Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“She asked me to burn the letter after I read it,” he explains. “I held on to it, reading it over and over again, wanting to remind myself of how badly I failed.” He places his hand in mine. “I think it’s time to move on. To let go of the past and focus on our present… on our future.”
EPILOGUE
SADIE
Six Months Later
“Thank you, New York, and Happy New Year!” Camden yells as the crowd screams in excitement. It’s New Year’s Eve, and Raging Chaos just finished their performance in Times Square. It’s freezing cold outside, but there was no way I was missing their performance. Rory is at home with Janice and Henry, warm and toasty and fast asleep. Gage made plans for us to stay at a hotel overnight to ring in the new year once their show is over.
“One more thing,” Gage says, shocking the hell out of me and everyone else. He plays the drums. He doesn’t sing… or talk. “Sadie, can you come out here, please?”
It takes me a second to wrap my head around what he’s asking, but when he smiles my way and nods, I put one foot in front of the other to join him on stage.
“What are you doing?” I whisper-yell.
“This is my girlfriend,” he says to the crowd, making them cheer.
“Hi.” I wave my hand quickly.
“I’ve thought about how to do this a million times, but every time it feels like it’s not romantic enough, or the timing isn’t right,” he says. “So I figured tonight would be perfect. What better way to start the new year than with you as my fiancée?” He quirks a brow. “Shoot, I probably should’ve proposed first. And now that I’m thinking about it, if you say no, it’s going to be a crappy way to start the year.”
The crowd bursts out in laughter at Gage’s botched proposal, and I join in, shaking my head. “Well, there’s only one way to know if it will be a good or bad year,” I say, only realizing too late that because of the mic on him, everyone can hear me.
“Oh, yeah.” He fumbles with his pocket and then pulls out a black box, popping it open. “Since the day I met you, I knew you were a game changer. You’re the lightness in my dark, the healer to my broken. You remind me every day that life is worth living, so I would love nothing more than to spend my life with you as my wife.”
Gage drops to his knee and holds out the ring. “Sadie Ruiz, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Umm…” I lift my finger to my chin and tap it playfully, and Gage chuckles. “Yes, I would love to be your wife.”
A massive grin stretches across his face as he pushes the ring onto my finger and then stands, lifting me in his arms and twirling me around.
“It’s probably for the best anyway,” I whisper, so only he can hear. “We already have one child out of wedlock. Maybe this baby will be born with his or her parents married.”
Gage stiffens at my half-joke and releases me, his blue eyes locking with my green. “Are you…?” He looks down at my still flat belly. I only just found out this morning. I planned to tell him once we were alone tonight after the show.
“I am… We are.” I smile a watery smile, and he pulls me into his arms, hugging me tightly.
“Fuck, baby,” he murmurs into my ear. “Thank you.”
“Do we have time to stop at Eternal Cross on the way to the hotel?” I ask as we make our way off the stage. “I’d like to tell Collin he’s going to be a big brother again.”
Gage nods and tugs me into his side, kissing my temple. “We have all the time in the world.”