Epilogue

THORNTON HELD HER HAND as he walked Blake to her car. It was the same SUV she had driven over a month ago, but this time she knew the truth. Just as she suspected, it was one of his many "spare" cars parked in Laramie, and one Thornton insisted she used instead of taking the bus.

"Thorn?"

That was all the warning he got, and Thornton could only grunt as she laughingly threw herself into his arms.

Looking up at him, she said sweetly, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Just you."

"I know."

"Only you."

He stared at her.

"So try not to feel insecure or jealous when..."

His arms loosened its hold all of a sudden, but Blake only laughed and still managed to land on her feet.

"I love you," she told him as she got inside the car.

He grunted.

She poked her head out of the window. "I said I love you."

"I know."

"And?"

"You already know how I feel," he said patiently.

Blake pouted. "But I still need to hear the words."

"You don't."

"Please? Please? Pretty, pretty please?"

"If I tell you now, will you promise not to drive and text?"

"I pro—-"

Thornton suddenly bent down, and the rest of her words disappeared in a sweet, hard kiss that had her breathless and wanting more.

He sucked on her lower lip hard before pulling away. "Your promise?"

His girlfriend nodded.

"And Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She squealed, and he almost smiled at the way she kept giggling as he watched her drive away.

Life was good , he thought to himself as he walked back to the shop. All the heartbreak and misunderstandings seemed to have happened an eternity ago, and that was all thanks to Blake.

He had been ready to bribe and grovel, do anything that night to make sure he would be able to keep her in his life, but instead she had smiled tearily up at him and said, It's like what you said. Everything's going to be fine.

And it had been.

They had made love that night and talked everything out the next day. No fuss. No drama. Because that was just how Blake was.

And after that...

Life became really, really good.

And two hours later, it became a lot better, and it all started with a phone call.

"Hartland Bookshop."

"Thorn."

He recognized the voice right away. "Slade. You're back from Denver?"

"Just today, and...we've got a problem."

Thornton frowned. "Kady?"

"Guess again." The cafe owner's smirk was evident in his tone.

Ah. Thorn's lips pressed together. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'll take the car if I were you," his friend advised.

"That bad?"

"Depends," was all the billionaire said before hanging up.

Thornton flipped the store sign to Closed and was parking his truck outside the cafe a mere ten minutes later. He stepped inside and immediately saw what the problem was.

"You!"

Or rather, the problem saw him.

She waved him to come over, and when he joined her and her friends in their table, Thornton saw right away that she was absolutely smashed.

"How long has she been like this?" he asked Frankie.

"Longer than I can bear," Blake's friend answered with a shudder, "so if you don't mind...I'll leave her to you?"

"I...um...have to start working, too." Elizabeth quickly got up as well.

The speed with which the two girls left had Thornton blinking.

"You!"

He turned back to his girlfriend.

"You!"

He nearly smiled. "Is that all you can say?"

"Don't you be smart with me, boy."

Interesting.

"I'm the woman you love," Blake said haughtily, "and you should treat me like a queen."

"Is that so?" He was beginning to see why her friends had all been in such a hurry to leave.

She gave him a regal nod. "That's so!"

He leaned back against his seat. "How do I do that?"

"First..." She pointed to his lap and flashed him an approving smile when he obeyed her silent command by scooping her off her seat and depositing him on his lap.

"Good boy."

Someone behind him choked at hearing this, but Thornton didn't mind. No one had ever had the guts to order him around like this, and it was quite...fun.

"Anything else?"

"Mm..." Her gaze narrowed at him. "I think you should fix your tone."

"My tone?"

"It has to be more...suburban."

More choking.

"Do you mean...subservient?"

Blake scowled. "That's what I said!"

"You're right." And this time, he made sure to sound subservient. "I apologize." He raised a brow. "Anything else?"

"Mm...I think I should make things harder for you."

"Whatever you wish, my queen."

"Baby."

"Baby."

"No, no, no." She shook her head. "You should say my queen baby ."

There were laughter and choking this time, and a particularly loud groan which sounded very much like Frankie's voice.

"Understood, my queen baby."

" Oh my God ." This time, there was definitely no doubting it was Frankie, and she sounded like she was about to throw up in disgust.

"Aha!" Blake swayed as she leaned forward, and it took several laughable tries of her cupping her hands over different parts of his body before she finally got it right. Hands cupped over his ear, she whispered, "My next command is..."

Thornton's eyes widened.

Aidan glanced at his youngest brother, who, as always, was busy recording the whole thing. "I don't think you'll be able to show this in public."

"Why not? Blake's a good sport. She'll..." Ethan quickly stopped filming when he saw where Thornton's hand was going.

Aidan smirked. "You were saying?"

Ethan shook his head. "Who would've thought?" Their innocent little Blake...was not so innocent after all.

The End