Epilogue

Dakota

Three Months Later

After a summer split between Indianapolis and Hartford, it was time for us to put down permanent roots.

Those months were spent working our way back to the place we'd been in before the book was initially published. It wasn't magic, that was for sure, but Braxton made life worth living, and I was excited for us to take this next step.

Key in hand, Braxton stepped up to the three-bedroom home we'd purchased together—splitting the down payment fifty-fifty and having both our names placed on the mortgage.

We'd spent weeks trekking all over Indianapolis, searching for the perfect starter home. But this was the winner. The second bedroom would become my office, and the third, Braxton would turn into a home gym. He joked that someday he would relinquish his extra room for a nursery, but we were still taking things slow. Our flame had burned too hot and fast the first time, so easing into forever was the course we intended to take this go around.

Slow and steady was the key to success.

Uprooting my life and moving to Indy was the easiest decision I ever made. Besides Bristol, nothing was holding me in Hartford. Braxton was my future, and this was the setting for our new life together. It was sad that we wouldn't see Natalie, Jaxon, and the rest of the crew outside of games the Speed and Comets played against each other, but we were talking about eventually getting a smaller place on the lake in Minnesota so at least we could spend summers together.

Turning the key in the lock, Braxton pushed the door wide open. When I went to step inside the empty house, knowing the movers were still a few hours out with all my stuff from Connecticut, Braxton halted me with an arm banded across the threshold.

Sighing playfully, I asked, "What's the holdup?"

"We're gonna do this right," he declared.

"Right?"

Before I could comprehend his meaning, Braxton swept me into his arms and carried me into the house.

I batted at his chest. "Put me down! This is only for married people!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake," he teased, setting me on my feet. "I thought I made it clear you've been mine since the moment I laid eyes on you. And trust me, I can't wait to see you walk down that aisle, all dressed in white, but in my mind? It's all a formality. You're it for me, Firefly. Whether we get married in two years or ten, you're mine forever. I'm never letting you go."

That had been his very first promise, and now it was one we'd made to each other.

I knew life was unpredictable and there might be some unforeseen circumstance that could threaten to drive us apart—I certainly hadn't seen the last one coming, so anything was possible—but I believed what we shared was too strong to fall apart again. Even if it did, we would fight for it.

Pulling him in for a kiss, I let his lips take control, sliding over mine, making silent promises of our lives to come. He might be thinking of all the tangible things—a house, a wedding, kids—but I was focused on the emotional aspects. Even though we'd both aired our grievances with our respective fathers, old wounds still remained. I knew there would be times when Braxton doubted himself and his playing ability, still tying his worth to his performance on the ice. But I was determined to make sure he always knew he was more than "just" a second-rate superstar. In my heart, he would always be number one.

Breaking away, I surveyed our empty house. "What now? Should we order some food? Are you hungry?"

"Starved," his gravelly voice rolled over my skin, sending shivers down my spine. "But not for food."

Ever since we'd reconnected on a physical level, Braxton had been insatiable. It was never a question of if we would be having sex multiple times a day, but in which position and where.

With training camp starting in a few days, going back on the road was going to be a struggle for both of us. We had gotten far too used to spending almost every second together.

Dipping his head, Braxton's breath was hot in my ear. "The first thing I'm gonna do is fuck you in every room we own. Then, I'm going to start all over again and make love to you in each of them."

Oh my.

"Sounds like you have your work cut out for you," I mused. "But you're forgetting something."

"What's that?" He pulled back to gaze down at me from above.

"We don't have any furniture."

His husky laugh echoed off the walls. "Oh, Firefly. If you think a little thing like that is going to stop me, you are in for a big surprise. There's an island in the kitchen that needs to be christened, countertops in bathrooms, windowsills, and when all else fails, I'm not opposed to fucking you hard against a wall."

Yeah, he had me there, and damn if my pulse wasn't pounding between my thighs at the idea of him claiming me in every room of this house twice over.

Swallowing, I nodded. "Okay, you win. Show me what you've got."

Bending down, Braxton threw me over his shoulder, kicking the front door shut and moving toward the basement stairs. It always came back to that, our first time meeting in a darkened basement.

It hadn't seemed like it then, but that was arguably the best day of my life.

It had been the start of the rest of my life.

And what a life it was shaping up to be.