Ellie laughs, shaking her head as she inspects the ink. “You sure about that? What if he turns out to be a terrible husband?”
Ray snorts, eyes flicking to me briefly. “Then you call me and I’ll straighten him out. I may be an old man, but I ain’t that old.”
He aims a wink my way as I squeeze Ellie’s knee, my thumb brushing the inside of her thigh. “Not happening. It’s lasting. Forever.”
Her gaze lifts to mine, her eyes soft, smile sure—like she already knew what I was going to say. Because she did. Because for all the ways we’ve gotten things wrong in the past, this—us—is the one thing we’re finally getting right.
Instead of the grand, over-the-top wedding everyoneprobably expected—the kind Ellie has famously spent her career planning—with a fancy cake, opulent floral arrangements, and hundreds of guests—we walked into the courthouse, signed a few papers, and walked out as husband and wife.
I would’ve given heranything she wanted. A ballroom, a beach, a destination wedding on a mountainside. But what she wanted was this. Quiet. Just us. No fuss, no audience, no pressure to put on a show.
She told me that after years of planning other people’s happily ever afters, she realized the performance of it all wasn’t for her. That a big wedding would’ve been for everyone else—not for us. And after all this time, after everything we’d been through, we weren’t interested in waiting any longer.
So we didn’t.
But before the honeymoon can begin, I wanted to make our union a little more permanent than paperwork and jewelry. And luckily, Ray was more than happy to come out of retirement for one more job. For the right price, of course.
Ellie admires her hand, staring at the simple black band now permanently on her finger.
“Well, does the husband approve?” Ray asks me.
Tipping my face down to Ellie, I cradle her jaw in my hands. “Fuck yeah I approve.” I crash my lips to hers, branding her with a kiss.
Ray groans. “Jesus, I’m gonna hurl. Get out of here, lovebirds.”
My beautiful wife laughs against my mouth and turns to give Ray an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Ray.”
In her distraction I move to scoop her up, carrying her bridal-style. She squeals as I do. “You’re supposed to carry me over the threshold, not just randomly,” she argues, even though I know she loves it.
Despite my shoulder still healing, I barely feel it, too excited, too happy to give a damn.
Ray kindly holds the door open for us, giving us a good-natured eye roll as we pass. I jog with her in my arms, loving the feel of her smooth legs in my hands.
We may have kept the wedding low-key, but Ellie looks absolutely stunning. Her short white dress hugs her waist before flaring at the hips, the thick straps slipping off her shoulders just enough to draw attention to her delicate neck and cleavage. It shows off her long, lean legs, and the second she walked downstairs, all I wanted to do was throw her over my shoulder and strip her out of it.
It was a long road getting here, but we finally got it right, because she’s mine forever now, and I’m never taking that for granted.
When we reach my patrol SUV, I set her down, holding the back door open to see if she notices.
She does.
“No way. I’m never getting in the back of that thing again.”
I laugh, remembering how angry she was when I arrested her. “Not even for old times’ sake?”
Stepping close, her chest brushes against mine. “The only way I’ll crawl back there, is if you join me.” She grabs the collar of my button-down, drawing me down, our lips nearly touching. “Preferably in uniform.”
“That can be arranged, querida mía.” I dissolve the distance between us, planting a hot kiss on her gorgeous mouth.
Ellie smiles, glancing down at her ring finger again. I put my own hand out next to hers, the skin around the fresh ink still red from the needle. Out of everything, for whatever reason, this makes it feel the most official. Permanent.
“So, husband, what now?”
I pull her in, pressing my lips to her ear. “Now, Mrs. Alvarez, I take you back to our house and show you exactly how good of a husband I can be.”
She grins, circling her arms around my neck. “Hmm. I don’t know. You might have to work pretty hard to convince me.”
I smirk, lifting her off her feet. “I promise I’ll be a good boy.”
