It’s amazing how fast time flies when you’re not being hunted by a deranged serial killer. Ronin has spent the last couple of weeks spoiling me completely rotten, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t soak up every second of it.
‘What do you want to do today?’ I ask while I shove a strawberry slathered in ranch dressing between my lips. I don’t know what it is about the whole fruit-dips combo, but the twins can’t seem to get enough. Somewhere in the distant part of my mind, I know it’s probably repulsive, but it’s the only thing that ever sounds good for breakfast.
Sort of like a fucked up fondue.
Oooh, fondue. I whip my phone out and order a pot on Amazon same-day shipping.
Right as I’m one-clicking that shit, Ro leans over and kisses my cheek while plucking my phone out of my hand. ‘Let’s wait on ordering this until this afternoon.’
I pout like a toddler. I’m feeling the full effects of pregnancy hormones—and I think it’s double the hormones for double the babies, right? Isn’t that how it works?
I’m definitely using that as an excuse to get my way. Throw in the kidnapping and beating I took from Simon-Levi, the lunatic, and I’ve got a free pass to do whatever I want for at least the next year.
Minimum.
Ro laughs and kisses the top of my head. ‘Don’t worry, Spitfire. You can have all the melted cheese your heart desires, but first, you have to get that cute ass up and dressed. We’re taking a field trip.’
I perk up. Ronin hasn’t let me out of his sight in more than two weeks, and the doctor’s orders were to lay low and not do anything strenuous during that time. We’ve been holed up in our hotel room with a distinct and severe lack of sex. I’m starting to think I’ll be next to fall to the curse of insanity if I don’t get some fresh air and orgasms, stat—not necessarily in that order.
Unfortunately for me, Ronin is treating the doctor’s suggestions as law. So my poor vagina is neglected, and with the hormone soup floating around in my body, I’m about to one-click myself a mold your favorite dick dildo kit and get myself some relief.
‘What kind of field trip?’ I have to admit, I’m intrigued. The four walls of this room have slowly started to close in, and five-star luxury or not, I want my custom bed and rainfall showerhead. Despite what I said before about Ronin being my home, there’s something to that whole place you lay your head at night saying. I wasn’t made for hotel living, and every time I bring up finding a new place, Ronin resists.
I’ve had a feeling for a while now that he’s up to something, but after everything that happened, I’m content to let him do what it is he’s doing. If he’s doing something.
The truth is, we both like control. Maybe we both even need it, but after what happened to me, I see the haunted look in his eyes and know the shadows that linger there are because of the guilt eating him up. He blames himself for what almost happened, and while overall he seems lighter than he has the entire time I’ve known him, he’s clinging on to the things he can control as hard as he can right now.
At least he got closure for his sister’s death, justice for what happened to her, and I know he’s been going to therapy—virtual, of course, so he doesn’t have to leave me here by myself—to work through everything. When it comes down to it, I’m really fucking proud of him.
‘A secret one,’ he says, tapping me on the tip of my nose and handing me back my phone. ‘Now, go get ready. You’ve got fifteen minutes before we walk out that door whether you’re in the perfect outfit or not.’
Dropping my phone onto the coffee table, I jump up and hurry to change. I’ve been practically living in yoga pants, so it’s refreshing to have a reason to put actual clothes on. A cute sundress and wedges do the trick, and I throw my unruly red mane up in a ballerina bun on top of my head, feeling like my old self. The dress hides the way my belly is starting to pop out already. I’m only ending my first trimester and feeling bloated all the time. I look down and wonder where the hell the twins are going to fit in there.
I’m fairly certain there’s not enough room.
It takes me ten minutes to get ready, and I’m waiting by the front door like a dog ready for its walk, tapping my toes with my arms folded across my chest. ‘Let’s go, big guy! You’re taking forever,’ I complain. I swear Ronin takes longer to get ready to go out than I do.
When he steps out of the bedroom, every single complaint dies on my lips. He’s got on ripped black jeans and a grey t-shirt that hugs every single muscle in his chest and arms. I’m rendered speechless, and there’s a devilish smirk tilting up his wicked lips. He knows what he does to me, and the fact I’ve been sex-deprived for weeks has my entire body going up in flames at just the sight of my man looking good enough to eat.
Or take for a ride.
Maybe both.
Ronin steps right up in front of me and groans, wrapping his fingers around my biceps and spinning me away from him and toward the door. Then he lets me go like I actually am on fire and burning his skin before reaching around me to pull the door open. ‘You can’t look at me like you’re ready to jump on my dick, baby. It’s not fair. Now get your ass out of this room before I carry you out.’
‘If you would’ve given me some orgasms this morning, I might not look at you that way,’ I point out as we walk toward the elevator side by side.
