by Selena Scott
He closed his eyes hard.
“You have no idea what it does to me to hear you say that out loud.”
“Get used to it.”
“The cop said we should get married.”
“You said that before.”
“You didn’t say yes or no,” he reminded her.
“Wait.” She squinted at him. “Are you actually asking me?”
“No?” He looked like he was trying to measure her reaction.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She pulled back and got to her knees on the bed. “I know I still have a lot to learn about the human world, but I know that “the cop said we should get married” is not a valid proposal of marriage.”
“All right, all right,” he said, laughing and dragging a hand over his face. “I’ll ask again later.”
She’d been certain that she was right. That that proposal had been utter crap. But now that he wasn’t immediately asking her again in a more thoughtful way, she felt a little regretful to have cut the legs out from under him so thoroughly.
“Dawn?” he asked, tucking her in next to him.
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, still facing him, her face tipped toward his warmth and presence like a flower to the sun. She wanted this moment to go on forever and ever.
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
“Here. Hold these and stand there,” Ida instructed, shoving a pile of wildflowers into Dawn’s arms and dragging her over to stand in a patch of sun right next to Phoenix. “And smile.”
Ida charged off and Dawn blinked bemusedly down at the messy pile of flowers in Phoenix’s arms as well. Dawn raised an eyebrow and Phoenix just shrugged. “These days I just do what she says.”
“Because she’s pregnant?”
“Because she’s pregnant and scaring the pants off of everyone.” It was definitely true that since Ida had gotten pregnant, she’d been a bit… bossy.
But all of that paled in comparison to her level of boss today. On this most sacred of days.
Actually, up until this moment, this day had felt completely ordinary. Until about twenty minutes ago when Diana had casually announced to the group that they’d gone to get a marriage license last week and she and Orion were going to get married in the backyard in a few minutes.
Ida had blasted into action, forcing everyone to take showers and change into nicer clothes. She’d tugged up most of the wildflower garden she’d been growing in her yard and driven like a madwoman across town to pick up an impromptu wedding cake.
Now, Phoenix and Dawn stood beside Orion in their backyard as he waited for Diana to emerge, as instructed by Ida.
It had been a heck of a year. Full of transitions. One of her brothers was gonna be a dad soon. The other one was about to be a husband.
On the deck, sitting around in their pulled-together formal wear, was Wren, looking equal parts bored and amused, and next to her was Jesse, quiet as usual, his face tipped to the sky. He’d become a bit of a fixture with their group of friends ever since Florida.
And last but not least—Dawn’s breath caught in her throat—came Quill. He stepped out of their kitchen onto their back porch wearing a crisp, black suit.
He’d said he was going home to get dressed for the wedding but…
“Damn,” Dawn breathed.
“Show off,” Phoenix muttered.
Things between Quill and Dawn’s brothers were manageable if not outright friendly. If Dawn could see into the future, she would definitely expect to see them all as good friends ten years down the line, but until then, not enough time had passed. She knew that Quill still had to prove himself in their eyes.
Which was probably why he’d gone home to change into a suit. Because ever since he and Dawn had decided to be one another’s family, he’d tried to make amends with her family. It was working. Little by little.
“Quill!” Ida shouted. “Why are you up there? Nice suit, by the way. You’re supposed to be down here with me.”
She waved him down off the porch and lined him up right next to her, so that he and Dawn stood across from one another.
“What are you talking about?” he asked in confusion. “I’ll just watch from over there.”
“No,” Ida said with a shake of her head. “You’re standing up in the wedding. On Diana’s side.”
Instant tears sprang up in Quill’s eyes and matching ones appeared in Dawn’s. Because over the last year, Ida, Diana, and Quill had worked really hard on repairing the trust between them. For a few months, it had seemed like Diana would never be able to fully forgive him for what he’d done. But after she’d started helping him to get his non-profit off the ground, it seemed that she truly felt he was reforming himself.
Their friendship had come back full force over the last few months. Enough that she wanted him to stand by her side at her wedding.
“Family,” Dawn mouthed to him after she caught his eye.
He nodded his head and wiped at the moisture around his eyes.
Orion came out first, wearing a dark gray suit and looking beautiful and happy and fulfilled. He hugged both of his siblings and then took his place in the sun, waiting for his bride.
Diana came marching out of the house on the arm of her stepdad. She wore a long, colorful dress and a big smile on her face.
Dawn wished that Sasha could have been there. He’d been visiting Portland often enough over the last few months, but he’d left that morning; apparently he had somewhere important he had to be.
All thoughts dissolved as Diana and Orion greeted one another with huge smiles and preemptive kisses. Her stepdad, who’d gotten ordained for this moment, took his place between them and started the wedding.
“You wanna get married?” Quill mouthed to Dawn and she laughed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
He must have asked her no less than fifty times since that moment in the hospital bed. Each time had been as ridiculous and impromptu and unromantic as “the cop said we should get married”. It was kind of their thing now.
Someday, they’d marry each other, she knew. Just like Phoenix and Ida would as well. They were making a family, all of them together, and it would only grow. She hoped that Wren would find someone, and Jesse, and Sasha too. But in the meantime, their big, messy family would just have to suffice.
It was a blessing, to have this much love.
She locked eyes with Quill, one hand over her heart, and knew he felt the exact same way.
The End
Other books by Selena Scott
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The Dragon Realm Series
Book 1 - Chosen by the Dragon
Book 2 – The Dragon’s Touch
Book 3 – The Dragon’s Desire
Book 4 – The Dragon’s Passion
Secret Shifters of Spokane Series
Book 1 – Danil’s Mate
Book 2 – Emin’s Mate
Book 3 – Maxim’s Mate
Book 4 – Anton’s Mate
Shifter Fever Series
Book 1 – Ansel’s Game
Book 2 – Alec’s Game
Book 3 – Matt’s Game
Book 4 – Kains’ Game
Book 5 – Griff’s Game
Shifters of the Seventh Moon Series
Book 1 – The Shifter’s Shadow
Book 2 - The Shifter’s Embrace
Book 3 – The Shifter’s Seduction
Book 4 – The Shifter’s Desire
Forbidden Shifters
Book 1 - A Mate for Seth
Book 2 – A Mate for Raphael
Book 3 – A Mate for Jackso
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Book 4 – A Mate for Phoenix
Book 5 – A Mate for Orion
Book 6 – A Mate for Quill
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