Epilogue

"I'm really, really trying to be cool with this," I say, squeezing Jude's hand so hard his knuckles are probably buckling under the force. "But once again…blindfolding an obsessive-compulsive person may not end well for you."

My tone is teasing, but I'm also low-key freaking out that I'm going to trip and fall flat on my face.

"Trust me, sweetheart. You're okay." The silky rumble of his voice calms me enough to take a deep breath and loosen my grip on his hand.

"Okay. If you say so."

He guides me forward another step and I crane my head to take in the sounds around us. "We're definitely somewhere busy," I say. "Downtown, maybe…"

Jude chuckles, then steps directly in front of me. I know because his warmth and light, airy scent cocoon me like a cozy, fluffy blanket. "Listen, peanut. It's not a surprise if you correctly guess where we are." His stern tone is a surprisingly sexy, but I'm not giving him the satisfaction of that knowledge just yet.

"I know this is hard for you," he continues, "but just this once I need you to trust that I'll take care of you, okay? You're going to love this surprise."

My mouth curls upward slightly. "I'd love it more if you'd kiss me right now."

Without making me wait another second, Jude leans in to brush his lips against mine. I'm not ready for the heady sensation of kissing him blindfolded, but it hits me instantly, and I sway toward him.

"Easy there," he croons, steadying me with his hand on my waist. "Can't have you falling head over heels for me just yet. We've got a…well, there's a something we've got to get to first."

"Hmm. A something."

He bops me on the nose, then grabs my hand. "Yep. Something. You ready? We're here."

I nod and allow him to lead me forward. The familiar squeak of an old wooden door tells me we're at Brokedown. I smile and whisper, "I know where we're at."

I hear the smirk in his voice as his breath fans over my cheek. "Maybe. But you still don't know why we're here."

He opens the interior door, and we venture inside, but instead of being met with music and the hum of conversation, it's eerily silent. "Wait." I halt and tug his hand back. "I thought we were at Brokedown. Why is it so quiet?"

"You'll see."

He steps behind me, and his deft fingers begin to unwind the blindfold from my head. Before completely releasing it, he leans down next to my ear and whispers, "Open your eyes, peanut."

As soon as I do, a roar of "Surprise!" bombards me like a tidal wave. A quick glance around the room reveals everyone I know and love. Dad, Mom, most of the Dragons, Ronnie and Indy, even my riding buddies, Christian, Caius, Thor, and Desmond, all stand around the tavern with glasses in hand and matching warm expressions.

And I have no idea why they're here.

It's not my birthday or any other special occasion that I can recall. "What is all this?" My voice comes out rough with emotion, but I can't help it. I'm well and truly shocked.

"This is your first official book launch party."

I whip my gaze toward Jude, already feeling the sting of tears. "What?"

His face alights with pride. "You finished your second full-length novel, Chantelle. You worked incredibly hard and dedicated so much time and effort to make this story the work of art that it is. That should be celebrated."

Blinking away the misty sheen that's rapidly obscuring my vision, I feebly try to make sense of it. "But it doesn't officially launch for another week."

"Yeah, I know. But you did upload the final draft today." A sheepish smile crosses Jude's face as he tucks his hands in his pockets and leans into my space. "And after you expressed how stressful the last release day was for you, I didn't want to add something else to your already full plate. I thought if we celebrated it early, you could spend release day focusing on responding to comments on your social pages and such."

My heart instantly swells with love for the guy who I'm ashamed to say I once thought was a horrible liar and general pain-in-the-butt. I wrap my fingers around his bicep and gently squeeze, needing to touch him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." His smile grows as he holds out a hand, gesturing to the crowd of people before us. "Now before you sweep me off to a dark corner and ravish me like your eyes are promising right now, there's an entire room full of people waiting to congratulate you."

A giggle bursts out of me and I shake my head. "Later, Forshtay. Later."

If possible, he grins even wider at my teasing and walks me toward my parents.

