He seemed a little too smug about that. “Hmmm. Anyway, you and my dad are going to have to coexist now. We’re family.”
Carter sighed. “Easy for you to say. Your in-laws are an ocean away.”
“Yeah…about that.”
I saw his guard go up. “What is it now? What are you scheming?”
“Not scheming anything,” I chuckled. “Only wondering if—sometime in the future—we should consider going to visit your parents. They may be an ocean away, but airplanes cut ocean travel time nicely these days, I’m told.”
He looked across the room. “I told you I haven’t seen them in twenty years.”
“Exactly. About time to consider changing that, don’t you think?”
At first, I thought I was pushing too hard. He seemed a little annoyed. Then the frown relaxed, the caustic smile returning. “You’re determined to drag me kicking and screaming into being a decent person, aren’t you?”
“Well…” I put a hand on his chest and reached up to offer him a kiss. “Maybe not too decent. Not all the time, anyway.”
“Mmmm.” He picked up my hand, pressing his mouth to the inside of my wrist, making me shiver. “So, what you’re saying is, we should go back to bed.”
“We do have a lot of lost time to make up for,” I whispered. “Planning the future can wait.”
“For the first time we actually can plan the future, and you want to procrastinate.”
“Nope.” I shook my head, even as I pushed closer to him. “I want to start out planning the future by building a foundation on you and me. The way it should have been all along.”
“All along? I seem to remember you being opposed to the idea of marrying me at first.”
“No more than you were me,” I reminded him. “Speaking of which…”
I reached down to unclasp the necklace around my neck, remove it. Something slid off the chain onto the palm of my hand. A ring, the diamonds glowing softly in the lamplight.
“Care to do the honors again?”
He picked it up in two fingers, studying it, turning it this way and that. “I can get you something better,” he finally said. “Anything you want. As big as you want. As expensive as you want.”
I shook my head firmly. “That’s my wedding ring. It’s been there since the beginning. It’ll be there at the end.”
“Are you sure?”
He paused before sliding it onto the third finger of my left hand, and I sensed the question was about far more than a ring.
I didn’t hesitate.
“Would I be here with you talking about forcing you to be nice to our families if I wasn’t sure? I think the better question is, are you sure?”
This time, he didn’t hesitate. He gently pushed the ring past my knuckle and down to the base of my finger.
“Never been surer of anything in my life. I do have a question, though.”
“Another one? I already told you I wouldn’t bug you to attend church with my father.”
“It’s not that.”
“What is then, then?”
“Remember how Ellie St. James went on an exotic honeymoon while I stayed behind in the States?”
His plan at the beginning. Sending my identity out of the country, while I, as Taylor Scott, had moved elsewhere.
“I remember.”
“Do you think I can come with her this time?”
I laughed, putting my arms around his neck, pulling him down onto the couch with me. “Yes,” I whispered, against his mouth. “I definitely think she’d let you come with her this time.”
The future was imminent, but, for now, the future could wait. Strange as it seemed, there was no more sword of Damocles hanging over ours heads. No more living in fear that either one of us would be snatched away at any moment. The future was ours. A strange future, maybe, considering all the things we had to figure out. Little Jackson. Sean’s business empire. The magic of the Stones. Rebuilding the Costas mansion as a refuge for Carter’s people. Carter’s role as the Repairer. My medical training. Both of our families. It was a lot, but we finally had time. Time to eventually reach out and claim it, shape it to suit ourselves.
And we would.
But later.
Definitely later.
The End
Want more from Sarah Ashwood? Discover Aerisia, a parallel land to Earth’s sunsets, in Sarah Ashwood’s portal fantasy trilogy, the Sunset Lands Beyond. Start with Book 1, Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset.
Also check out the companion series, Beyond the Sunset Lands, beginning with Aerisian Refrain.
Acknowledgments
This series, in particular, couldn’t have been completed without the help of my wonderful beta readers, as well as those who lent knowledge of their area of expertise to help me get different details correct. For all their time, their help, their perspectives, and their pointing out of typos, I want to say a huge THANK YOU.
My dad, John Ashwood Sr. (Freelance editor extraordinaire!)
Angie and Hannah (For discussing my characters like they were real people.)
Ginger (For an RN’s perspective.)
Liz (For help with hospital registrar and hospital details.)
Jeremy and Mercy (For help with Fort Worth geography and locations.)
Daniel and Destinee (For perspective on Carter’s weapons.)
Jonathon Pembroke, my uncle, James Ashwood, and my cousin, Josh Velsor (US military vets, who assisted with Ellie’s father.)
My beta readers:
Robyn
AnnaMarie
Nayreeyah
Moriyah
Mary
Rachel
Donamarie
Mary
And to my husband, Steven Blackwell, who gave several noteworthy tips and is always my biggest support.
Stones of Fire Series
Ashes on the Earth
Down into the Pit
Fire from the Midst
Repairer of the Breach
About the Author
Don’t believe all the hype. Sarah Ashwood isn’t really a gladiator, a Highlander, a fencer, a skilled horsewoman, an archer, a magic wielder, or a martial arts expert. That’s only in her mind. In real life, she’s a genuine Okie from Muskogee, who grew up in the wooded hills outside the oldest town in Oklahoma and holds a B.A. in English from American Military University. She now lives (mostly) quietly at home with her husband and four children, where she tries to sneak in a daily run or workout to save her sanity and keep her mind fresh for her next story.
For a complete list of all Sarah’s works
