Six months later
Alexa arched her back up off the bed and moaned, her hands pinned above her head, her orgasm shimmering around her. Zack circled his hips, fucking her exactly the way she loved and sending her over the edge. Her hips bucked and jerked, and she called out his name, so loud that the neighbors could probably hear them. He kissed a path down her neck, and after a few more hard, deep thrusts, he buried himself inside her, panting her name.
He let go of her wrists, and she slid her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close and kissing him, her legs still around his hips. He stayed hard inside her, and he flexed his hips. Her muscles clenched around him in response, and he deepened the kiss.
“Aha! Hahaha!” His laugh was loud and high pitched, and he squirmed slightly above her. “Someone’s licking my toes.”
She laughed and pushed up onto her elbows. Sure enough, Schroeder, the black-and-tan dachshund they’d adopted a month ago, stood at the foot of the bed, poking his head up over the edge like the world’s cutest prairie dog.
“Hey, puppy,” she cooed, and he gave an excited little whine. She lay back down and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “We’ll have to save round two for later. I think someone needs a walk.”
Zack kissed her once more and then pulled away, moving to the edge of the bed to pull on his jeans. She came up behind him and kissed the Japanese characters on his back. Honor. Loyalty. Bravery. Strength.
He’d inked those values onto his skin, and she watched him live by them every single day. She reached forward and traced her fingers over the scars, one from the bullet wound, the other where Ian had saved his life.
She still wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve him, this amazing, selfless, gorgeous man. But she knew she never, ever wanted to let him go, and so she tried to be worthy of him, every single day.
He gently pulled her hand away from his scars and raised it to his mouth to kiss her fingertips. He stood and then pulled a shirt on, moving to the window. Huge fluffy white flakes fell from the gray Montreal sky.
“Hey, look, princess,” he said, and she rose from the bed and pulled her sweater and jeans on. He tucked her against him as they watched the very first snowflakes of the winter fall. They’d moved here in September, once Zack had finished his therapy and been given the go-ahead to ease back into training. They’d both been ready for a change of scenery, so when he’d been offered the chance to train at one of the top gyms in North America, they’d jumped at the chance to start fresh somewhere new.
Schroeder barked, and they both smiled. “Okay, okay,” she said. “We’re coming.” He scampered toward the front door of their apartment, tail wagging so fast that his entire back end moved with it. As Zack tugged on his boots, she retrieved Schroeder’s leash from the hook by the front door, and he danced in a circle. She pulled her coat on, waiting while Zack went back into the bedroom to get his phone. When he came back, he pulled her against him and kissed her, sweetly and gently. He kissed the tip of her nose, her temple, her forehead, and then opened the door. Cold, damp air swirled in around them, and she stepped outside, awestruck by the simple beauty of the falling flakes. For several moments they stood on the front stoop of their walk-up, watching as the snow drifted lazily from the sky. Even though their street was a busy one, there was something peaceful about the snow.
“You want to go up to the lookout?” he asked, referring to one of her favorite spots in their new city, and she nodded. She slipped her hand into his, and they started off, Schroeder trotting happily beside them. Taking their time, snowflakes falling prettily around them, they walked down Sherbrooke to Peel and then into Mount Royal Park.
“How was class today?” he asked as they walked, their breath puffing out in little white clouds.
She smiled. “Good. I’m nervous, but I think I’m ready for exams.”
“You’re gonna kill it, princess. You’ve been working so hard.”
She’d enrolled at McGill University and was taking courses in anthropology, psychology, and communications while she figured out what she wanted to major in. It was everything she’d hoped it would be, and while she’d endured the curious stares of her classmates for the first couple of weeks, everyone seemed to have accepted her as just another student now.
“You’ve been working hard too,” she said, and stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’m proud of you.”
He smiled. “It feels good to get back in there again.”
