Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
“Iris.” He says my name, full voice, with a gravity that nearly knocks the air out of my chest. “Meeting you showed me how great life could be.”
His hands are steady now, no more shaking. Just the kind of strength that anchors you when the whole world’s spinning.
He keeps going. “I used to think I was meant to be alone. That I was too old, too set in my ways.” He cuts himself off, jaw flexing. “But you changed that. You changed me. There’s nothing in this world that scares me more than the thought of living without you.”
I’m a mess of hiccup-y sobs and laughs with my face all blotchy, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because he’s here, he’s saying these things, and all I can do is nod like an idiot.
He takes my left hand and holds it between both of his. “I want to build a life with you and our baby. Will you marry me?” he asks.
My throat squeezes so tight I can barely squeak out, “Yes,” I manage. “God, yes.”
He laughs, relief shaking through his whole body, and then he slides the ring onto my finger. My hands are shaking so badly, it’s a miracle the thing doesn’t go flying across the room. Once it’s on though, he stands and pulls me against his warm, muscular body.
“I love you,” I tell him, and this time, I don’t have to fight for the words. “I love you so much.”
"I love you, too, Sunshine." Hunter's voice rumbles through his chest against mine as he takes my hand—his calloused thumb brushing over the new diamond—and presses my palm flat against my still-flat stomach. His fingers cover mine completely, protective and possessive all at once, and the heat of his touch seeps through my thin cotton shirt.
Things are moving at lightning speed, but watching his eyes crinkle at the corners as he looks down at where our hands rest together, I couldn't possibly be happier.
EPILOGUE: HUNTER
TWO MONTHS LATER
Our living room is a war zone. We’ve been moving all of Iris’s things from her old apartment into our apartment all weekend long. Her plants are now lining my balcony and her clothes are hanging next to mine in the closet. And I couldn’t be any goddamn happier.
She glances over at me and raises an eyebrow. “You don’t care if I put my books on your bookshelf?”
I shrug. “Everything I have is yours,” I tell her for the millionth time. “Put your stuff wherever you want.”
She just blinks, then blinks again. Her smile goes a little crooked, and her cheeks flush. “You’re sweet when you’re not being a stubborn mule.”
“Don’t let that get around,” I warn her, voice rougher than I mean. “I have a reputation to maintain.”
“Grumpy McGrumperson?” she teases, tracing circles on the back of my hand. “I don’t buy it. I’ve seen your soft side.”
I lean in, nudge her nose with mine. “Only for you.”
She leans into the kiss, gentle and slow. The kind that’s not about fireworks, but about letting the rest of the world slip away. I hold her there, thumb brushing her cheek, as my lips move over hers.
When we break apart, Buster whines, and Iris bursts into giggles. “Someone’s jealous.”
I ruffle the dog’s ears. “He’s a mama’s boy. It can’t be helped.”
She gathers Buster in her arms, holding him like a baby, and scratches under his chin. Buster immediately melts, limbs flopping everywhere, tongue lolling like he’s in some kind of ecstasy trance. Iris holds him close and coos, “You’re such a good baby,” in the kind of voice that makes something hot and tight churn in my chest.
I want to say something clever. Instead, all I can do is stare at her, completely wrecked by how fucking beautiful she looks with her hair coming loose around her cheeks, cheeks flushed, cradling our dog like he’s the most precious thing on earth.
God, she’s perfect. She doesn’t even try, and she’s got me undone.
She glances up, catches me staring, and her mouth curves. “What?”
I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out rough. “Just thinking you look good like that.”
She grins, wicked and soft at the same time. “Covered in dog hair and sweat?”
“Yeah.”
She laughs, and I fucking love that sound. The apartment’s a mess, boxes everywhere, but when she laughs like that, the whole damn room lights up. Iris sets Buster on the sofa and turns to me. “What do you want to work on next?”
She glances around the room, biting her bottom lip, and my cock stirs hard enough to make me see stars. Every cell in my body is screaming to forget about unpacking and get her naked, get her under me, make her moan my name until her voice cracks. That’s all I want. That’s all I ever fucking want.