loved him and she’d already told him. There weren’t any more secrets between them.
Then he smiled at her. “Damn, but I wasn’t expecting you.”
“You asked me to come.”
“That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t expecting you to invade my life, my bed, my house, my soul. I’m doing this wrong, aren’t I?”
As she didn’t know what he was doing, she couldn’t answer. Hope returned and even though she tried to squash it, she couldn’t.
Then he did the most amazing thing…in the history of the universe. He dropped to one knee, took her hand in his and said, “Dana Birch, I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t get it before. I never thought I would love anyone. I didn’t believe in love. You’re amazing and I’m so lucky to have found you. I love you. Marry me, please. Marry me.”
The unexpected words stunned her. She couldn’t breathe. Then, to her amazement and horror, she started to cry.
“Of all the times to turn into a girl,” she muttered as he stood and pulled her close.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. It’s humiliating.”
But it was hard to feel anything but good when his strong arms hugged her tight against him.
He kissed her, his mouth warm and sure.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “I love you.”
Words she would never get tired of hearing.
“But I thought…” she began.
He drew back and stared into her eyes. “I panicked.”
“You know I heard you?”
“Yes. Please forgive me. I’ll do anything.”
The kind of apology she liked best, she thought with a smile. “Maybe,” she said. “Over time. If you convince me.”
“Absolutely.”
He kissed her again and she felt the familiar melting begin inside.
“You haven’t said yes,” he said. “Are you going to marry me and live with me here?”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll marry you, but we’re not living here. This house is from another time. I want us to plan our future. We’ll find a new place in the suburbs.”
“Seriously?” He sounded worried. “The suburbs?”
“Uh-huh. You can cut the lawn on weekends.”
“Can I get a rider mower?”
“If it makes you happy.”
“You make me happy.” He pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and slid it onto her left ring finger. “I bought this, in case you were wondering. I have a receipt.”
She laughed, then caught her breath. The diamond sparkled on her finger. She never would have thought of herself as a diamond kind of girl, but she totally got the appeal.
He pulled her close again. “I need you, Dana.”
“Not as much as I need you.”
Then his mouth was on hers and absolutely everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.
EPILOGUE
“I’M GOING TO THROW UP,” Skye said dramatically. “And I can’t breathe. What if Mitch changes his mind? What if he’s not there? What if he’s found someone else?”
Lexi looked at herself in the mirror. “I’m a whale.”
“A beautiful whale,” Dana said. “Skye, you need to start breathing. And where the hell is Izzy?”
“Probably having sex with Nick in the closet.”
“The ceremony is in ten minutes,” Dana said. “I refuse to be in charge.”
“Too late,” Izzy said, breezing into the downstairs study. “You are, by default. Which is kind of funny if you think about it.”
“Am I laughing?” Dana asked. “Do you see me laughing?”
“Someone has to be and it’s not me,” Skye said, turning from the mirror, where she’d been pinning up her hair. “There are-” Her eyes widened. “Your dresses. They’re so beautiful. And they match.”
“We knew you really wanted bridesmaids, but didn’t think you should,” Lexi said, hugging her. “Surprise.”
Skye’s green eyes filled with tears. “I love you guys so much.” She waved her hands in front of her face. “Help! I can’t cry. I’ll ruin my makeup.”
“Crabby thoughts,” Izzy said quickly. “Think crabby thoughts. The last time you were cut off in traffic. Or how some people don’t recycle.”
“That would be
“Oh, right.”
Skye sniffed. “I’m okay now. I’ll be fine. I can’t believe you did this for me.” She sighed. “But we don’t have flowers for you.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You think we’d go to all this trouble to buy matching dresses and then not take care of the flowers? You’ve got to trust us.”
“I do,” Skye said earnestly. “I love you all so much. But we can’t hug. We’ll wrinkle.”
“Sentimental to the end,” Dana said.
Fidelia, Mitch’s housekeeper, bustled into the room with Erin at her side. Skye’s daughter was dressed in a satin plaid dress of black and Christmas-green and red. Her hair had been curled, she proudly wore lip gloss and carried a basket of flowers.
“Mommy, you look so beautiful.”
“Thank you, Bunny Face. So do you.”
Dana took in Skye’s long ivory gown, the spray of flowers she’d pinned in her hair and the glow of happiness that made her even more stunning.
This day had been a long time coming. They’d been through so much together. First fighting Garth, then fighting Jed. But they’d clung to each other through all of it, and had survived to walk out the other side.
No, not survived, she told herself. They had thrived. Jed was in jail. Every day brought new charges, as more people came forward with information. He’d been the bad guy for a lot longer than anyone knew.
Lexi and Cruz had made a life for themselves and were expecting their baby in a few weeks. Lexi was determined not to know the sex of the baby until she was surprised at delivery, but Cruz had hinted he knew it was a boy. They were planning a wedding sometime in the late spring.
Izzy and Nick would spend most of the winter remodeling Glory’s Gate. Garth had given it to them to use for the disadvantaged kids they hosted. They were going to turn Glory’s Gate into a year-round facility.
Skye and Erin would stay with Mitch at his ranch, where they were now. They wanted to start a family right away. Erin was excited by the thought of a baby sister or brother, along with a puppy. Dana had a feeling the puppy would arrive first.
As for her and Garth, they were buying a house close to Lexi and Cruz. Dana had left the Titanville sheriff’s office. Being engaged to a Titan made working there difficult at best. She was using her share of the stock sale to start a security business aimed at teaching single women how to stay safe in their lives. In two days, right after Christmas, they were flying to Las Vegas to get married. It would be quiet and fuss-free. Exactly what they both wanted.
There was a knock on the study door. Dana went to answer it. Kathy stood there, looking pretty in a blue dress. She was smiling.
“The lady in charge asked me to say it was time,” she whispered to Dana.
“Thank you.”
