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Epilogue

Seven months later

"I can't remember the last time I've had so many excuses to dress fancy," Theo chirps, admiring his outfit in the mirror. Dressed in a form fitting royal blue suit, he is breathtaking as he adjusts his tie and double-checks his makeup.

Yeah, we've had several occasions for formal attire recently, and not all of them have been fun.

Two weeks have passed since Jesse's hearing, where he pleaded guilty to the charges of stalking and attempted sexual assault. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, with a chance for parole in four. It may have been less than we had hoped, but we are satisfied that justice was upheld, and we can move on without him causing any further trouble.

I wander over behind Theo and wrap my arms around him, smiling at his reflection from over his shoulder as I catch a whiff of his sweet scent. "Yeah, except you forgot that wearing suits means being around people, and I'm just about peopled out."

"You can't be peopled out when we're leaving for an international tour in a few weeks."

"Oh, I beg to differ," I say with a laugh. "I can always be peopled out. Legit one hundred percent of the time. When we get done with this tour, I plan to lock myself in a dungeon for a while, with no one but you."

"And Wante?" he asks, twisting in my arms and lifting on his toes to give me a kiss. "We have to have Wante in our sex dungeon."

I hike an eyebrow. "I'm pretty positive I never mentioned a sex dungeon."

"Eh, to-may-toe, to-mah-toe. You see a boring basement, but I imagine all the possibilities for crazy sex swings and a display case for my toy collection. Oh, and a wall of mannequins for my sexy lacy things."

"You had me on board until mannequins."

With a laugh, he gently swats me and heads towards the dresser, where he rummages through it in search of his dress socks. I lean against the doorframe with my arms crossed and watch as he sifts through our overflowing drawers, studying the expressions that flicker across his face.

I could spend a lifetime gazing at him, each time discovering something new to love. What's more, I want to spend a lifetime gazing at him.

I always have.

"Are you interested in taking a picture? Rumor has it they last longer." He doesn't even look in my direction as he smirks.

A quiet laugh huffs out of me as I drop my eyes to the ground, smoothing my black blazer down nervously. "Yeah," I agree, absentminded as I pick at my clothes.

"Hey," he says, his voice sounding closer than before, and I glance up and discover him standing right in front of me. "What's going on in that head?"

"When we get back from this tour, I want to buy a house." His brows fly up and I ramble on, trying to explain my train of thought. "We're outgrowing this place, and this was my apartment. Let's find somewhere that's ours … where we can make a home together."

"With a sex dungeon?" he asks, teasing, but still with that sweet smile.

"Mannequins and all. You always light up when we see dogs in the park, so I want you to have a yard where I can give you all the dogs, and maybe even a few cats, and…"

"You're allergic to cats."

"I'll take shots or something if you want one… if it makes you happy, I don't care."

"A hairless cat might work," he muses, looking excited at the thought.

"Fuck, those are so weird," I mutter, and he narrows his eyes. "I mean… whatever you want, baby."

"And he can be trained, ladies and gentlemen."

For once, I ignore his sarcasm, still lost in my ideas. "What do you think?"

"About a house?"

"No, not just any house… our house." His head cocks to the side, failing to grasp the difference. "Theo, I want to build a home with you. Paint the walls with obnoxious, bright colors that you adore, even though I secretly hate them, because seeing your smile makes it all worth it. One with a giant yard that you refuse to help me maintain, filled to the brim with the ridiculous animals you love so much. They'll make me sneeze, but I don't care because you'll be happy."

"Dante…"

"Let me give you everything you deserve. Please? You are my entire fucking world, and I want somewhere that's ours. I want to get married, and drive each other crazy every single day, and grow old together…"

"You want to get married?" he asks, almost in a whisper.

The ground becomes my sole focus as my lips seal shut and my cheeks burn. "Well, um, I mean, eventually," I stammer, but he only takes a step closer. A brief silence follows, and I wonder if I've upset him by running my mouth that doesn't know when to quit.

"Where is it?" He grabs my chin and lifts my face to his.

"What?"

Without any attempt to hide his impatience, he places his hands on his hips and shoots me a look that screams ‘I'm not an idiot.' "Where the fuck is the ring that you've hidden from me?"

I shake my head, jerking out of his grip. "Theo."

"Where. Is. It?" He stomps between every word, which isn't very impactful since we're on the carpeted floor. Instead of a loud, booming crash when his foot lands, like he was hoping, it only makes a quiet, muffled thud.

It would be adorable if I wasn't so stressed.

It becomes a stare-off as I try not to blink, as though it'll somehow let me win, but his eyebrow only arches further. Higher and higher, like it's going to rocket right off his face if I don't answer. His ass is stubborn, so I'm fully aware he won't budge.

We'll be here all night.

Undeterred, I refuse to give up, standing my ground and being just as bullheaded as him. We stand and we stare until he changes his approach and brings out the big guns.

His gaze momentarily falls to the floor, but when he looks up at me again, his eyes are soft and wide, and his lower lip protrudes in a subtle pout. He doesn't even have to say a word, and I cave.

Crumble into nothing but dust.

Poof.

"Fuck," I groan, dragging my hands down my face. "On the top shelf in the closet."

"I can't reach that!" he shouts indignantly, his pouting forgotten.

