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Realizing he’s ignoring my question, I rub my hands against my face. “Caden, please tell me you didn’t break out of prison,” I exhale.
“Of course not,” he snorts. “It was all thanks to you.”
“To me?” I say, rearing my head back.
“My sister got me a new attorney with the money you sent. Just like you said.”
“She did? She never said anything.”
“I told her not to. I didn’t want to give you false hope. Our new attorney asked to reopen the case based on the fact that they hadn’t looked at all the evidence. She got the judge to open the investigation again, and they found that the marks around Sawyer’s neck didn’t match my hands. Not only that, but it was most likely women’s hands. My attorney appealed my sentence, and a month later, here I am. Free. All charges dropped. All thanks to you, little bee.”
I gulp, swallowing anxiety and sadness. “It should have been me in there in the first place. Even if you had been freed and decided not to come back to me, it was the least I could do.”
“You’re the first person I came back to. I got out yesterday afternoon.”
“You got out yesterday?” I choke.
“Yeah.” He nods, finally turning his head to me. “I called Xi for your address. Took Kay’s car, and I drove here.”
My mouth falls open. “You’re crazy.”
“For you? Always.”
My cheeks burn as I understand my heart never got over Caden King.
“So what now?” I ask, a shyness coming over me as I look down at my hands, picking my nails.
“Now I try to start all over again. I will probably have to get a job or something. Save some money so I can finish college.”
“I meant…us.”
“Us?” he chuckles. “There is no thinking needed when it comes to us. I am never letting you go. Ever. Again.” His eyes are hard when he grabs my hands and stops me from avoiding his gaze. “You’re mine. How could you ever think I’d choose any path in life other than the one that leads right to you?”
Happy tears spring to my eyes. I suddenly feel silly for thinking otherwise. “You need to move here,” I say. “I’m away often, and the little time I have, I spend it in this apartment. I want you here with me.”
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll be here. I’ll be the best stay-at-home boyfriend the universe has ever had. Anything else?”
“I want you to finish college and become a math teacher like you always dreamed.”
“Done. What else?”
“Marry me one day. When you’re ready.”
His brows shoot up. “Marry you?”
I nod, biting my lower lip. “You know I want that stupid, typical dream of a husband, a nice house, and kids. You’re mine. I want you to myself, forever.”
He licks his lips, a smug smile spreading on his face. Grabbing the water bottle again, he gets down on one knee in front of me.
“I don’t have anything to my name right now, but I promise I will get you the beautiful ring when I’m back on my feet. Fuck, I’ll get you the entire world.” He undoes the cap and removes the sealing ring attached to the plastic bottle. “Billie Scott, will you marry me and become Billie King?”
“Caden,” I burst into a blissful laugh as he presents the small plastic ring to me. It’s way too big for my finger, of course, but I don’t care. “Yes…give me the fucking world already.”
He puts the oversized plastic piece over my ring finger, and we kiss passionately before exploding into laughter again.
We talk all night. About everything like we used to. His time in prison, where he said he’s feeling lucky to have come out without being sexually assaulted. My time as a fighter. He says he followed all my fights one way or another. Either smuggling phones in or anything else he needed in there to know what I was up to.
We talk about our future. It takes me hours to convince him to accept the money I put aside for him. I ended up having to tell him I’d give it to Xi if he wasn’t going to take it for him to finally say yes.
We’re cuddled together, watching the sun rise on the city, when he whispers to me, “The sun is shining again.”
I smile at him knowing exactly what he means. I take in his gorgeous face. It’s always been too beautiful for such a wicked man. He’smywicked man, though. And I’m starting to realize we’re truly reunited. For good.
I play with the big plastic ring around my finger, knowing I won’t be able to keep it there but loving that I know I will be the wife of the man I love.
“The sun is shining again,” I confirm in a murmur. “Despite everything.”
The end.
