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EPILOGUE TWO
PLEASURE BOLTED DOWN MY legs.
My hand pumped my cock, claiming myself all over again, keeping the whispers at bay as I let go to fantasies of Gem naked in our bed. Her legs spread, her body beckoning, love glowing in her eyes.
God, yes.
Hot water rained over me as I came, the shower washing away my cum as quickly as it spurted from my body.
White spots appeared in my vision, similar to the whiteouts I’d had as my concussion had slowly healed. However, unlike those moments where I had to fight to stay awake and not forget, my mind was now firmly in the present.
The white spots faded as I inhaled and straightened from where I’d curled around my cock. Tipping my head back, I sighed heavily, letting the warm water wash away all the small pieces of me that still struggled with life, granting me a fresh start so I could be the very best for Gemma.
Today would be hard, but it would also be the happiest day of my life.
A rush of anxiety filled me, followed by joy.
Fang barked as I turned off the shower and stepped into the newly renovated bathroom in our groundkeeper’s cottage. It’d been eight months since we’d moved into this new place. Eight months since we’d claimed a spot of paradise for ourselves, far enough away from the city to keep my inherent distrust of large crowds at bay but close enough to still have the conveniences of everyday living.
The tradesmen had tackled our home first, extending the living areas so we had a sweeping conservatory that brought the forest inside, a galley kitchen full of spices and ingredients for me to cook extravagant meals, and a high-yielding veggie garden that produced all year round.
Our bedroom had also been extended—the ceilings vaulted with a massive openable skylight above the bed so we could sleep beneath the stars without having to be outside.
I knew Gem had designed this place with all my comfort in mind. She ensured she brought the outside in, knowing that the wilderness and nature calmed me if humanity pushed me too close to my limits.
It’d become my most favorite place in the world.
Our home.
Our sanctuary where nothing but good times could find us.
“Get out of the way,” I laughed as Fang licked the droplets off my legs while I rubbed a towel over my hair. Catching a look at myself in the mirror, I froze.
The guy staring back was once again unfamiliar.
The glint in his eye was calmer, wiser. The long hair that almost touched my shoulders was a throwback to my days of refusing to groom myself, and the silver scars would always remind me of what I’d endured.
But...that was where the bad parts of me ended.
My mouth no longer turned downward with suspicion and anger.
My skin was no longer tight on cheekbones from lack of food in those colder months.
I’d put on weight. I’d healed.
The proof of that reflected in the mirror.
I smiled, watching how it came naturally to me now. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t fake.
Smiling was one thing I’d become a master at because living with Gem made me so goddamn happy.
I can’t wait to tell her that I came.
An odd thing to confess that I’d jerked off in the shower. And I’d done it without too many heart palpitations, supervised closely by a dog who barked whenever I tripped into the past. But I wanted to share every detail with the woman who I adored—the woman who was about to become mine in every way.
Holy Christ, I’m getting married today.
I couldn’t breathe at the rightness of it.
At the joy of experiencing something I’d only read in books back at Fables.
I was about to become a husband.
Gem was about to become my wife.
Could life be any more perfect?
Fang trotted into our bedroom while I wrapped the towel around my waist and followed him. My suit was already laid out on the bed. Gem had gone to the main house to get ready, saying it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.
She’d only been gone an hour, but I missed her.
I’d missed her enough to come to thoughts of her.
Then again, I’d jerked off, partly because I wanted to prove to myself that I could achieve an orgasm without her holding my hand, but I’d also obeyed her whispered command as she’d kissed me goodbye. She wasn’t lying that it turned her on to think of me touching myself.
It wasn’t a regular occurrence yet. I still suffered too many memories to willingly do it often, but today had been another cleansing, washing away yet another piece of darkness so I was ready to claim my wife.
Fang licked his paws as if he was getting ready for the ceremony too, watching me carefully while I slipped into ironed pants, shrugged into a new white shirt, and finished it off with a dark gray blazer.
We weren’t doing overly formal, but we weren’t doing wild valley heathen either.
After all, this wasn’t a small affair.
Not only was I getting married but I also accounted for half of the fifty guests who would witness our vows. People I’d met through shared tragedy, online commenters who’d turned into friends from my SOM cha
Our house was open to anyone who needed to stay. Be it for a night, a week, or a month. We didn’t turn anyone away. Welcoming domestic abuse cases, foster kids who never found safe housing, and men and women like me who’d been bought and sold at the whims of bastards.