After being shot, he’d spoken with a representative from the UFC, and the organization had left the offer on the table, waiting for him when he was ready. She’d been there, right beside him, when he’d signed the contract last month, and she knew he was hoping to book his first fight by summer. She knew that he missed being a bodyguard sometimes, but it was a small sacrifice to make to chase his dreams. And she was happy to cheer him on every step of the way.
They reached the lookout, and she sighed happily. It was a flat, open area that provided a breathtakingly beautiful view of the Montreal skyline. A fine dusting of snow sat on top of the concrete railing, and she trailed her gloved fingers through it, watching the flakes scatter like fairy dust. Schroeder sniffed at the snow and then sneezed, a few white flakes still clinging to his little black nose.
The Montreal skyline twinkled in the falling dusk, and the park’s lights came on, including the colorful Christmas lights strung through the bare branches of the trees. Dozens of people milled about, couples and families and people walking dogs. A gust of wind swirled the snow around them.
“Hey, aren’t you Alexa Fairfax?” asked a man who’d approached them.
She plastered a smile onto her face. “Yeah, I am.”
“Oh, wow. Can I get a picture with you?”
She nodded and rolled her eyes at Zack when the man wasn’t looking. The story of the Golden Brotherhood, her father’s death, and her mother’s imprisonment had been huge news, and she’d spent more time in the spotlight in the months following last summer’s events than she ever had during her career as an actress. Her mother had been devastated by Jonathan’s death, and had vowed never to speak to Alexa again, which, frankly, suited Alexa just fine. She was ready to put that part of her life behind her and move forward without the darkness of her family hanging over her. She’d found a new family with Zack and the De Lucas, who were making the trek to Montreal in a couple of weeks so they could all spend Christmas together. Sierra, Sean, Taylor, and Colt were all coming up for New Year’s Eve. She loved her new life, but missed her friends, and was looking forward to seeing them.
Once the man was satisfied with the selfie he’d taken, she took Schroeder’s leash back from Zack. “You know, some days I’m really sick of being Alexa Fairfax.”
He smiled, and something about the gleam in his eye sent her heart racing. “Mmm. Maybe I can help with that.”
“What do you…” But the rest of her question died on her lips as he pulled a velvet box from the pocket of his coat. He flipped it open, revealing a simple round-cut diamond ring. Beautiful and perfect, just like the snowflakes falling around them.
“I think Alexa De Luca has a nice ring to it, don’t you?” he asked, and her heart flew into her throat, fluttering madly.
“Are you asking me…” Once again she couldn’t finish her question. Her eyes were stinging, her throat clogging, and her heart was trying to escape her body. Probably to fly into his waiting hands.
He sank to one knee, the ring box still extended in one hand. “Six months ago today, I kissed you for the first time, and I knew right then that I loved you. I couldn’t remember what it was like to not have you in my life, couldn’t understand how I’d lived without you. I don’t ever want to find out.” He pulled the ring free and held it clasped between his thumb and his forefinger. “I bought this the week we moved here. I was going to wait for Christmas Eve, but screw it.” He dropped the ring box and took her shaking hand. “Alexa Elizabeth Fairfax”—he looked up and held her eyes with his—“will you marry me?”
She blinked rapidly, tears slipping free as her heart beat a happy, fluttering rhythm in her chest. God, her world made so much sense with him in it, made sense in a way it never had without him. She nodded, warmth radiating through her despite the snow falling around them. “Yes,” she whispered.
He stood, and she threw her arms around him, kissing him. He kissed her back, and she could taste the promised happiness of the next sixty years on his lips. Breaking the kiss, she tore at her gloves impatiently, juggling them and Schroeder’s leash, wanting the ring on her finger.
“There’s an inscription,” he said, and she took it in her trembling fingers, tilting it to see the words.
Yours. Mine. Ours. Us.
She slipped it on and repeated the words, kissing him after each one. “Yours. Mine. Ours. Us.”
He pulled her tight against him and kissed her temple. “Always, princess.”