Epilogue

EPILOGUE

A YEAR LATER

We didn’t take a honeymoon after we got married last year because Lana was still so young, and neither of us really wanted to be away from her for any length of time, so for our one-year wedding anniversary, we decided to rent a villa in Hawaii while Lana stays with her grandparents. The last year has been a whirlwind.

Tanner’s willingness to admit his faults went a long way in changing the narrative for the press. They immediately jumped on the “love” triangle story between Tanner, Heather, and his teammate and dug hard into the rumors surrounding Heather. Turns out, she’d done the same thing when she lived in Florida with other professional athletes. And while people stopped villainizing me on social media, the whole experience had showed me the true colors of the people I worked with. So, despite things shifting drastically after Tanner came forward with the press, I still decided not to return to my teaching job. As much as I loved my students, the politics had burned me out, and I wanted to do something that filled my cup instead of leaving me drained. Blaire also quit at the end of the school year to start the nonprofit she’d talked about. Together we help kids who’ve lost parents or guardians. We connect them with counseling, tutoring, and for older kids, helping them prepare for life on their own.

It’s been fulfilling and challenging in ways I never would’ve expected, but I love it. More than that, I love not spending hours working once I get home. Days of grading on my couch for hours after a long day of work are over. For the most part, Blaire and I work hard to make sure our work stays at the office. When I come home, that’s my time with my family.

Ty’s eager to get me pregnant again. I tease him relentlessly that he has a breeding kink, something he doesn’t deny. Since I’m not quite ready to put my body through that—and I’m a little scared after how my last pregnancy ended—we’re enjoying practicing. We both want a big family, so it’s just a matter of time before we have another baby. Right now, we’re both loving our time watching Lana come into her own personality. She’s curious and a little sassy. She’s also the biggest daddy’s girl even though she’s the spitting image of me.

And as much as Ty pretends to be a tough guy sometimes, he’s the biggest softie when it comes to our daughter. I even caught him playing dolls with her the other day when he thought I was still out running errands.

Not a day goes by where I’m not thankful that we ran into each other that night nearly two years ago. I had no idea then how much that man was going to change my life, but I don’t regret it for a second. I’m a better person for having him in my life.

That’s not to say I don’t still have moments of weakness. I’ve done a lot of therapy over the last year, working on fighting my demons and healing the hurts of my childhood. It’s not been easy, but true to our vows, Ty’s been there every step of the way.

Every day we choose each other. We choose to love each other through the hard moments as much as the easy ones. I choose not to yell at him if he forgets to close the toilet seat, and he doesn’t give me any grief when I’m sick and am surrounded by a mountain of Kleenex. We’re both human—flaws and all—but we choose to love each other with our flaws.

It’s better than the alternative of life without him. I’ve lived that life, and it wasn’t anywhere near as full as what Ty and I have built together. What we have is real, one-of-a-kind love. It’s the partnership of our dreams, and the deepest, purest love I’ve ever known.

I’m lying on my beach towel on the private beach where we’re staying, my body relaxed and languid from the last few days of bliss in paradise, when Ty interrupts my reflection of the last year and how far we’ve come.

He drops down into the sand beside me and kisses my shoulder. “How are you, Wife?”

My lips tug up in a smile. As much as I love him calling me Precious, I think I love when he calls me his wife more.

“Wonderful,” I murmur.

He hums and drops another kiss to my shoulder before he starts peppering kisses over my collarbone. “I wonder if I can make you feel even better,” he mumbles against my skin.

“Mmm, I’m willing to see if you can rise to that challenge.”

He chuckles, but doesn’t stop kissing any inch of exposed skin he can find. My body starts to heat, and it has nothing to do with the sun. His hand slides down to my stomach then under my bikini bottoms until his long, thick fingers are swirling over my throbbing clit.

My back arches slightly from the pleasure while I place my hands on his cheeks and pull his mouth to mine. He kisses me deeply, his tongue swirling inside my mouth as he owns me with his kiss.

He pulls back, panting. “I wanted to fuck you, but I’m not gonna lie, there’s sand everywhere, and this was not how it was described in that smutty book you read.”

I burst into laughter because he’s not wrong. Sex on the beach is not nearly as romantic as it’s implied in my books, and the last thing I want is sand in places sand has no business going. I sit up, kissing him with a smile on my lips, and then stand up.

“Race ya back to the villa?”

He grins. “Precious, I’m a professional athlete. You really think you can beat me?”

I smile salaciously and lean down to where he’s still kneeling on the beach. My lips brush against his. “Winner gets the first orgasm.” Then I spin around and race back to our lodging. I know he’ll let me win because he always makes sure I come first, but I’m not expecting him to catch up to me so quickly and swoop me up in his arms and run back carrying me .

“Ty!” I squeal with laughter.

“We’re both gonna be winners today, Wife.”

He takes us straight to the outdoor shower and turns on the water. His eyes heat as he unties my bikini top, and I can’t look away from him as he pulls the flimsy fabric off me before he gets down on his knees and slides my bottoms slowly down my legs. He brushes the remaining sand off, letting the water rinse away the remnants before he starts kissing my skin.

I have never had a man love eating my pussy as much as Ty does. I swear he gets cranky if he doesn’t get to eat me out multiple times a week. But he’ll hear no complaints from me, especially not when he slides my leg over his shoulder and sucks my clit into his mouth. I tilt my head back against the outdoor shower wall, my fingers plucking at my nipples as my core tightens.

“I’m so close,” I whimper. I don’t know how he always gets me there so quickly.

He growls against my skin, the vibrations ramping up my pleasure, but before I can topple over, he gently places my leg back down and stands up, pushing his swim trunks off in one smooth move. He steps forward, his body plastering mine to the wall as he grips my thighs and lifts me up. He holds my ass with one hand and guides his hard cock in with the other. He slides in slow, staying still once he’s buried deep, only moving his hand to hold my hips with both hands as he starts guiding me up and down his steel length.

“Fuck, I will never get tired of the way your pussy squeezes me. You feel so damn good, Lex.”

He buries his head in my neck, dropping kisses and sucking on that spot between my neck and shoulder that has my eyes rolling to the back of my head. His thrusts pick up until he’s pounding me into the wall, my orgasm right on the edge.

My fingers grip his strong shoulders as my body tightens. “Ty,” I beg, desperately needing him to push me over. He picks up his pace, his pelvis rubbing tantalizingly against my clit, and then he sucks hard at my neck, no doubt leaving a mark, and that’s all I need to fall over the edge into pure bliss. With one more thrust, he comes inside me, his entire body shuddering with his release as he groans deep against my neck.

We stay locked like that for several minutes before he pulls back and kisses me reverently.

His eyes haven’t quite lost their heat as he looks at me like I’m his entire world. “I love you, Wife.”

My heart fills with so much joy it feels almost impossibly full. “I love you more, Husband.”

He smiles. “Not a chance.”

I’m okay with us spending our entire lives trying to out prove the other that we love each other more. Sounds like heaven to me.

Thank you for reading Closing the Distance! Want to see Lexi and Ty in the future? Grab this bonus epilogue to see them in twenty-five years.