"Congratulations, sugar bug," Dad says before pulling me into a hug. Mom follows next, whispering conspiratorially into my ear.

"That's one good man you've got there, Chantelle. He planned this entire thing, rented out the whole tavern, and had it catered all by himself. Refused to let us pay a penny."

Tears surge once again, but I blink them away. "He's a keeper, Mom."

I pull back and go down the line of people, thanking them for coming. Gwen drags me into a tight hug and squeals, "I can't believe my future sister-in-law is a best-selling author!"

My cheeks heat at her words and I chance a glance at Jude. Thankfully, he's too engrossed in ribbing Joel to notice her insinuation. "We'll see if this next book is as popular as the first. It could be a total dud."

Gwen shoots me a mock glare. "I have no doubt this one will be just as amazing."

"Oh, it is!" Kenzie approaches with her usual beaming smile, tugging Luca along with her. "Chantelle let me read the first draft and it was even better than the first. I have zero doubts this one will be a best-seller too."

My friends' confidence eases some of the anxiety surrounding this launch. Each time I put a book out there for the entire world to read, my thoughts go a bit haywire. Will it live up to the previous book's success? Did I miss a random plot hole somewhere and doom my reviews? Will people relate to a character that reflects so much of me?

A warm hand lands on my lower back, and I turn to see Jude assessing me. "Everything all right?" His blue eyes tell me he knows exactly where my thoughts have strayed, and that he's not going to let me spiral.

"Yes," I assure him. "I'm fine."

"Good. Because someone very special to me has something she wants to give you." Jude steps aside to reveal his mom and dad. I've only met them once before, but I'd recognize her anywhere with as much as she looks like her boys. Her short blonde curls frame her round face and punctuate her gorgeous dimples.

"It's so good to see you again, sweetie," Emma Forshtay says, taking both my hands in hers. "We're so proud of you. This is for you." She hands me a mug that says best-selling author, and I accept it gratefully.

"This is adorable, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Jude says you work just as hard as he does while watching him practice."

I skip my eyes to Jude, sending him a secret smile. "That's hardly true, but I do spend time at his practices attempting to write. Mostly I just watch him tear it up on the ice."

"I have no doubt you're a distraction for him too," Jude's dad, Craig, says before congratulating me.

"Mom has good news, too," Jude cuts in, looking at his mom, then me. "She's going to be able to make it to nationals at the end of summer."

My eyes widen as I glance between them both. "Really? How—?"

"I'm in remission," she says with an awed whisper. "We weren't sure it'd be possible but…" Choked up, she swallows and swipes a hand under her eyes.

"I'm so happy for you, Emma." I wrap my arms around her too thin frame and soak up her cinnamon scent. She leans back with tears in her eyes.

"I'm just glad I'll be here to see it. And to get to witness Jude fall in love with the girl of his dreams." She tucks a strand of hair behind my ear affectionately. "I'm happy he found you."

My eyes meet Jude's over her shoulder, and it's impossible to miss the gratitude emanating from his gaze. I so badly want to do what he accused me of wanting earlier and sweep him into a dark corner. Thoughts of ravishing him fill my mind at rapid-fire speed.

"Well, if it isn't the best romance author I know!" Thorin's booming voice precedes his hulking form. Completely bypassing Jude and his mom, he picks me up off the ground in a breath-stealing hug.

"I'm the only romance author you know," I wheeze just before he releases me.

"And the prettiest." He wiggles his eyebrows with a wink, and Jude clears his throat a little too loudly.

"Nice to see you again, Thor," Jude says.

Thor pats Jude on the back like he didn't just earn a spot on his "touch her and die" list. "You too, man. Thanks for the invite."

"We wouldn't have missed it." Christian steps next to Thor and bends down to give me a stiff, one-armed hug. Caius and Desmond follow suit, each congratulating me on a job well done. It feels surreal to have all my people in one place, surrounding me to celebrate a career that I was afraid to disclose to them.

