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“That’s saying a lot, coming from the devil-turned-angel.”
I chuckle. “I’ve always been a bit of both and always will be.”
“But you do mean it?”
I sit up against the headboard. She settles into my embrace. On the bed, where we just had sex, there’s a spot of red. “Both our lives have had their fair share of blood, but this is a different kind. It marks a new chapter. I’d propose to you right here if I had a ring.”
Her hand tightens against my stomach. She stares up at me with those love-filled eyes. “Who said I need a ring?”
Suddenly, I’m out of bed, not caring I’m still naked. I don’t even care that I can still feel come clinging to my manhood. I don’t care about anything other than making this official. I kneel, and she sits up, naked and unashamed, too. She presses her hands on her legs.
“A better man would make an event of this,” I tell her, “and I will. You’ll get your chariots. You’ll get your fancy meals. You’ll get anything and everything you want, but this here, both of us naked, it’s primal. It’s real. I love you, Katy.”
“I love you,” she whispers, holding back a sob.
“I’m going to protect you forever. Protect our children. I’m going to fight for us every single day. Fight to be a better husband. A better father. A better man. Katy Jones…” I take her hand and massage my thumb over her ring finger. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she says, voice bursting with passion. “Yes, yes, yes, Sam.”
I leap to my feet, pulling her into my arms. Her naked body presses warmly against mine as I kiss her, holding her close. “We’re getting you a ring first thing tomorrow,” I tell her. “A diamond as full and curvy as you are.”
She kisses my chest and pushes her cheek against me. “I don’t need a ring.”
“You’re getting one,” I tell her. “A shiny one with a big rock. That way, everybody knows who you belong to.”
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
Katy
“Are you trying to blind me?” Mom jokes, putting her hand over her face as I raise my hand to the light. My large diamond catches it, reflecting it over at her, and I laugh, shaking my head. “He really wanted to make his mark.”
She’s got an indulgent smile on her face. Despite Mom being only a couple of years older than Sam, she already speaks of him as her son-in-law. She sips her juice, her cheeks flush, healthy and happy. She reaches into her lap, stroking Ticker, her Chihuahua.
“Has he responded to your text yet?” Mom asks.
My hand comes to rest on my belly. We’re on the small balcony area, the sun glowing. Eli sits in the corner, playing chess with his one-on-one nurse. Sadly, he’ll never fully understand what his son did. I’ve never been able to tell if he can remember the day outside the pawnshop.
Paul is going to prison for a long, long time. Perhaps Eli made some mistakes as a father, but none justified the road Paul went down. Eli is happy in his own way, playing chess and talking in beautiful riddles.
“The air’s on your side, my dear fellow.”
His nurse chuckles.
“Did I say something funny?”
I smile, feeling like I can already sense the baby inside me. With my other hand, I check my phone.
Sam is on a job, helping Liam with some other bad people. I winced when he told me some details. I don’t want to disturb him, but I can’t keep this to myself either.
Pregnant.
I wonder if it was that first time I moaned for him to get me pregnant. I wonder if our bodies somehow knew we had to do that.
The message status changes to seen.
Pregnant?! We’re going to have a baby?!
My smile widens as I imagine my man grinning from ear to ear. Since we got engaged, those smiles have come easier, giving me a preview of what our sons will look like when grinning if we have any boys, of course. I’ll be happy no matter what.
We’re pregnant, Sam. This is just the beginning.
It was our first time, he replies.
I was thinking that.
I wish I could call you, he types, but we’re about to roll out.
I swallow. Be careful.
This is the last job, he replies. We’re going to start that charity. We’re going to get a house outside the city. It’s time to put our family first. We’ll help the world with our dogs.
Are you sure, Sam?
You come first. My soul glows as I read his message. You and our children, always.
EPILOGUE
TEN MONTHS LATER
Jackal
Jackal stalks through the forest, keenly aware of the smells and the scents beneath the ground and how the river attempts to disperse them. His human walks by his side, a sturdy, well-built man. Love swells when Jackal watches his face, the shape of his lips. Happiness, that’s what it means.