Ru
Fang barked and headed for the door.
I followed him.
* * * * *
“Didn’t fancy having a haircut for your own wedding, huh?” Joshua elbowed me as we stood at the top of the aisle. Our friends had already arrived, taking their seats, their voices hushed and waiting.
We’d chosen to do this in our garden, right outside the main house.
When we’d first bought this place—my popularity online with an outdoor survival cha
A priest stood to the side of Josh and me, his eyes kind and wise, even if his body did remind me a little of Storymaker. A flash of awareness shot through me, Fang nuzzled my hand, and I settled back into the present.
Any second now, Gem would appear.
I had no intention of missing a moment.
I looked at my almost brother-in-law. Over the past year, we’d grown close. I’d gotten used to his sense of humor, and he’d been fundamental in teaching me how to let down my guard around men.
We’d gone out for meals together; we’d drunk and watched TV together. It helped that he looked like Gem, so my mind stayed fairly calm, but I wouldn’t lie and say he hadn’t been a huge help in reclaiming my life.
And I liked having a friend.
Someone I hadn’t had to hold in the dark, wipe away their tears, and commit murder to keep them safe.
“Your sister likes my long hair.” I smirked. “It gives her something to hold on to when I—”
“Ah gross, man.” Josh gagged. “As far as I’m concerned, you guys just hold hands.”
I caught sight of Katie in the front row. Gem had forgone bridesmaids, but she still wore a cute pink dress, her hair up and attention locked firmly on Josh. “Just like you and Katie only hold hands?” I laughed under my breath. “I saw you guys on our last double date. You totally forgot you were still in the parking lot and not in your bedroom.”
“Yeah, well.” Josh sighed, his jokey exterior faltering as he looked at Gem’s manic best friend, who I had no doubt would become the sister that she’d hinted at back at the gala last year. “What can I say? She’s strong. Her grip from climbing is...” He shrugged. “Let’s just say it feels better than mine.”
“Say no more. I know all about that climber’s strength.”
We shared a look then froze as everyone stood and looked behind them.
Gem appeared.
Fang immediately took off, ru
My heartbeat exploded.
Fuck, she was stu
Fang moved with them, his gray and white fur matching Gem perfectly.
I swayed on the spot as the lingering effects of my concussion made my head pound. Blood rushed through my body, not knowing if it wanted to go to my heart or between my legs. I groaned beneath my breath as love poured through me.
Love and gratefulness.
Happiness and co
I wanted to run up the aisle and grab her. I never wanted to let her go.
“Ah, you’re so screwed.” Josh snickered as Gem slowed, kissing her mom on her cheek before walking the final distance to me. “You are the epitome of whipped, my friend.”
I elbowed him back as Gem came to stand before me. “Happily whipped, brother.” I gri
Gem scowled at both of us, her eyes shadowed with makeup, her hair loose and long down her back. “What are you two muttering about?”
“Just how much I love you,” I murmured.
“Just how much you’re going to walk all over him,” Josh whispered. “Poor guy is going to wake up in ten years and realize he traded one slavery for another.”
Gem swatted him with her bouquet of daisies. “Marriage is not slavery, Joshua. Good God, you have no filter.”
The priest sniffed, his eyes widening at our inappropriate talk.
I took her hand. “I don’t care what it is. I just know that I’m yours, and we better get these vows over with so we can consummate.”
The priest cleared his throat with disapproval, but humor danced in his old eyes. “In that case, let’s carry on, shall we?”
Gem giggled—a wonderful sound that, until I’d learned how to live again, I’d never been privileged to hear. Now, she giggled often. At me. At Fang. At our wonderful life.
I focused on the priest as he welcomed our friends, gave us pledges to repeat, and oversaw the ceremony of vowing our lives to one another.
Gem slipped a gold band onto my finger, and it unlocked the final pieces of my heart.
I slipped a diamond onto her finger and wanted to bow at her feet for choosing me.
And when we kissed, I no longer begrudged what’d happened to me.
I no longer cursed fate for forsaking me.
I thanked it.
I thanked it for giving me hardship.
Because without it, I would never know the value of pure happiness.
* * * * *