AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He raises his hand, trembling, his smile twitching. “If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop. First, I must tell you that you’re the most beautiful, kindest, strongest woman I’ve ever met—the best person I’ve ever met. After what happened at the gas station, you recovered. You focused on your brother. Onus.”
My thoughts flash back to the sudden violence. “You’re strong, Kai. After what they forced you to do…”
I don’t know all the details of the days following the standoff, only that the other men look at Kai like he’s some kind of god. There’s an aura around him, dark and broody, that tells the entire world he’s not a man to be messed with.
“It’s behind us now,” he says, reaching into his pocket again. “I only care about the future.”
He lowers himself to one knee, making me scream, with nobody around to hear. I cover my mouth with my hands, leaping up and down.
“Kayla Lewis…” He opens the ring box, showing a large, glittering rock and a sparkling white gold band. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I yell. “Oh my God, yes, a million times…yes, yes, yes.”
He laughs, smiling, looking almost boyish as he takes the ring from the box and guides it toward my finger.
All around us, the landscape glistens, bright golden. Yet it’s pale compared to the love shining inside me, whelming until nothing else exists. There’s only this moment, the cold metal of the ring against my finger, his lips as we kiss, embracing like…
We never want to let go,
Alone together always.
Because we are one, just us,
Existing as the world stands still.
I’m crying as we kiss, holding him tighter, knowing I’ll relive this moment a thousand times.
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
Kai
“Is that all you got?” Ryan says, laughing as I jab the heavy bag.
He’s standing behind it, steadying it. He’s far healthier than he was just one month ago. The world seems different from before the road trip, brighter somehow, though summer’s nearing its end. There’s this light inside me, making laughter come easier.
The memories of the forest, all that hell, the bloodshed, and the violence. It all fades away as I chuckle and toss Ryan a wink. It’s sheer joy just being here with my best friend as my fiancée checks on the lasagna inside the house. It feels so perfect, especially with the sun setting.
“Take it easy,” I tell Ryan.
He grins, walking around the bag and leaning against my garden fence. It’s freshly painted, and I’ve arranged some flowerpots around the edge. Since my woman moved in, I’ve got much more motivation to make the place look good.
“I feel fine,” he says. “Healthier than a horse.”
“That’s because you’re not human,” I tease. “That shot would’ve killed most men.”
“No, Kai,” he says, shaking his head.
“It would have. Trust me.”
“No, you’re right, but I didn’t survive because I’m tough. That’s not how injuries work, and you know it. I was lucky. I’m here. I get to witness this.”
“You sound drunk.”
Ryan grins, taking his beer from the ground and waving a casual toast before sipping. “Maybe a little,” he chuckles, “but I mean it. Every time I come here, I’m so happy you found each other.”
“It’s so surreal hearing you say that,” I reply, shaking my head like I always do.
