EPILOGUE

AVERY

THREE MONTHS LATER

Dominic's proven to be a very sweet boyfriend—encouraging, reliable, my number one cheerleader. It"s annoying how badly I stressed myself out by refusing to give into my feelings for him until the tension between us finally snapped.

He waited for me outside Design Time after my meeting with Mike to give two weeks' notice. Helped me file the paperwork to register my new business: Avery's Signature Design. True to his word, he's been with me every step of the way with emotional and practical support.

Dumping my purse on the desk, my eye catches on something odd. "Hey, Dom," I call out, and he pokes his head in the door.

"What's up?"

"This thing doesn't have my last name anymore." I showed him the nameplate. Where it used to say Monaghan, there's a blank space.

"Oh, I can explain that... You see, there was a mistake, and we have to redo it."

"Redo it? There wasn't... oh my gosh!" Dominic gets down on one knee in front of me and pulls a ring out of his jacket pocket. Matt's in the background grinning like a loon with a phone held up to capture the moment.

"Avery Ella Monaghan. You are the best thing to ever enter my life, my heart spark, and I'd be lost without you. You took a grumpy, rude man and called him your own." A watery laugh escapes at his speech. "I am madly and irrevocably in love with you, firebrand. Will you please do me the honor of marrying me?"

Tears stream down my cheeks. I never thought this moment would happen to me—not with how much of a hermit I'd become in the past few years, hiding myself away from the world—yet here it is. The perfect proposal from my beautifully flawed man.

"Yes! I will!"

He jumps to his feet and places the ring on my finger before dipping me back for a kiss. Matt's cheering in the background has me smiling into Dominic's mouth.

This is the best day ever, and yet, I truly believe the best is still to come.

***

Continue reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Hearts Collide series, Wild Hearts, featuring Avery's friend Grace!