“Rowan has asked me to serve as her chief deputy, and I’ve accepted. The money’s decent. It will be a lot less dangerous than working the line, and I won’t be away from home nearly as often.” He looked into her eyes. “There will be time in my life for a wife and a family.”
Natalie’s heart skipped. “Are you . . . are you asking me to marry you?”
Zach got down on one knee. “I know I’m not the easiest man to be around, but I’m not the person I was when you met me. You told me we could take life one kiss at a time. But that’s not enough for me now. I don’t want one kiss—I want a thousand. I want to live, Natalie, and I want to love you. I want to be the father of your children. I want to make the most out of every sunrise and sunset. Life is short and fragile. I don’t want to waste another moment on fear and regret.”
Without breaking eye contact, he took her hand. “I love you, Natalie. I love you with everything I am. Will you marry me?”
Natalie glanced over at the tombstone that bore Beau’s name, then met Zach’s gaze, the love he felt for her warm in his gray eyes. She had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could answer, tears of happiness blurring her vision. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you, Zach.”
He let out a shaky breath, and she realized he’d been nervous. Then he reached into his pocket and drew out the most beautiful diamond ring she’d ever seen. In the center was a princess-cut blue diamond with white solitaires on either side. He slipped it on her finger. “The diamond reminded me of the color of your eyes. I hope you like it.”
“Oh!” She stared at it, astonished. “It’s beautiful.”
He drew her to her feet, took her into his arms, and kissed her—a long, slow kiss that told her how much he loved her in a way words could not, one big hand working its way up her spine till his fingers tangled in her hair.
Heart thudding, she smiled up at him. “Another nine-hundred ninety-nine to go.”
“Then we’d better get back to the hotel.” He grinned.
“Besides we’ve got a lot of practicing to do if we want to get good at making babies.”
“Let’s hurry.” It had been three weeks, after all.
Then, hand in hand, they walked out of the cemetery—and into a new beginning.
EPILOGUE
Two months later
“I CAN’T TAKE my eyes off you.”
Natalie looked up at her new husband as they claimed the first dance, surrounded by friends. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
Dressed in a black Armani tux with a gray silk vest, gray silk tie, and crisp white shirt, he looked more edible to Natalie than the four-foot-tall cake they’d cut and left to their guests to devour.
The wedding had gone off without a hitch. They’d rented a manor in Estes Park amid stands of golden aspen, selected a cake, flowers, and a dinner menu, and then left it up to the manor’s staff to put it all together. That had given Natalie the time she needed to find the right dresses for herself and her bridesmaids. She’d gone with a white silk Oscar de la Renta with sheer beaded sleeves and a mini-train, while her bridesmaids had chosen empire-waist gowns in a deep burgundy red, a style that would accommodate Tessa’s and Kat’s growing bellies. Natalie had spent her spare time with Zach hunting for their dream home. They’d found what they wanted—a sunny five-bedroom house with granite countertops, a big sunken tub, and indoor and outdoor fireplaces—in the mountains west of Denver and would move in once they got back from their honeymoon in France.
Zach nuzzled her temple. “I cannot wait to go to our room. I’m going to take off this beautiful silk dress—and whatever sweet things you’re hiding beneath it—and spend the entire night making you scream.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Damn straight it is.”
From somewhere behind them, Joaquin’s camera flashed. He was the official wedding photographer.
Natalie felt a flutter in her belly, anticipation beginning to build. “And how are you going to do that? How are you going to make me scream?”
He nuzzled deeper. “With my fingers, my lips, my tongue, and,” he whispered into her ear, “with my cock.”
She felt a familiar ache between her thighs. “How much longer do we have to wait before it’s polite to leave? Everyone seems to be having such a wonderful time. I think Rowan’s tipsy.”
Zach glanced over at his new boss and chuckled, the smile on his handsome face lighting up Natalie’s heart. “I think we should at least stay for the first hour.”
He looked so much happier these days, less troubled, younger. It wasn’t that the nightmares were gone. He still had bad dreams once in a while, but they were growing less frequent, and he wasn’t turning to alcohol afterward. When dreams woke him, Natalie would hold him, and they would talk or make love, and he would sleep again.
“I am so lucky to have you in my life.” He looked into her eyes, his voice rich and resonant.
She smiled, feeling loved. “Have I ever told you how much I love your voice?”