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Cooper laughed, but he finally did help his brother. The second Ace was in bed beside Dakota, holding her curled up in his arms, everything was right in the world. Cooper walked from the room, and Ace realized he was no longer in a hurry to get anywhere—he was exactly where he belonged.
EPILOGUE
Looking into the mirror, Dakota couldn’t quit grinning, though her cheeks now hurt from doing it all day long. Today was the day. Today she had married the man she couldn’t live without. He was not only her hero and protector; he had saved her as much as she had saved him.
He’d wanted to marry her that day at the hospital, but not only had she insisted on having her fairy-tale wedding, but her mother would have beaten Ace alive if he’d deprived her of an extravagant wedding celebration. Dakota was her only daughter, and Juliana had dreamed of this day for her daughter’s entire life.
And so far, it was more perfect than Dakota could have ever imagined. Her brothers had put Ace through hell for risking her life, but with time, they’d seen how much Ace loved her and how much she loved him, so they’d loosened up—a little.
The wedding had been planned in three months. Ace had been a mess the entire time. She didn’t know why. They hadn’t spent a single night apart until last night, when his brothers and her new sisters-in-law had insisted on giving them parties. They’d both been assured it was bad luck for the bride and groom to be together the night before the wedding. Both she and Ace had pouted mightily at that, but they’d had good times in spite of it. Still, when she’d met him at the end of the aisle, she felt as if she hadn’t seen him in years instead of a measly eighteen hours.
The wedding had been a blur. She’d been lost in Ace’s eyes the entire time, except when she’d shed some tears when her father had walked her down the aisle, his eyes growing misty. She’d never once in her life seen her larger-than-life father shed a tear. She knew how much he loved her, but it filled her with so much joy to see him so happy for her, and yet so sad to be letting her go. She’d held him extra tight before he’d released her to Ace. Before stepping away from the couple, Lucian had warned Ace never to hurt Dakota. Ace had promised he never would.
They’d cut their cake and laughed as the speeches were made. She’d never wanted it to end. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She did have her wedding night to look forward to. She’d insisted on waiting a day to leave for their honeymoon. That was, until Ace had assured her they were traveling in a private jet—with a bedroom.
Now Dakota was changed into her traveling outfit, and she’d been away from Ace for too long. She rose from the bench in the bathroom and walked back out, spotting him right away where he spoke with his brother Mav.
She was more than grateful the two of them had cleared the air. Mav had been suspicious of Ace for a while after his return, and only Dakota knew how much that had broken Ace’s heart, though he felt he deserved it. But things were back to normal with them.
And though Ace had insisted on still training her in her flying lessons, she was absolutely his only student. He’d opened his own detective agency, and he was already swamped with work. He said she could be the pilot of the family now, though he did still have to go up and let off some steam in his private plane at least twice a week when the weather permitted. Washington had too many rainy days, he often complained. She’d offered to move anywhere he wanted, but he’d said he had been away from home for too long. She was more than grateful to stay where she had her family and her best friend nearby, and where Ace had his brothers. They would never be alone.
Ace spotted her and broke away from his brother midsentence, which made Mav laugh, his merriment carrying over to Dakota through the crowds of people there to celebrate their day.
“I missed you,” he told her as he pulled her tight and led her to the dance floor. One look at the band was all it took for them to begin a slow song.
Dakota rested comfortably in her husband’s arms. He swayed with her, and her heart was so full, she felt as if it would explode. That’s when she noticed that Sherman and Joseph had made themselves very comfortable with her father over at a corner table, their heads bent together.
Dakota laughed with joy, and Ace pulled back to look at her, a questioning gleam in his eyes.
“What is going through that brilliant mind of yours?” he asked her.
“Look over in the corner,” she said, turning his head. It took him a minute to focus on her father and his uncle and Joseph.
“What?” he asked without a clue.
“Oh, I think my brothers are in for some trouble,” she said with another merry laugh.
Ace’s eyes widened before he sought out her brothers. There was sympa
thy in his expression.
“Are you thinking married life isn’t for everyone?” she asked with another laugh.
“Not at all. I don’t know why I was so afraid of it,” he said. “But I’ve heard rumors about my uncle Sherman and his best friend, Joseph Anderson. I have to say, I’m feeling a bit of pity for your brothers.”
“They are stubborn fools, and it’s about time they get knocked down a few pegs,” she countered.
“Are you planning on helping?” Ace asked her.
“Most definitely,” she said with glee.
Then Ace kissed her like she’d been waiting for him to do the entire night. All thoughts of her unfortunate brothers evaporated as she melted into the arms of the man she refused to live another day without.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is always the hardest part for me to write, because there are hundreds of people who help me, influence me, and make it possible for me to succeed. I can’t do this alone, and I never would want to. Being an author is a privilege that I will never take for granted. There are still days I don’t want to blink for fear that it will all have been nothing more than a dream. Then I wake up, come to my computer, and realize it’s real, that I’m living this dream of a life.
First off, thank you so much to my fans. Thank you for believing in me and my stories, for sharing my love of writing, for sharing your experiences with me, and for always being there. I love to talk with you, meet you, and share our lives together. I am nothing without you, and that is something I will never forget.
