“I love you, too.” She kissed him then. Her jaw hurt, and the move didn’t help matters any. But she didn’t care. There wasn’t a force on the planet strong enough to keep her from sealing their declarations with a kiss.
Not even a man as strong as Victor Manning.
Not even death.
It was over. It was finally, truly over.
And it was that knowledge that allowed Scarlett to finally give into the terror that had consumed her. Her face crumbled and this time, she didn’t even try to hold back.
She didn’t have to because she knew she was safe. And she knew that because Olly was the one holding her close.
EPILOGUE
Six months later…
“Are you ready?”
Scarlett looked up from the flowers clutched tightly in her hands to see her Maid of Honor walking toward her.
Rose looked absolutely stunning in the dusty pink gown she’d chosen for the ceremony, and Scarlett couldn’t be more thrilled that her sister had agreed to play such a major role in her and Olly’s special day.
I get to marry Olly today. I’m truly the luckiest woman in the world.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she told Rose with a smile. “I can’t imagine doing this without you.”
“Me, neither.” A teary-eyed Rose gave her a warm, sweet hug.
Both women were still dealing with the aftermath of what had happened. Rose more than her. But even she had made great strides toward healing and acceptance. And thanks to some friends within Olly’s circle—now her circle—Rose was enrolled in college to become a trauma counselor while working part-time as a tech in the same hospital where Brooke worked.
Olly was working full-time for a man named Jax Monroe as a bartender, but he also helped with the man’s P.I. business. Off-books, of course. Because felons weren’t allowed to become certified investigators. They also weren’t allowed to carry a gun.
But what Olly didn’t know yet was that Scarlett had wrapped a very special wedding present for him just that morning. An envelope containing his signed, sealed, and embossed letter from the governor of Colorado officially expunging his criminal record.
As of two o’clock yesterday afternoon, Olly was no longer a felon. Of course, she’d made everyone who knew swear to secrecy so she could surprise him later at their reception.
As for the trafficking ring, there were still some loose ends the feds were tying up. But from all accounts, theentireoperation had been fully and permanently shut down.
“Hey, what about me?” A deep male voice sounded from the doorway.
Both women turned to see their father looking as handsome as ever in his tux. It had been a shock to both him and Rose to learn Rose’s mother had led her to believe her father had died when Rose was just a baby.
That’s why Rose never looked for him, and it explained why he’d never known about her. The father-daughter duo was still working through the kinks of their new-found relationship. But it was going better than even Scarlett had expected, which was all anyone could hope for.
She laughed as she and Rose went to the graying man. “Of course, I’m glad you’re here, Dad.” She leaned up and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. “You’re my family.” She glanced at Rose. “You both are.”
Her dad blushed, but then glanced at his watch. “And you’re going to be late, if you don’t get a move on.”
Right on cue, the music started. Nerves swirled in Scarlett’s stomach, but only because she felt like she’d waited for this moment for so long.
After healing from her injuries, she’d gone back to Indiana to finish out the last two months of the school year with her class. And on the very last day of school, after the bell had rung and the kids were gone, she’d handed her principal her resignation.
She moved to Denver the following week, and she and Olly had been living in glorious sin ever since. But today…today, they were making it official.
Today, they would become husband and wife.
To make matters even better, her dad had shared the news that morning that he’d sold her childhood home and he, too, was moving to Denver. To be close to both his daughters, he’d said.
Both she and Rose had been thrilled.