‘I think we both know that’s a lie,’ he says, that smug smirk back on his face as he presses the down button.
I don’t argue because, frankly, he’s right. I’d still be reacting the same way. When we were in Bali, one night, we had so much sex I was walking practically bowlegged the next morning, and still one look at him, and I’d be drenched and ready to climb him like a tree.
When we get to his Charger, he opens the passenger door for me. I take a second before I climb inside to close my eyes and take a deep breath, reveling in the feeling of being out in the open without having to look over my shoulder. There’s no feeling of being watched like baby spiders crawling all over my skin.
‘Baby?’ Ronin questions and he steps closer. The warmth of his hard body presses against me, and I lean into him. ‘You okay?’
I nod and open my eyes, twisting my neck, so I’m looking up into his warm, dark eyes. ‘Taking a second to appreciate my freedom.’
‘How about I take you somewhere you can spend all the time you want appreciating it?’
I grin up at him and lift on my toes while he swoops down, and we meet in the middle with a kiss that makes me melt against him. My fingers delve into his hair, and I pull him closer while his hand slides down my back. I gasp when his fingers dip underneath the hem of my dress and when my lips part, his tongue pushes inside my mouth. Warmth spreads between my legs. I’ve been like kindling waiting on a lightning strike for days, and every time he touches me or our lips meet, I ignite with almost no effort at all.
I jump, and Ronin catches me underneath my thighs as my legs come around his waist. I’m rubbing myself on him completely shamelessly here in the hotel parking garage. I need an orgasm like I need the air I’m breathing, and Ronin flips us, pinning me to the side of the car as he rocks against me in exactly the right spot.
We’re out in the open, and while right now I don’t think anyone is down here, someone could find us at any time, but I can’t seem to find the will to care. My clit is pulsing, and Ronin pins me with his hips, so one hand is free to run up my thigh. Up under my dress, he pushes my panties to the side and plunges his finger inside me.
Ronin’s mouth covers mine as he swallows my moans. I rip my lips away. ‘More. Please, Ro. I need you.’
Another finger sinks inside me, and I cry out, feeling my pussy tighten and clench around him. His thumb brushes my clit, and I’m so wound up that I bury my face in the crook of his neck and cry out as an earthquake rattles through my body and my walls clamp down on his fingers as I come hard. My body feels like it’s turned to liquid, and he pulls his fingers free as aftershocks and tremors race through my core.
When Ronin eases back, his eyes are practically black with pupils blown out with lust, and his erection is digging into my thigh. ‘Fuck, there’s nothing better than watching you come.’
‘Want me to return the favor?’ I ask, looking up at him through hooded eyes. I’ll drop to my knees right here, right now, and the idea of that makes my mouth water. My gaze drops to the impressive bulge in his pants, and my tongue grazes along my lower lip.
‘Stop,’ he growls, tipping my chin up so I’m forced to look into his eyes. ‘You’re pregnant and not getting on your knees on the dirty concrete for me. Now get your sexy ass in the car so I can take you out before I lose control and lay you out on this hood and fuck you.’
My legs already feel liquefied, so it’s no effort at all to drop into the seat and let him close me in. When he rounds the car and slides behind the wheel, the post-orgasmic haze clears enough for my curiosity to jump to the forefront. ‘Where are we going?’
‘It’s a surprise.’ Ronin leans over and pops the glove box open, pulling out a black, satin sleep mask. ‘Put this on, baby. It’s not too far.’
A long time ago, I decided to put my trust in this man, and so far, he hasn’t let me down. That’s why I pull the mask down over my eyes. There are butterflies in my stomach. I thought everything that happened with Simon would’ve ruined me for the unexpected and surprises, but I’m happy to say it hasn’t. While I like control, I also like spontaneity and surprises—when they’re fun.
Ronin weaves our fingers together and holds my hand the entire drive, and it’s not until the car slows and then stops that he lets me go. The car rocks as he gets out, and his door closes, but I’m still in the dark.
The door beside me opens, and a breeze blows a couple of strands of my hair loose from my bun. Ronin reaches across my body and releases my seatbelt before tugging me up and out of the car. His fingers are gentle as they wrap around my arms and spin me so his chest is at my back.
When he lets me go, his hands move up to my face, and he gently tugs the mask off. I blink my eyes in the sunlight, and it takes a second for them to focus. ‘What am I looking at? Where are we?’
‘Welcome home, baby,’ Ro murmurs in my ear, and I shiver, feeling my pulse shoot sky high.
‘Are you shitting me?’ I squeal, taking a second to look over the massive tree in the front yard that already has a tire swing hanging from it, the larger than average grassy yard, and there’s gorgeous landscaping with sweet pink flower bushes and an actual white picket fence.
‘I shit you not,’ he says with a laugh. ‘You want to see inside?’
