Eight Years

Epilogue

One year later:

I hook my arm around Jaxon's as we step outside from Ann's. Our stomachs full, minds relaxed and happy, our one year anniversary dinner behind us.

And like on our six months mark, he closed the restaurant early today, sent everyone home, and cooked for me himself while I sat on top of a counter and watched. I love watching him cook.

"I love you, Barry," he says and presses a kiss onto my forehead. And another one.

I'm pretty sure I'm very damn close to being as red as a tomato. I blush every time he says those words, which he's done quite a few times tonight already. I lay my head against his arm as we begin walking to the parking lot. "I love you too, Darling."

"How many times have I told you to cut it with that name already?" he chuckles under his breath. "At least a million."

A drop hits my bare shoulder. Two more.

Jaxon shrugs out of his suit jacket and puts it onto my shoulders, covering my arms from the rain that's starting to pour down. "Let's go home," he says and unlocks the doors to his car.

But I stop him before he can open the door for me, and put my hands on his shoulders. "I wanna do something first." Bringing my hands to the back of his neck, I pull his body closer to mine as the rain falls down on us, wetting our clothes and hair and everything.

His hands come down to rest on my hips, getting the idea, but he still asks, "And what's that?" His gaze drops down to my lips as we move around, dancing in the rain.

"This," I whisper against his mouth before connecting it with mine. My hand moves to the side of his face as my tongue runs over his.

My dress is sticking to my skin, the combination of the rain and the cool breeze making my legs freeze. But I couldn't care less about all that now. All I want to focus on is the man in my arms, and celebrating us tonight.

Jax brings his hand up to brush my wet hair out of my face. "Even when standing in the pouring rain, your clothes and hair sticking to your face and body, you're the most beautiful woman on this entire planet." A peck to my lips. "And I'm the luckiest fucking man to get to hold you and call you mine."

"I love you, Emaline Barrett. Soon-to-be Emaline Maverick." He lifts up my hand to see the ring on my finger. The ring that I found a year ago sitting on his dresser. Kissing my hand, his heated eyes hold mine.

"Or soon-to-be Darling?" I ask with a smirk on my lips. "You know, you could always change your name back."

"Is that what you want? For us to be Darlings, and have a little Darlings' family?"

Smiling, I look up at the sky as he dips me down, bending down with me while supporting me with an arm around my waist. "That'd sound perfect, actually." I laugh as he pulls us back up and our noses bump together. "The Darlings," I test the word on my tongue, loving it.

"Then that's what we're doing." He twirls me around, the only sounds we're able to hear in the middle of Boston being the rain, our rapid heartbeats, heavy breaths, and our words to each other. "The day you choose to marry me, I'm changing my name with you."

I kiss his lips again, holding his face and body as close as possible to mine. I'm never letting go of you again.

"Now can we go home?" he asks when the rain starts pouring down harder. "I don't want to get my fiance sick when I have all these plans for us for tonight, and tomorrow, and the day after that." Another peck on my lips. "And for all the years that lay ahead of us."

I nod, taking his hand as he takes us back to the car. He opens the door for me, and like back in high school and ever since, waits for me to buckle my seat belt and make sure my legs and everything's inside before he closes the door. Even in the pouring, freezing rain, he waits.

I love you so much, Jaxon Maverick. Soon-to-be Darling.