already watching me. A slow smile tugs at my mouth, and for a second, I wish we had all the time in the world to mark this moment, just the two of us.
The start of our wedding weekend.
The beginning of forever, again.
But we don’t have that kind of time. And our daughters give us approximately two seconds before reminding us of that fact.
