I have his hand pinned and I'm going off on his face.
This is T.V. though so someone pulls me off him.
They are tending to his face when I feel hands and arms on me.
It's a huge celebration with confetti, horns, champion music. The host brings out an ornate red and gold crown and plops it on my wet head.
I hop over the side of the ring and grab Mila. Knox, Sutton, Mace, and Remy jump up and down and pat me on the back. The crown falls off and Sutton picks it up and hands it back to me. Mila plops it back on my head.
Everyone is pumped. Now's my chance to make a memory.
Knox hands me the ring.
I drop to one knee and smile at Mila.
The crowd is silent for a second then erupts in crazed cheering.
Mila covers her face with her hands.
"Mila. I've wanted to marry you since I first saw you. Now, it's finally here. Marry me."
She nods and drops down to her knees.
We kiss through a smile and the crowd erupts again. We put on a good show, but this is reality for us.
I pick her up and swing her around, laughing and smiling with my forever family.
We'll remember this moment for the rest of our lives.
Chapter 26 Thank you
One year later.
Fairy lights sparkle in the redwood tree we planted for Henry.
In front of Henry's tree, his surfboards stand in a cross watching over our wedding ceremony. With the boards and the tree he wanted, Henry is here with us.
Our kids are here with us too. Knox, Mace, and Remy, are my best men, all three wearing tuxedos for the first time in their lives. Sutton is Mila's maid of honor and looks beautiful in a pastel pink dress.
Sable curls trail down Mila's back. A billowing white dress with lace flowers and sexy see-through panels frames her luscious body. I can't wait to promise her my love.
It's not the high-society big Italian family extravaganza she would've had back in New York, but she didn't want that. She wanted her new family around her, the peacefulness of the forest as our soundtrack, and Henry's spirit looking down on us through the fairy lights.
It's my turn to talk and I'm nervous, but I get the words out like I practiced. "Henry told me that someday I'd understand what he meant when he said You don't want to be on this earth if she's not in it. He was right. I couldn't imagine living life without you. Henry wanted you for me. He always knew we'd be together and I'm so grateful to him for that. All my life, I've wanted a family, and I found it in your eyes. Standing in front of Henry's tree and boards, with his spirit watching over us, I promise to love you from head to toe, heart to soul, every day of my life."
She whimpers with her effort to hold back tears. "You taught me the meaning of unconditional love. I'd never felt it before until I met you. When I first saw the Unstoppable Foster Twist, I thought you were incredible, but I never thought I'd be lucky enough to be the one you love. I promise to celebrate each day together and grow our family till our hearts explode with the joy of it all. I will love you head to toe, heart to soul, every day of my life."
We kiss and it's right. We are finally where we belong. Free to love each other on Pleasure Mountain, the place where Henry and Sherry also found forever. It feels right, deep in my gut, I've always known she was it for me. Placing my ring on her finger is the most important moment of my life. The light in her eyes brings me so much satisfaction.
We gained and lost and fought to get here, but it was all worth it.
This is us. It's who we are meant to be and it's everything I've ever dreamed of.
Thank you, Henry. For making this all happen. I promise to pay it forward.
###
Playlist
"A Million Dreams" by The Greatest Showman Soundtrack
"Bad" by James Bay
"Hero" by Chris Lane
"Hurricane" by Luke Combs
"I'm Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet)" by Des'ree
"Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
"My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion
"On My Own" by Les Miserables Original Broadway Cast
"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran Cello cover by Vesislava
"Pretty Girl" by Chris Mann
"Real Love" by Haneri
"Secret Garden" by Bruce Springsteen
"Someone You Love" by Louis Capaldi
"The Girl I Mean To Be" by Lucy Simon
Twisted Love Sneak Peek
Twisted Love Prologue - Ten Years Later
Knox(Cutter)
For ten years, I've stalked this man. Now, it's time to strike.
My adopted family has warned me to let it go. My biological sister begs me to leave him alone. They care about me. I get it.
But I can't move on until the rage burning inside me is smothered. Until justice is served. Until he faces his reckoning.
Forgetting about it is like letting him get away with murder. He hurt me, my sister, my mother. I know in my gut he continues to hurt people. I just need to catch him in the act.
I've been waiting for him to slip up, and I think my chance is finally here.
Three Virginia's Secret lingerie models have disappeared in one month. One turned up dead by a questionable suicide.
The other two are gone without a trace.
The police aren't even looking into the company's owner and CEO, Arthur Morganstein. He's too high profile and famous to be investigated.
But I know in my gut he's behind it.
So here I sit in front of Morganstein's gated estate in Beverly Hills.
The palm trees enshrouding the perimeter fence blow in the warm California breeze. Three weekends I've been sitting here on my bike waiting for something to happen. It never does.
With a click, the iron gate in front of the residence rolls to the right. Jackpot. Headlights crest the hill and a black Lincoln Town Car turns into the drive. Before the gate closes, a van follows the first car in.
This is my chance. My heart pounds as I run from my bike, up the hill, and jump through the last sliver of opening before the gate slams shut.
I have to creep around in the bushes to find a vantage point. Arthur Morganstein steps out of the first car, his bald head shining in the lights, and the rage flares again. He's such an asshole with his smug face and tailored suits.
He opens the back door to the van. Two, three, four young women, dressed in tight dresses and heels, climb out. They giggle with nervous laughter.
Those poor women have no idea they're in danger. They're probably excited to be invited to Arthur Morganstein's mansion. So sick.
They enter the residence together and I have to force myself to stay put. It would be so satisfying to barge in there and slash his throat. But that will accomplish nothing. One thing I've learned over the last ten years is self-control. Patience, preparation, and practice.
If I want to take down Arthur Morganstein, I have to find a way into one of those parties and figure out what's going on.
The thought makes bile rise in my throat.
I don't want to be near him, much less talk to him.
But I have to do it.
If justice is going to be served, it's going to be me who delivers it.
Twisted Love Chapter 1 Hate Fuck