"That's the point!" His head swivels until he spots a desk chair in the room across the hallway, and he sprints over and drags it along, hauling it to the closet. "Theo!" I scold as he climbs on, wobbling precariously as the seat swings underneath him.

His hand slaps around the shelf, flinging blankets and random junk until he finds what he's after. "Ah, HA!" he shouts, jolting his balance with his fist pump and yelping as he teeters backward. I charge forward and catch him right before the chair smashes to the ground with a bang, then glare down at him.

"Found it." He rattles the box with a triumphant smile.

He scrambles to his feet again, and I mutter under my breath, "This is not at all what I had envisioned." When he goes to pry the box open, I snatch it from his hands. "You can't just look at it!"

"It's mine!" he argues, jutting his hip out and offering me his hand, palm down. "On your knees."

I scoff, wondering how this crazy train got so far off the rails. Steadying myself with a deep breath, I put on my serious voice while I attempt to reason with him. "Theo…"

"If you aren't proposing to me, you're going to give me a blowie as a consolation prize. Either way, you need to be on your knees."

I heave a loud exhale and take a seat on the bed, slapping the spot next to me. When he just eyeballs me with attitude, I sigh louder. "Sit." He makes his displeasure known by huffing, crossing his arms, and dramatically flopping down beside me, causing the mattress to bounce.

"I was waiting for the right time," I say, voice quiet, and he twists to glance at me.

"And what's wrong with right now?"

My brows knit as I scratch my chin, unsure if he's kidding or not. "The evening of Eric and Dmitri's bachelor party? What's wrong with asking you to marry me on the night our best friends are celebrating their upcoming wedding? Their wedding that's in…" I peek at my phone and check the date. "Five days?"

He stares at me like I'm a dumbass, and he doesn't understand the question. "What's wrong with you asking me to… what was that next part?"

I roll my eyes. "Marry me."

"Okay," he says happily, snatching the box out of my hand and popping it open. "Ooh, this ring is fucking beautiful."

"Theo!" I shout, trying to grab it from his hands.

"Oh, right," he says, handing it back. "I guess you should be the one to put it on me."

Flustered, I just stare at him. "I haven't even asked you yet."

"You did," he insists, nodding. "And I said yes."

"Theo…"

"How long ago did you buy that ring?" he asks. "Because that box is dusty as fuck." I bite my lip, glancing away, and he sounds extremely excited as he says, "Oh boy. This is going to be better than I thought. When?"

I've been defeated, so I might as well surrender. "Right after you started staying with me." My eyes don't meet his as I glance around the room, looking anywhere but him.

"We weren't even dating."

"I know," I whisper, my neck and face flushing again. Most of my grave is already dug by now, so I resign myself to the fact that I have no choice but to shovel out the rest and share the story.

At least I'll have a nice place to die of embarrassment.

"The day I took a copy of the restraining order to Brenda, I made a stop by the mall to pick up something from the music store. I walked past the jewelry counter, and it was just… there. It caught my eye, and it screamed your name to me."

I glance at the ring, still nestled in its little box. White gold, with an intricate pattern etched into the surface that reminds me of lace, and a band of tiny diamonds all the way around the center. A small smile crosses my lips. "I couldn't walk away. When I bought it, I told myself I was being an idiot, and that I'd return it after I had time to think. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to hold on to it. The more I wanted to hold on to you ." My eyes finally land on his. "Forever."

"Don't you dare make me cry my makeup into streaks, Dante." He sniffles, dabbing at the corner of his eye. "You're mine, and I'm yours. We both know that." When I pull him over and lean his head on my shoulder, he puts his hand out again. "Gimme."

"Theo…"

"I already said yes, Dante. Yes, I will marry you. I'll marry you tomorrow if that's what you want. Yes, okay? A thousand times, yes. Now give me the fucking ring before I have to throat check you."

A surprised laugh coughs out of me as my shaky fingers pull it out, spinning it and watching the light reflect before taking a deep breath. It's a perfect fit as I slide it on, and he holds his hand up in front of us as we both stare.

"I'm going to brag so hard tonight," he whispers, and I choke once more.

"You can't brag at their bachelor party." I can't believe I even have to say this, much less a second time. "Wait until after their wedding is over and done, and then we can tell everyone."

"Alright," he says, and I wrinkle my brow in concern.

That was far too easy.

"Theo…"

"Oh my God, Dante. How many times have you said my name in that tone tonight? I'll be chill. We won't take away from Eric and Dmitri's spotlight."

"Okay…" I say, full of skepticism.

We finish getting ready, and Theo's smile is blinding as we head to the car and drive to the party. Music thumps and lights flicker as we make our way through the club to the private suite in the back that the guys rented for family and friends tonight. The bouncer checks our IDs against the list, and we enter the smaller, more intimate space.

Tai spots us first, lighting up with a smile, but I've noticed a heaviness in his demeanor over the past few weeks. I haven't pressed him further because he keeps insisting he's fine, but I can sense that something is bothering him. He gestures for us to follow, weaving through the crowd to where the men of the hour are hanging out. We join the small group as Eric and Dmitri flash their matching giant smiles.

Theo pulls his hand out of his pocket, and I realize too late he's still wearing the ring. He throws his fist up in a Freddy Mercury stance, before roaring, "Guess who's getting married, bitches?!"

Every eye turns to him, then to me, and all I can do is shake my head as everyone swarms around us.

Well.

So much for being discreet.

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