Reputation (Mason Family 2)

I laugh, feeling the stress on my shoulders start to release.

“And Anjelica promises me that we’ll figure this out. And we will. No matter what happens, as long as I have you, it’s worked out.”

I gaze up at him and take him in—his beauty, his flaws, his perfection, and his mistakes.

God knows I’m not perfect, either. But maybe we’re more perfect because of our shortcomings. Perhaps you have to find your wounds and heal them as you go to be whole.

I reach up and grab his shoulders and pull him down to me. I press my lips against his.

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into him and holds me for so long that I don’t think he’s ever letting go.

Which is fine with me.

“I should’ve trusted you,” I tell him. “I’m sorry. I got scared.”

“And I should’ve done a lot of things differently, Bells. And I’m sorry I didn’t. You were right. I didn’t consult you. I didn’t really know that I could as I’ve done things solo for a long damn time. I’d forgotten how a good team functions, because I’d forgotten how good we are together. How much I can rely on you and your thoughts and input. And your love.”

I play with his tie as I think about last night.

“You know, I’ve been let down so many times in my life that I almost expect it,” I say softly. “I act bubbly and happy, but a lot of the times, I’m just looking around for what’s going to go wrong next.” I look up at him again, my hand stilling around the fabric. “I knew if things went wrong with you that I would never recover. Because I gave you my heart and—”

He kisses me again. This time, it’s deeper. More passionate. Full of promises.

When he pulls back, he smiles.

“We have one more decision to make,” he says. “And we need to make it pretty quickly.”

“Okay.”

He looks over my shoulder and smiles at Boone and Larissa. A small laugh escapes him before he looks back at me.

“What name do you want to put on the Deed?” he asks.

I balk. “I don’t understand.”

He grins. “Bellamy Davenport,” he says, getting down on one knee.

“Oh, my gosh. No!” I gasp. “Oh, my gosh. Coy!”

He gazes up at me like I’m the only girl in the world.

“Will you do me the honor of being my wife?” he asks.

I sling my arms around him. The momentum knocks him back onto the grass, and I land on top of him.

My hands go to his face as I kiss him again. And again. And again.

Finally, Boone and Larissa appear next to us.

“Did she say yes?” Boone asks. “Because Mom keeps texting me and asking, and I’m not sure what to say other than you’re making out in front of a construction crew.”

We pull apart and laugh.

Coy moves his hand out to the side. A black box sits in his palm. He opens it with his thumb.

“Will you marry me, Bells?”

The ring is a simple gold band with diamonds down the sides. A diamond is set in the center with a halo of smaller diamonds around it.

“This is … too much,” I stammer. “I …”

“Get ready to be spoiled,” he says. “I’ve waited for this my whole life. You have no idea what’s coming.”

“Oh, I think we do,” Larissa jokes as she and Boone walk away.

Coy and I laugh as he slips the ring on my finger.

“I’m going to love you for the rest of my life. You can try to wiggle your way out but I guarantee that you won’t win. I’m just … I’m done living without you. There’s nothing that’s worth making you frown or sad or cry. Just ... don’t fucking cry.”

I laugh and try to blink back my tears.

“So … I’d really like you to say yes,” he whispers.

I look at the man under me. The boy I fell in love with so many years ago. The guy that’s been my neighbor, my friend, my enemy, and my lover.

My fiancé.

“I would be honored to be your wife. So, yes,” I say. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”

He rolls me over onto my back and kisses me again. This time, the construction crew cheers.

This time, I don’t stop him or ask questions or hold on to any reservations at all. I don’t ask him for a plan or if he’s going to come back.

Because I know.

Love will always find you. You just have to trust the process. And that’s only possible when you trust the person you love.

Epilogue

Bellamy

The house is bustling. Voices stream from every room on the bottom floor. Lauren and her husband talk to Rodney about a business deal that I don’t understand. Siggy is in the kitchen, cooking a massive meal with Larissa by her side. They insisted on doing the work for our housewarming party so I could rest.