I spin, and our gazes collide, his warm and excited and filled with so much love my breath catches in my throat. ‘This is really ours?’
‘Fuck, I hope so, or else I spent the last couple of weeks having it renovated for nothing.’
‘I can’t believe you did this!’ I throw myself into his arms and pepper his face with kisses. He lifts me so my feet are off the ground, to kiss me more thoroughly before setting me down.
‘C’mon, let me show you around.’
He pulls a set of keys out of his pocket and leads me through the gate and up the brick walkway. This house is perfect. It’s a sweet little cottage in the midst of one of the biggest cities in the world. It’s our own little charming slice of paradise, a place that feels so warm and inviting already. ‘How many bedrooms are there?’
‘Five, so there’s plenty of room for the twins, and any more you might want.’ The way he looks at me when he says that totally melts me. Is this seriously the same guy who couldn’t handle having sex with me because he was afraid he might catch feelings?
The place is all white walls and windows with wood-beamed ceilings and even a fireplace. After the last room, I tug on his hand to get him to turn and face me. ‘Thanks, big guy. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect place for our family than this.’
The tension bleeds out of his body, and he gives me a lopsided smile. ‘Good, and with that in mind,’ he says, dropping to one knee right on the floor of our brand new living room, ‘I have a very important question to ask you.’
My hand flies to my mouth as I gasp. I’d sort of given up hope on the whole marriage thing. I accepted we were doing things backward and unconventionally, but considering how hard it was to get Ronin to come around to being my boyfriend, I was content to stay at that level forever.
Oh, don’t get me wrong—of course, I want to call him my husband. I just wasn’t willing to give him up if he was never ready.
My limbs tremble as I look down at him with wide eyes, and he pulls one of my hands into his and slips a corset diamond engagement ring onto my finger. ‘Baby, I love you. My life begins and ends with you, and I didn’t realize how true that was until I came home and you were gone. I’ve never been so fucking scared in my entire life. You’re everything, every-fucking-thing to me, and all I need in this life is you. So, Montana Blackwood, will you grant me my greatest wish and become my wife?’
Tears stream down my face as I fall to my knees in front of him and throw myself into his arms. ‘Fuck, yes, I’ll marry you.’ He laughs and wipes my tears away.
‘The day you decided to be mine, you gave me everything I ever wanted, but this… all of this is so much more than I ever hoped for. I trust you with my life, and more than that, I trust you with my heart. It’s cheesy when people say they found their other half, but you really are mine, big guy. There’s only one inevitability for us, and that’s you and me at the end of that aisle. Husband and wife, mom and dad. You’re my ride or die, and all the Carolines of the world can fuck right off because you belong to me for better or worse.’
‘Thank fuck, because we have a date,’ he says, standing up and pulling me with him.
My forehead wrinkles. ‘A date?’
‘Do you trust me?’
‘I just told you I do.’
He leads me out of the house, locking the door, but we don’t go for the car. Our hands are linked and swinging between us, and the weight of the new ring on my finger feels right. Around the corner is the cutest little park, but that’s not what draws my attention.
There, between the trees in the middle of a grassy field, stands a giant hot air balloon with ropes tied to stakes in the ground. ‘What is this?’ I find myself asking again, my gaze lifting up and up to the top of the balloon.
I squint at the basket. ‘Is that… Connor? And Gigi?’
Ronin grins. ‘Yeah, I thought you might want to carry on the Shadow Phoenix tradition.’
My gaze snaps to his. There’s only one tradition he could be referring to. ‘You just proposed.’
‘I did.’
‘We can’t get married already!’ I sputter, whipping my gaze back and forth between Ronin and the huge balloon.
‘Why not?’
‘Because!’
‘You’re making a really compelling argument here, baby,’ he says with a crooked grin.
‘Don’t you want to do the whole aisle thing? Invite our friends or…’ I trail off when I realize his family is all gone.
‘I don’t care about any of that. All I want is you, and with everything you’ve been through lately, I wanted to do something special that you didn’t have to plan at all. If you hate it, we can scrap the idea, or we can go through with it and then have another wedding with everything you could possibly want. It’s up to you.’
My heart warms at his thoughtfulness, and I find that at this moment, I don’t care about all the fancy stuff, either. All that really matters is Ronin. My gaze flicks back over to the hot air balloon and Connor waiting for us, feeling excitement spark inside me. ‘Oh, we’re for sure doing this now.’
This time, it’s me pulling him along as he laughs. When we get to Connor and his girlfriend, we’re both a little breathless. The balloon operator’s there, too, and the basket is bigger than I thought it’d be.
