Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
“I didn’t betray you!” It’s a struggle to keep from shouting at her. I’m not angry. I just want so desperately for her to hear the truth.
“I saw the pictures!”
“You saw what Roxy wanted you to see,” I growl, grabbing the phone from my pocket. “Look again.”
Tammy’s gaze falters. Her lips part in a sigh of desperation. She hesitates but takes Roxy’s phone from me and begins to scroll, her fingers trembling. The more she looks, the more her eyes seem to question the terrible lie she’s been fed.
“She faked the photo with AI,” I tell her. “And the texts are all fake. Look at the timestamps. I was with you for at least half of them.”
Slowly, Tammy’s expression shifts. From desperation, to confusion, to sudden realization.
“She faked these?” she asks, her voice barely a weak breath.
“Yes, baby,” I murmur, kneeling down in front of her. I’m starting to win her back, but there’s still a pang in my chest. Like a dagger that must be pulled out. “She faked it all…and you believed her. Not me.”
Tears waterfall down her cheeks, and she snaps her eyes to mine, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh my God…”
“I love you, Tammy,” I plead. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
She searches my face with desperate, hopeful eyes, like she’s waiting for the catch. For me to add on an addendum that solidifies my status as a cheating asshole.
But there isn’t one. Because that’s not me.
Every word I’ve said to her came from my heart.
But now, Tammy has to decide if she believes me.
Honestly, I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. After all the horrible things she told me about her father, it’s a wonder she’s even strong enough to go at life on her own. She’s an absolute wonder. The definition of resilience.
And as the rain picks up and fat drops of rain pelt down on me, I watch as the corners of her lips twist slowly into the beginnings of a smile. She nods her head. “I love you too,” she whispers back, her voice quivering.
That’s it.
I saved us.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring that I picked up this morning when I told her I had clubhouse business to attend to. It’s nothing super fancy, not the biggest diamond in the world. But it’s hers.
“Marry me, Tammy.”
I hear her breath catch in her throat as her eyes widen. “Saxon…”
“No more running.” I smile, letting the last of my walls down. This is my forever girl. “No more doubting. Just me and you. Forever.”
She stares back at me, her jaw practically agape. It’s like she’s stunned. Frozen. But then, something inside her shifts, and a spark ignites that blazes all across her face.
“Yes.”
Joy rushes through me, crashing into me like a wave. I tug her out of her seat and into my arms, kissing her hard as the rain pours down on us, sealing the promise of my love and my commitment to her. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I lift her up, pressing my tongue into her mouth and devouring her mouth until we’re both absolutely soaked.
Love. This is love.
The two of us are meant to be together.
Tammy is mine. And nothing is going to change that.
EPILOGUE
SAXON
Five years later…
Warm morning sun spills golden light through the kitchen windows, bathing the hardwood floors in a serenity that I never thought I could have in my life. A life I never even knew I wanted until I met Tammy. My love. My wife.
Now it’s the only life I could ever need.
Tammy walks barefoot through the kitchen, her hair tied up in a messy knot with little wisps framing her gorgeous face. One of my old T-shirts hangs off one shoulder, revealing her soft, porcelain skin. My eyes move to our wedding ring, sealing the engagement ring that has sat on her finger since I proposed in the pouring rain. I smile as she uses one hand to fend off the little gremlin terrorizing our house, our wonderful three-year-old son, Ryder.
“More waffle! More waffle!” he yelps, doing his best to climb her leg like a puppy. He reaches for the plate of scrambled eggs, nearly knocking it from the counter. Somehow, she manages to save it at the last second. “Ryder, sweetie, you’ve already had three, and that was one too many.”
“I had four,” he snickers, his cheeks covered in syrup. I try not to laugh, to encourage him, but I can’t help it. He is definitely my son. All stubborn and confident, doing his best to rule this house like a tiny little king.
At the other end of the kitchen, our daughter, Lily, laughs as she crashes her tiny toy motorcycle into the wall, making a loud explosion sound as she laughs. “Vroom, vroom! Bang! Crash!”