Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 69474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“And I want to give you the world.”
“I don’t need that much, but maybe a trip to see some more of the world would be nice. I think I’m ready for that now.”
“Then we’ll plan a vacation as soon as possible. We can talk about that later.”
“Do you have plans for right now?” Surely he wasn’t ready for round two yet.
A yip and a scratch at the door interrupted him. “I think someone has plans for us.”
“Let her in. I’m sure she’s scared. I don’t know where she came from or how those assholes found her, but I want her to know she safe here.”
I gasped when Dax sat back and his softening cock slid from my body.
“You okay?”
“Yes, just sore in the best kind of way.”
“Good.” He opened the door and the puppy bounded in. “You’re going to have to think of a name for her.”
“I already have. I think we should name her Hope because that’s what you gave me.”
Dax smiled, that relaxed, genuine smile I loved so much, the one I remembered from all those years ago when I first had a crush on him. “I think that’s perfect.”
He let Hope into the room, and she joined us on the bed. “What will we do with her if we take a trip? She’s too young to leave anytime soon.”
“That’s when having close family comes in handy. Maybe we can get Ambrose to watch her.”
“I don’t want him taking her out to the bayou. An alligator could snap her up in a second.”
“This might be a good chance to lure him back to the city. I could ask him to stay here.”
“I doubt he’d say yes, but it’s worth a try.”
“I do have plans for us,” Dax said.
I looked down at the puppy. She was rolling on her back and making adorable, contented sounds. “Let’s not kick her out yet.”
“Not those kind of plans. We both need food, and we need to get your things from the apartment at the shop.”
“You want me to move in today?”
“You’ve basically been living here already, and I’m not spending another night apart from you.”
“You took care of my enemies. I should be safe on my own.”
“Your safest with me, and that’s where you’re going to stay.”
I grinned. “That’s where I want to stay.”
Dax pulled me to him for a gentle kiss, and Hope snuggled her way between us. I had a family again. How incredible was that? My brother and I had reconciled, and I was starting my own family unit with Dax and Hope. “I really thought I was going to spend the rest of my life alone.”
“Then it’s a good thing Beau was taken prisoner because we clearly needed to meet each other again.”
“It’s the best thing that could’ve happened to me.”
Dax kissed the top of my head. “You give me hope too, you know.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do. For the rest of my life.”
Dax kissed me then, and Hope jumped up and down giving us both kisses too. I was happy, truly happy, and for once, I believed it would last.
33
Epilogue
One Month Later
Dax
I looked at Travis’s single suitcase and backpack. “Are you sure that’s all you need?”
He tilted his head, seeming to think that through. “I can’t think of anything else. I mean, it’s not like I have closets full of clothes like Remington and Henri.”
“No one has as many clothes as those two.” Remington insisted on impeccable fashion, and he showered Henri with custom-tailored items on a regular basis. “We can always buy something if we don’t have it. There will be plenty of shops on the ship and even more at our destinations.” We were going on a transatlantic cruise and visiting several stops in the Mediterranean. This was the trip I’d wanted to take Travis on since he’d mentioned his desire to travel. We also had a New Year’s trip to the Southwest planned.
“I’m not going to need that much. We shouldn’t—”
I laid a finger over his mouth. “You promised me you would let me spoil you on this trip.” Travis had been very reluctant to let me buy things for him, but he’d finally agreed to let me pay for our travel, and I was going to buy him everything I saw that I thought he would like. I didn’t care how many extra suitcases I needed to buy. I had money sitting around doing nothing. It might as well be used to make Travis happy.
He sighed. “Fine. You can buy me whatever you want.”
I grinned. “I have so many ideas.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, but I didn’t have to argue with him anymore because Hope came bounding into the room and demanded his attention. I couldn’t believe how much she’d grown in the last month. She was going to be a big girl, but I loved her more and more each day, and watching Travis play with her was one of my favorite things. Hope was happy to play with me or let me take her on walks, but it was clear she and Travis had a special bond.