‘Hey, Montana. Glad to see this asshole got his shit together,’ Connor says as a greeting and leans over to kiss my cheek while Ronin slings his arm across my shoulders. I don’t know Gigi all that well, but she makes Connor happy and doesn’t let him get away with shit, so she’s cool in my book. She gives me a wave and an eye roll like she knows not to try and move in for a hug because there’s not a chance in hell Ronin’s going to let me go.
‘Are we ready to go?’ Ronin asks, leaning against me as he looks up into the balloon.
The pilot or whatever you want to call him nods, and we all climb into the basket. My knees tremble, and my heart thunders in my chest, and it’s not because I’m about to marry my love. No, it’s because the goddamn basket we’re standing in is a fucking basket. It’s the only thing between us and certain death as we rise into the air. While I’m usually adventurous, this thing is scary even for me.
All that disappears, though, as Ronin takes my hands in his and looks into my eyes like he’s staring into the depths of my soul.
Once we’re drifting in the sky, Connor stands in front of us as we face each other, and Gigi stands off to the side, watching. Connor’s eyes are on his woman and the look on his face… I bet it won’t be long before they’re the ones walking down the aisle—or standing in a hot air balloon basket—if he gets his way.
She grins like she knows it, and it makes me like her even more.
‘Did you two bring rings?’ Connor asks, and Ronin reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a couple of bands, handing them to Gigi to hold.
‘I’m going to keep this short and sweet since we’re at risk of a gust of wind taking us out up here,’ Connor says, eyeing the balloon operator like he might kill him before settling back on the two of us.
‘The two of you have been through so much over the span of your relationship, it’s fitting that you ended up here,’ Connor says, sweeping his arm out at our surroundings. ‘Marriage is a bold step into an unknown future. It’s risking who we are for the possibility of who we can be. If the old fairy-tale ending and they lived happily ever after were truly where you were now—at the end—there would be nowhere to grow, nothing to experience. Your ever after means a lifetime filled with challenges and goals, happiness and sorrow, and everything in between.’
Connor looks between us. ‘Hold hands,’ he orders, and Ronin tangles our fingers together.
‘Ronin, do you take Montana to be your wife? Do you promise to comfort her for better or worse, protect her from harm, and guard her heart?’
Ronin’s eyes blaze into mine as he speaks his vow, ‘I do.’
Connor asks me the same, and I only have eyes for my man as I answer, ‘I do.’
‘Ronin, repeat after me. Montana, I take you as you are. I promise from this day forward to fill our lives with adventure and our home with laughter. To support you as you grow as an individual and to make sure we always grow together. To love you completely no matter what life throws in our way,‘ Connor says, and Ronin recites the words back to me, his gaze so filled with awe and wonder, my eyes prick with tears.
Next up, it’s my turn, and I repeat the exact words back to Ronin, meaning every single one of them. My heart is galloping in my chest, and I can’t believe this is really happening. It feels so surreal standing here underneath the vast sky, looking up into the eyes of my forever love.
I see Connor nod out of the corner of my eye, and Gigi steps closer to us and hands us our rings. ‘Ronin, as you place the ring on Montana’s finger, please repeat after me. This ring symbolizes the love I have for you and the commitment we made today, may it go on for eternity like this never-ending circle.’
Ronin repeats the words, tugging my engagement ring off before slipping the warm metal onto my finger and pushing it down over my knuckle. He kisses my finger and then slides the huge diamond back onto my hand.
When it’s my turn, I get a little bit choked up but manage to get the words out, though not before a tear or two escapes and runs down my cheek.
‘Now that my part’s almost done, I pronounce you husband and wife. Ronin, man, don’t keep your bride in suspense. Kiss her!’ Connor laughs, and Ronin sweeps me up into his arms and crushes his mouth against mine, sealing our fate with an epic kiss that goes on for forever and borders on inappropriate.
Ronin pulls back, and I try to catch my breath while he rests his forehead against mine. ‘This balloon may have been the worst idea I’ve ever had,’ he growls, and I look up at him in surprise.
‘What? Why? I thought it was perfect and magical and unexpected.’
He nods, lifting his head away from mine. Connor and Gigi were over in the opposite corner, clearly trying to give us a little bit of space. ‘Because I need to be inside of you, and we’re stuck up here with three other people and no way down.’
I laugh but then sober at the look in his eye. It’s wild and untamed and makes my thighs clench together and liquid heat pool in my center. ‘How much longer until we land?’
Ronin checks his watch and then groans. ‘Too fucking long.’
I spin and press my back against his chest, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around my expanding waist. My head falls back against his shoulder, and I stare off at the horizon where the ocean meets the sky. ‘It’s a good thing we’ve got forever then, isn’t it?’
I think this is the most content I’ve ever felt in my entire life, here, floating above the world with my husband’s arms wrapped around me. Looking out into the expansive sky, all I see is possibility and hope for the future I always wanted.
Nothing’s going to stand in my way.
