Brock brushes his hand over the back of my neck while he kisses me, sealing our love as his lips move in unison with mine. I grab his waist and pull him close to me, refusing to let him go. Now he legally belongs to me, and no one can ever come between us again. It’s absolutely perfect.
“Um . . .” The guy in the suit lets out an awkward cough. “Shall we wrap this up?”
We pull apart and laugh together. I can see desire running through him, swimming between us both, pulling us back toward home where we can finally get our hands on one another. I bite down on my bottom lip and flutter my eyelashes at him, hopefully giving him the message that I can’t wait to take his clothes off.
“We have come here today to celebrate the union of Brock Stanton and Jodi Night, who have come together of their own free will to solidify their love in our presence. The promise made today will stand the test of time as they continue to show their love for one another in their own way every single day. Therefore, by the power vested in me by the laws of the state of Nevada, I take great pride and pleasure in declaring you husband and wife. Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Stanton.”
“You are taking my last name, right? Sorry, we didn’t have time to talk about it.”
“Of course I am. I want us all to have the same surname. That way, we’ll be a proper family.”
Brock kisses me again. “That sounds absolutely perfect to me. Now let’s go out and celebrate.”
I turn to see my best friend sobbing with happy tears for me, and mine burst free once more. She races over to me and hugs me tight. “Oh, Jodi, I’m so happy for you.”
“Are you coming out to celebrate with us? I think Brock should buy us all dinner.”
“Ooh, spending the hubby’s money already. I love it. Let’s do it.”
As we leave the chapel, I finally feel like my life is about to begin, and I just can’t wait.
Epilogue – Brock
What the—? I freeze where I am in the street as I see a sight that shocks me. Is this for real?
He seems to sense my eyes upon him, and he turns to face me. There’s a moment of dullness where his expression remains blank, but then recognition crosses his face, and he walks toward me. I brace myself.
“You’re him, aren’t you?” He furrows his eyebrows at me. “You’re the guy.”
“And you are Lucas, the man who threatened my wife and told her he would blow up my casino.”
“Oh.” He shuffles his feet uncomfortably along the ground. “She told you about that, huh?”
“She sure did, and I’ve wanted to speak to you ever since to let you know that if you threaten anything to do with me again—and I mean my business, my wife, or my child—then that will be it for you.”
“She had the kid already?”
“No, not yet. She’s due any day now.”
“And you’re married? I didn’t realize that was happening.”
“Yes, she’s my wife now, so you aren’t going to trouble her for anything. I include money in that.”
His whole body flames red. I’m glad to see him embarrassed. He should be ashamed of what’s he’s done. “I’m very sorry about all of that. I wasn’t in the best place at the time, and it made me a jerk.”
“You still don’t look like you’re in the best place. You’re scruffy and dirty. You have bloodshot eyes like you’re on something, and you haven’t stood still for even a second.”
“No, I’m better now. I’m doing alright. I cleaned up in jail, and now I’m back to normal.”
I grab him by the scruff of the neck and growl at him. “Don’t fucking lie to me. I know that isn’t true.”
I almost want to hit him, the anger of everything he’s done bubbling to the surface, but then I remember everything that Millie told me. She said that the reason Jodi has always been so kind to this idiot is because he’s had a hard run. Both his parents died, which must have been hard, I suppose. Of course, it doesn’t justify his actions or his choices, but I know all too well that these things can happen. Mistakes can have catastrophic results.
I don’t think Jodi would want me to pummel this guy into the ground, even after everything he’s done. If anything, she’d probably want me to help him. She still sees the good in him.
“They didn’t keep you in jail for long enough,” I growl in his face. “You shouldn’t be out already. Maybe I should call the cops for your drug use and get you sent back there. Would you like that?”
“No, no, please don’t do that. I’m not using again. I’m really not. I’m back to normal.”