“I love you,” I told her. “I love you more than anything in this world. I promise I will do everything I can to make you happy. You will always be taken care of and cherished.”
“Xander, you are a beautiful man. I love you. I cannot wait to be your wife. I promise I will work hard to make you happy. I will love you no matter what comes our way.”
There was a sense of peace that washed over me. We were forever bound. I knew there was nothing we couldn’t handle together. We were a team and we always would be. “We should probably go back inside before they start looking for us.”
“Or we could sneak away and go home,” she said.
I kissed her again. “Woman, do not tease me. I will take you right against the wall if you let me.”
“Home. Later.”
I kissed her forehead, being careful not to muss her hair. “I’m going to hold you to it.”
We made our way back inside. It wasn’t long before the news of our engagement spread around the party. What was supposed to be a celebration of a lot of hard work and success turned into an engagement party. Evie insisted she was throwing one of those in the coming months. I didn’t mind a bit. I would attend any party she wanted me to if it made her happy.
I liked having a purpose in life that had nothing to do with making money or being successful. My only goal when I opened my eyes in the morning was to make her happy. I felt I owed it to her. She had come into my life at a time when I didn’t even know I needed her. She had made me whole. She had gotten me through what was absolutely the worst time of my life. Her love kept me afloat.
My dad came to stand beside me as I watched Evie work the crowd, flashing her ring to anyone that asked. “She’s really something,” he commented.
“Yes, she is.”
“Your mother would have liked her.”
I nodded, smiling as someone hugged her and congratulated her. “Kade knew. The moment Kade met her, he knew. I just wish he could be here to see it all.”
“I’m sure he knew you two were going to end up together, no matter how hard you tried to screw it up.”
We both got a small laugh at that. “I did do a damn good job making a mess of things. I’m lucky she loves me despite my many flaws.”
“Yes, you are. Always remember that. When you don’t feel like you can do anything right or you feel like you are tired and weary, remember she loves you. A good woman’s love can carry a man through for the rest of his life if he lets it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as I watched her move around the room.
I watched her and the other people that had made an impact in my life. I had never been surrounded by so many people I cared about. They were all there. I had a family. A real family.
The days of being a lone wolf were behind me and I was never going to look back.
The End