Finally, we make our way around the room to Ronnie, Archer, and little Indy. The latter rushes up to me with a squeal and I spin her around.

"Daddy says I'm "pose to say good job to you," Indy says in her adorable little voice, making me giggle.

"Aw, thank you, sweetie." I set her on her feet, then point to where my mom stands at the bar next to Dad. "If you go and say hi to Mrs. Pratt, I bet she'll give you a piece of candy."

Indy's eyes light up and I nod emphatically driving home my point. Mom always carries caramels in her purse and bribing little kids with sweets is a specialty of hers. When Indy scampers off, I turn toward Ronnie.

Her eyes glitter when she wraps me in her embrace. "I'm so proud of you, Chantelle."

Ronnie"s whispered encouragement releases the dam I've tried to construct around my emotions. It's impossible to suppress the tears now.

"Thank you," I say. "For coming and supporting me. For never making me feel like a bad friend even when I was."

Her watery laugh mimics my own. "Hey, what's past is past. We're here to celebrate the future."

Grateful for my best friend, I step back to find that Archer and Jude have returned to their amicable conversation. "I guess he doesn't hate him anymore?"

She shakes her head. "He never hated Jude, nor did he blame him. I think he was more frustrated with Joel and the fact that he didn't trust him with the truth. Archer wants to be there for his guys; you know that."

I watch the two men converse, and smile when they share a laugh. "I'm just glad things are back to normal." God knows my overactive brain couldn't have handled having to hide the truth any longer.

Ronnie's arm comes around me. "And I'm glad that you're finally able to be yourself, without fear of what your parents or anyone else will think. Jude too." I meet my friend's gaze, love for my friends and family overflowing in my heart.

"Me too."

Gwen, Joel, Jude and I lounge near the bar after everyone else has left while music hums low in the background. Gwen rubs her little baby belly lazily with one hand while resting back against Joel.

"I just hope this little guy has his dad's skills on the ice," she says with a smile, eyes locked on her growing bump.

"Little guy?" I ask. "Does that mean…"

She sends Joel a mildly panicked look, and I straighten. "Wait, I was just kidding. Do you guys know the gender?"

Jude swivels his head like it's on wheels, looking back and forth between us.

"Um," Gwen hedges, biting her lower lip. "Maybe."

"It's a boy!" Joel shouts, fists raised in the air.

Jude practically tackles him in a hug while I reach forward and give Gwen a congratulatory squeeze. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"We're so excited," she says with an airy laugh. "We even have the name already picked out."

"You do?" Jude gets to his feet and eyes them both with a boyish sort of hopefulness.

"We do," Joel says before grabbing Gwen's hand. "Jameson Jude Forshtay."

Jude gives them a slow nod, the muscles in his neck rippling on a swallow that tells me he's doing his best to keep his emotions at bay. "That's…wow," he breathes before barking a laugh. "You know I was kidding when I said you had to name your baby after me, right?"

Joel shakes his head without a trace of humor in his expression. "I know. But I'm not kidding about wanting to name my son after my best friend—my brother."

We're all melting puddles of emotion as Joel and Jude embrace, punctuating this unforgettable, amazing night.

It isn't until Jude and I are finally alone in my new apartment that I realize how emotionally spent I am. His fingers lightly dance along my arm as I snuggle into his side. Curling up together on my very own couch is our new favorite pastime.

"Thank you," I murmur, resting my chin on his chest. "For everything you did to make tonight special. It was the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me."

"Hm. You're welcome." He kisses my forehead, his heavy-lidded gaze taking me in. "As amazing as this feels right now, I'd better go."

I groan and latch on to him even tighter. "No. You're not allowed to leave. You have to stay in the name of comfort."

He snorts a laugh and tries to extract me from his body. "As convincing as that argument is, I still need to go. I'm not strong enough to hold you like this and not want to fall asleep with you right here."

I sit up far enough to look him full in the face. "So don't go. Stay."

