Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Someday Sterling, he thought. But there was time and wasn’t that the beauty of this new day? With that in mind, he pressed his lips to hers and she melted into him, as the kiss went on.
Eventually, he laid her on the bed, undressed her, and made love to the woman he intended to keep in his home and his heart. Forever, he thought, that one word settling in his soul.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Raven joined Remy’s family as they gathered at his father’s home in Brookville. In the warmth of the summer, they were able to barbeque outside by the pool. Lizzie, as usual, was serving and cleaning, two acts that seemed to make her happy despite her unspoken status as Alex’s girlfriend. No one used that word because it seemed awkward, and as Remy told her, anything else reminded him that his father had a love life… not something he ever wanted to think about.
A loud shriek broke into her thoughts and she looked toward the pool, where her nephew had jumped into the shallow end of the pool, floaties on his arms, his dad beside him. Ever since she and Remy came out as an official couple, Alex declared her as one of them, and they’d been including her brother and Owen in their impromptu gatherings. Caleb kept one eye on his son as he talked to Dex, who stood beside him in the shallow end of the pool.
Caleb was such an amazing dad and he deserved a good woman. Stevie had expressed interest but it was up to him to choose for himself. As much as Raven adored her friend, and though she’d caught her brother eyeing Stevie a few times, Raven wasn’t going to matchmake, though she’d love to see them as a couple.
As for the rest of the family, Raven had been part of them for long enough now that she was able to read the dynamic between them. Thanks to Lizzie’s care and dictatorial concern, Alex had recovered from his heart attack. During the one month recuperation time, she’d managed to keep him away from the office, per doctors’ orders, allowing him to do some work from home and build his strength back up slowly. The problem was once Alex had been given the okay to return full time, he went back to his normal pace. Nothing anyone said could get through to him and the family was worried about their father.
Jared worked alongside Alex and Aiden had helped during Alex’s leave but once he went back to the office, Aiden took off to cover a story in the Middle East. Which meant they had someone else to be concerned about, as the region was currently unstable.
Once Aiden left, Raven noticed Brooklyn had taken his absence the hardest, something she found interesting. She wondered if there was a love story for them somewhere down the road. Or how Fallon would feel about her brother and best friend’s relationship, something she didn’t think Fallon was aware of.
Remy’s sister was a puzzle Raven had yet to solve. A fun, loving woman with artistic talent and business sense but she kept her love life and past relationships to herself. Though she and Raven were close, she never pushed for more than Fallon was willing to tell.
Then there was Dex, former quarterback, soon to sign a broadcasting contract. He’d been courted by multiple networks and was close to nailing down a deal. She wondered if he’d ever settle down. Though he clearly loved women, she’d yet to see him with any female more than once or twice. Remy told her he had the feeling his brother was holding back a story about one special woman. Considering how close those two were, Raven admitted to being curious.
These people were her family. More than her adoptive one ever had been, with the obvious exception of Caleb, of course. Her past pain had brought her to this amazing point and she was forever grateful.
A pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist and Remy rested his chin on her shoulder. He wore a pair of swim trunks and his warm chest pressed against her back. “What are you doing here all alone?” he asked.
She smiled, though he couldn’t see. “Just watching, thinking, and feeling thankful.”
He turned her to face him. “Thankful for what?”
“You, your family, and everything I have.”
Those golden eyes warmed her heart. “They’re your family now, too.”
“I know.” Hadn’t she been thinking the same thing?
“How about we make it official?” Remy asked.
She wrinkled her nose in confusion, only to see him slip a hand into the pocket of his swim trunks and pull out a velvet box.
Her lips parted as shock settled inside her. “What’s that?” she asked, though she knew.
He lowered himself to one knee and snapped open the box. “We’ve been through rough times and now six months of the best times. I would have asked you before but I wanted you to have time to live your life on your terms.”