EPILOGUE

Two years later …

The front door opened to Jace and Peyton’s condo. Peyton was busy on her computer, sitting on the couch, reading over the paper she was writing.

Jace had been called out early that morning—even though it was his day off—on an E.R.T. call.

Not a big deal.

It was par for the course when you were with a police officer who was also a member of the Emergency Response Team. He wouldn’t always be on the team, but for now, this was just their life.

She was busy getting her master’s degree in counseling anyway, so it wasn’t like she wasn’t busy herself.

A kiss landed on the top of her head. “Hey babe.”

She smiled and glanced up at her handsome boyfriend. “Hey yourself. Everything turn out okay?”

Jace’s eyes were tired. “Loooooong stand-off with the guy. Hours.”

She frowned. “How’d it end? ”

He shook his head. “Not great. Ended up taking his own life. But he spared his kids, so …” He lifted one broad shoulder. “I guess it’s a win. Even though those kids are going to need a fuck-ton of therapy after what they went through. Then they watched their father kill himself.”

“Jesus.” Leaning forward, she set her laptop down on the coffee table and welcomed him beside her and into her arms. It was after calls like this that Jace really needed a soft place to land. She was glad she could be that for him.

They moved in together about a year ago. Only, they quickly realized they both came with a lot of stuff— so they bought a two-bedroom unit in her building when one became available. They’d been in their bigger place for about four months and loved it. It still had a view of the harbor. It was just a couple of floors lower than her first place.

He hugged her and buried his face in her neck. “You smell good.”

“My parents invited us over for dinner tonight, but I can cancel if you’re too tired.”

He made a dismissive noise in his throat. “No, we need to go.”

“They’ll understand, Jace. They get it.”

He lifted his head and something mysterious twinkled in his blue-hazel eyes. “They invited us over for a reason. We have to go.”

Her brows wrinkled. “What reason?”

Then he dropped to the floor to one knee, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.

“Peyton Elizabeth Doucet, you are my Sun card.”

She giggled behind her hands as the backs of her eyes began to burn.

“Waking up next to you everyday, even when Mercury is in retrograde, gives me no confusion or frustration. Because I know I am exactly where I should be. You are two of my favorite people.”

Her laugh was far less lady like this time .

“Your twins balance me out better than anybody has ever been able to, and all I want to do is make both of you as happy as you make me for the rest of our lives. Will both of you marry me?” Even though his eyes were tired and dark bags hung beneath them, there was excitement and love shining through the fatigue. His smile was hopeful and warm and without even answering him, she threw her arms around his neck, dropped to the floor and kissed him.

“I kind of need an answer,” he said, breaking the kiss.

She smiled with twisted lips at him. “Yes, you impossible Libra. Of course, I’ll marry you.”

Then she sat back on her heels. He opened the ring box and pulled out the most gorgeous pear-shaped diamond on a rose gold band that she’d ever seen. He slid it onto her finger and it fit perfectly.

“My parents know, then?”

He nodded. “I asked them for their blessing last week. They asked when I planned to do it. I said today—though I had plans to do it somewhere more romantic, but work got in the way—so they said they’d have us over for dinner.” His smile faltered. “I’m sorry I didn’t do it somewhere more romantic. I at first thought we’d go walk Dallas Road, and I’d do it on the beach there. But it’s really fucking cold and windy.”

“It was perfect right here.” Tears stung her eyes. “Everything about this was perfect.” Beaming up at him, with her heart so full of happiness, she wasn’t sure anything could top this moment.

His lips squished to one side. “I got a text message on my drive home.”

“Yeah?”

“From Tiberius of all people.”

Over the last two years, they’d kept tabs on Tiberius and Michaela. They weren’t involved in their recovery and getting them back on track in society, but they checked in to make sure things were okay. They needed to maintain a boundary for their own mental health, and it was one Tiberius and his sister respected .

“Oh?”

He smiled. “They’re doing great. He got a job doing camp work in the oil fields. Two weeks on, one week off, fly in fly out kind of stuff. They’re living in a two-bedroom apartment in Prince George, and Michaela has enrolled in college. Just a couple of classes for now, as well as a part-time job as a barista, but they’re doing really well.” He grabbed his phone and brought up his text messages, turning it around to show her a picture of Tiberius and his sister. They were smiling and sitting in matching black and red flannel pajamas in front of a small Christmas tree. “He said he hopes we’re doing well.”

Fresh tears ran unchecked down her cheeks and her smile hurt her face. “Well, that news is just the cherry on top of this glorious sundae. I’m so happy they’re doing well.”

He nodded and set his phone down on the coffee table. “Me, too.” His gaze flicked to her open laptop. “I don’t want to disrupt you if you’re busy.”

“Ummm,” she bit her lip, “getting proposed to is the absolute best kind of disruption and one I definitely welcome. I’ve probably re-read the same paragraph six times. My brain was going numb.”

He stood up and helped her to her feet, backing her up toward their bedroom. “I’m pretty sure there is some kind of rule where you must consummate the engagement, otherwise it’s not legitimate.”

“Is there now?’

He lifted her sweater over her head. She allowed it. “Mhmm.”

But they bypassed their bed and went straight into their en suite bathroom. She was out of her leggings, bra and underwear in true Jace fashion—very quick and efficiently. He stripped himself just as fast and turned on the warm water in their steam shower.

Stepping in together, they let the warm water sluice over their bodies. She rested her hands on his shoulders, unable to not look at the rock on her finger.

“You like the ring?” he asked, following her gaze with his own.

She spun the ring around on her finger with her thumb. “I love it. ”

“What did the tarot card you pulled today say?”

She smiled and blinked through the spray at her fiancé. “The Lovers.”

“Oh wow.”

“And it didn’t cross your mind that I might propose?”

She sighed. “I’ve got a lot going on right now. I just interpreted it that we’re in a good place—which we are.”

“We’re in a great place.”

She sighed again. “I think I’m going to marry you, Jace Shepherd,” she said, her heart so full of love and happiness she thought she might faint.

“Oh, I’m definitely going to marry you, Peyton Doucet. I’m going to marry your brains out.”

Then he pressed her up against the tile wall and kissed her until she was breathless, overflowing with happiness, and full of nothing but excitement for their future—together.