“Come on, Dame,” Ryder spoke last, his voice firm. “Say it. You didn’t ruin our lives, Marco did.”
I opened and closed my mouth twice before I said, “I ... I didn’t ruin our lives ... Marco did.”
Dominic hugged me, and my brothers quickly followed suit.
“Everyone has demons, Dame,” Kane said, clapping his hand against my back. “We just need to be meaner than them because you know what, bro? We deserve to be happy.”
When we separated, I turned my eyes on Alannah.
“I love ye’,” she said for the first time, knocking the air out of me. “I love ye’ so much, Damien.”
I stood across the way, staring at her for a good ten seconds before I snapped out of my trance and crossed the room to her in two seconds flat. My body crashed into hers, and to avoid falling backwards, her arms instantly latched around my waist, while my hands gripped either side of her face. I stared down at Alannah, hoping she could see in my eyes how much I loved her.
“I love ye’, Damien,” she repeated. “I have never come close to lovin’ another person; it’s why I’ve always been so scared when it came to you. I have never loved another person the way I love you. You’re me heart, and if ye’ll still have me, I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”
Tears spilled over the brims of my eyes and streamed down my cheeks like a collapsed dam.
“Love, no,” she pleaded. “Please, don’t cry. Please.”
She leaned up and kissed away my tears, pressing her lips all over my face, landing lastly on my lips.
“I love you,” she said, pressing chaste kissing to my mouth. “I love you; I love you; I love you.”
My forehead fell against hers, my hands dropped to her waist, and I hugged her body to mine so tightly.
“Alannah,” I rasped, my voice tight. “I’ve loved you since we were kids.”
A sob tore free of her throat.
“Me too, I just didn’t realise it.” she said. “God, I love ye’ so much it terrifies me, Damien.”
“Don’t be scared,” I said. “I’ve got you. For as long as you’ll have me, I’ve got you.”
“How does forever sound?”
I squeezed her. “It’s sound fucking heavenly, freckles.”
“Everything about ye’, Jack Frost,” she said, “is mine.”
“Jack Frost?”
“You’ve just been upgraded from snowflake. Congratulations.”
I smiled. “I’m yours, Lana. Only yours.”
Only. Mine.
“I’ve never looked forward to the future as much in me life,” she declared. “You’re movin’ in with me, and we’re havin’ sex every single day at least three times. I want to have babies, five of them, ten of them. I don’t care how many. I just want babies with ye’. I want to get married, but ye’ hafta ask me da first, otherwise he’ll kill ye’. When I want ye’, I’m havin’ ye’, and I don’t want to hear a feckin’ peep outta ye’ on the matter. Are ye’ clear on all of that?”
I leaned down and pressed my forehead against hers.
“Yes. Fucking. Ma’am.”
When we kissed, it was to the cheers, hooting, clapping, and laughter of our friends, our family. We may as well have been kissing to fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve because it was just as sweet, just as tender, and just as perfectly perfect as a moment could be. It was the start of a beautiful forever.
“Endgame, freckles?”
“Yeah, Jack Frost.” She smiled, rubbing the tip of her nose against mine. “We’re definitely endgame.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Present day ...
I opened my eyes as immense pleasure pulsed between my thighs, pulling me into consciousness. I sucked in a breath when I lifted my head and locked eyes on my wife as she bobbed her head over me, my cock sliding in and out of her hot, wicked mouth. My lips parted as I reached for her and buried my hands in her thick black hair. I leaned my head back against my pillow and tried my hardest not to moan out loud.
“Christ, baby.” I breathed. “Fuck.”
Alannah sucked my cock harder, faster, and without warning, pressure built in my balls and deflated as I came. Bliss spread out and covered every inch of my body. Alannah hummed around the head as she milked me dry. My muscles became lax, my breathing remained laboured, and my heart slammed into my chest.
“It’s time to wake up,” Alannah said. “We napped for over an hour.”
I couldn’t move. “Give me a minute.”
My wife giggled as she righted my boxers and pants, then returned to her spot next to me.
“I haven’t done that in a while,” she said. “I love the look on your face when ye’ wake up and realise that I’m suckin’ ye’.”
“Let me return the favour,” I said, reaching for her.
She laughed and shook her head. “I can hear the boys downstairs arguin’, so we have to go and parent them. We can have some fun tonight.”