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The people in the room were all out of focus blobs and I assumed it must be the tactical team that Mick had mentioned earlier. Stephanie and I rose to our feet and then one of those blobs was in front of me. Warm, familiar hands gripped my face.
“Lily, sweetheart, are you hurt?” Grayson’s voice sounded broken and his hands searched my body for injuries much like I’d just done to Stephanie.
“I’m okay, Grayson. Just a few aches and pains.” I stopped his searching hands and wound my arms around him. “Thank you for coming,” I whispered into his chest, breathing in his comforting scent.
He huffed a laugh, “I’d go to the ends of the Earth for you, sweetheart. I wouldn’t have ever given up until I found you. You’re as vital to me now as any organ, Lily, I couldn’t live without you.”
I hugged him tighter. “Daisy?”
“She’s safe, thanks to that little stunt you pulled. Which we will be talking about later.” His voice was stern but he held me closer, gently stroking my hair.
“Ashwood?” I whispered, worried that he’d escaped.
“Greggs got to him before I could, he’s alive and in custody. Unfortunately.” He said the last part under his breath and the last bit of fear faded knowing that my tormentor wouldn’t find me ever again. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you the hell out of here.”
He released me and I searched for Stephanie, terrified when I didn’t see her. “Kane’s got her,” Grayson assured me.
He held me close as we ascended the stairs and I blinked against the bright lights once we stepped out of the house onto the back porch. Vehicles were parked all over the back yard, bright headlights flooding the scene.
Two ambulances were parked next to each other and I was horrified to see Sam sitting in the back of one as Roe jumped in next to her and slammed the doors. A siren shrieked as they drove away.
“She’s okay, it was a through and through on her non-dominant arm. Sam’s tougher than all of us combined. We’re going to meet them at the hospital, I know you said you weren’t hurt but I want you checked over anyway,” he gave my sore ankle a pointed look. I didn’t bother arguing with him, I had a feeling Grayson wasn’t going to be letting me out of his sight for a good while and I was just fine with that.
Kane was helping Stephanie sit on a stretcher in the back of the other ambulance. Mick came up to them and was speaking to Stephanie softly, nodding her head to whatever he told her. I stopped Grayson by pulling on his hand. “She doesn’t have anyone.”
He searched my face and then looked at the ambulance before meeting my gaze again. “We’ll take care of her, Lily.” He meant it, just like he’d taken such care with me.
He escorted me over to his truck and rummaged around inside before appearing again with a familiar black case.
“You brought my spare glasses?”
“I always keep them in my truck in case something happens when we aren’t at home.”
He slid them on for me and the face of the man I loved came into focus. He was wearing that smile that I adored and his hair was more disheveled than I’d ever seen before. Grayson looked exhausted but happy. I wanted to be the one who made him that happy for the rest of our lives.
“Marry me,” I blurted. Shock transformed his face and then he grinned even bigger than before.
“Did you just ask me to marry you, sweetheart?”
“I think I just did,” I beamed back at him, even as my cheeks grew warm.
“No fancy speeches? No getting down on one knee?” he teased me.
“If you don’t want to get married…” I teased back.
“Hey now, I didn’t say that!” He pulled me into his arms again and I threaded my hands into his hair. Grayson’s head lowered and his lips hovered over mine. “Hell yes, I’ll marry you.”
Then he kissed me.
EPILOGUE
LILY
“Mommy! Have you seen my ballet shoes?” my daughter shouted from upstairs.
I left the pile of mail I was sorting through and walked over to our mud room. Bending down with great effort, I started pushing aside about eighteen pairs of little girls shoes that were every color of the rainbow and pulled out the missing ballet slippers.
“They’re downstairs, honey!” I shouted back. I placed one hand on my back and the other on my enormous stomach before I stood again.
