“Yes a thousand times!” It wasn’t that I didn’t care about the ring, but the urge to hug him dominated. So I dropped onto my knees and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck. I only allowed him to hold me briefly, then I pulled back, cupped his jaw, and pressed my lips to his.
Kingsley responded without hesitation. He drew me back against his solid body, slightly angling my head to deepen the kiss. He tasted like mint and devotion and healing.
He broke off and pressed his forehead to mine, breathing hard. “I have no idea about marriage, but I know it can get rough. You have my promise that I’ll do my best to always honor, respect, and love you.”
That I knew. The man dideverythingwith devotion.
My eyes burned. “Unless you want me to cry, please stop talking.”
“Then let me put that ring on your finger.”
“Wait, I have conditions.”
He slowly drew back, his brows drawn low. “What’s that?”
“You need to grow your hair back.” I ran a hand over his buzz cut. “I need to be able to run my fingers through it.”
“Deal. Anything else?”
“Nope. I’m a simple woman.”
His chest rumbled with a low laugh. “Good, because I’m a simple man.” He lifted my left hand and slipped the ring on. It was a delicate silver band with a single diamond—pure perfection.
“It’s breathtaking,” I whispered. I once again wrapped my arms around Kingsley’s neck. “I can’t wait to do life with you.”
He held me close. “I can’t wait either.”
Epilogue
Kingsley
“Babe, are you awake?” Harley’s voice, hoarse with sleep, came from right above me.
I rolled onto my back on the laminate floor, finding her peeking over the edge of the bed. Wan moonlight pressed through one of the open windows of our humble bedroom, the curtains moving in the soft breeze. “Yeah.”
“Can’t sleep?” she whispered.
“No.” I got up and climbed into bed. Pulled her to me, so her back melded against my chest. I still had nights where I was too restless to stay in bed and ended up sleeping on the floor. Harley understood. She also understood when I needed to get away from everything. Where she constantly needed people around her, I frequently went for a hike on my own.
“What’s eating at you?” she asked.
I pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear. “Nothing. Just counting my blessings. My job. Our home.” I trailed kisses along her jaw. “You, Sam—”
Cooing came from the crib on the other side of the room. Then our little man broke into deafening wailing. It was beyond me how a three-month-old could be so loud. He definitely took after his mother.
“Yup, this guy.”
Sighing, Harley reached for the lamp on the nightstand. Soft light flooded our small bedroom. “I just fed him an hour ago.”
“I got him.” I climbed out of bed and approached the crib. Samuel’s face was crimson and contorted, his fists flailing in the air.
I lifted him out and nestled him against my chest. He instantly stilled.
“I’ll never get over this sight,” Harley said from the bed, a smile adorning her face. Her red hair was unkempt, the dark circles under her eyes telling a story of the countless nights Samuel had kept us up.
The urge to kiss her hit me with a vengeance. I absolutely would have, if not for the little man drooling on my chest. I slipped back into bed and pulled Harley into my side with my free arm. “Go back to sleep, Sweetheart.”
She snuggled into me with a contented sigh, and my heart echoed that same peace. Over the past months I’d slowly learned to let go of my mistakes and move on. Sure, sometimes it still hurt to think about how much my life had altered because of my choices. I would be a priest now, fully focused on serving the Lord. But He had given me a different opportunity to do His work—Harley and I helped others deal with their lust and sexual sin. We offered courses, one-on-ones, and sometimes even preached about these topics.