He waits, assessing me with that beautiful blue gaze. "Chantelle—"

"I don't mean like spend the night," I clarify, heat pooling in my cheeks. "I just mean that…you want to stay. And I want you to stay. So maybe we should…you know…" Speaking this aloud makes my nerves quake like never before. But it's what I want. What I'm convinced he wants. Though it's probably sooner than what either of us imagined.

"Maybe we should take the necessary steps for you to be able to stay."

His blond brows tweak together right before understanding dawns on his face. "Ah. Well. If you're talking about some sort of…commitment…then I'm afraid you're going to have to wait."

My heart stutters to a frightening halt. I hadn't realized how hopeful I was until he completely dashed it all to pieces. I guess I just thought that someone who went to such great lengths to please me wouldn"t be one to shy away from this sort of commitment.

"Oh, um. Yeah, okay." I scramble off the couch, straightening my top. Looking everywhere but at the guy I thought wanted the same things out of life that I did, I head toward the door to usher him out.

But I only make it three steps before he grabs me from behind and pulls me flush against him. "Don't. Don't do that. Don't jump to the worst-case scenario and begin to question my feelings for you." His breath tickles my neck, his chest rising up and down against my back.

"That wasn't me saying what you think I was." He spins me in his arms with ease and cradles my face in his hands. "That was simply me asking you to be patient." He kisses my nose, then smiles down at me. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, I enjoy surprising you."

"But I hate surprises."

He chuckles, then grazes his lips against mine. "Really?" Next, he kisses each side of my mouth with tender precision. "Did you hate the surprise launch party I planned tonight?"

"N-no."

He brushes back a piece of my hair as he makes his way to my jaw, my neck. "And did you hate when I surprised you by reading your book and listening to it on audio?"

I shake my head, stopping to give him better access to my pulse, where he takes his time showing me just how much he loves to elicit a squeal from me.

"Then trust me when I say that you won't hate the next surprise I have for you," he says. With a low growl, he nips at the spot between my neck and shoulder, and I wriggle away from him.

"Fine," I huff in mock exasperation. "I guess I can wait if you can."

He tilts his head, slowly and lazily letting his eyes track up and down my body. "I'm normally a very patient man, sweetheart, but you…" He steps closer, settling his hands at my waist, forcing me to lean back to look into his eyes. "You test every last ounce of my patience. And have ever since that day in the bookstore."

My smile breaks free as I wind my arms around his neck. "Really?"

He nods, bringing his forehead to rest against mine. "Honestly, I think I fell in love with you the second you dragged me back to the VHS section."

I laugh and let my head fall against his shoulder. "You're not serious."

"I am," he says. "As serious as this." My gaze travels lower to where Jude holds a sparkling round-cut diamond ring between his fingers. He holds it up between us like a promise of the once-in-a-lifetime love we share.

"I was going to wait and surprise you," he says, his voice thick with emotion. "But I need you to know how serious I am about you, Chantelle. I never want you to doubt my feelings. If you're not ready for this now, I'll wait and do it later. But if you're ready, then…I'm ready too."

I blink at the gorgeous ring he holds between us and wrap my hand around his. "I'm sorry I doubted you. I want you to do it when you want to."

A harsh breath leaves him as he runs a hand through his grown-out hair. "Chantelle, I wanted to do it after our first date. Why do you think I"ve been carrying this thing around in my pocket? But you deserve patience. And an epic proposal that's more than just me on my knees, begging you to take me."

A giggle bubbles in my throat before I can stop it. "I think I'd like to see that."

"Don't tempt me, sweetheart."

His low growl has me leaning into him, pressing my lips to his and relishing the sweet taste of him. "I want to be yours as soon as possible, Jude. I want to graduate you from boyfriend to husband."

He captures my lips then. Forceful. Wild. Perfect. And I realize rather quickly that whether he proposes right now or two years from now, my answer will always, forever, be yes.