Beyond(41)

I sigh. “It’s hard to stay angry at you.”

“You can stay angry all you want. I just don’t want you being hurt, especially when it’s me causing it. If it was someone else, I’d kick their ass.”

“Dane.”

“Yes?”

“Kiss me,” I demand.

He does, and the world melts away.





When I approach Jordan the next morning, the last thing I thought I’d find her doing would be having sex.

With Wyatt.

With the door wide open.

“Holy shit!” I gasp, turning around and closing my eyes. “You could close the damn door!”

“I like the thrill of being caught,” she says, laughing behind me. I turn around to find them now both covered. Wyatt has the sheets up to his chin, and it makes me want to laugh. Jordan on the other hand, has one breast out like she’s proud it’s there.

“I heard you tried to hit on my husband,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’ve thought long and hard about how to react to this, and I’ve come up with one solution.”

“What?” she asks, a little wearily. “You can’t do anything to me.”

I grin evilly, flashing my teeth. “Do it again and we will fight. Hand to hand, with weapons, with f*cking mud I don’t care. But I will make you hurt.”

She gulps.

I smirk. “What do you say Jordan?”

“I won’t go near Dane,” she whispers. “He didn’t want me anyway, okay? I’m with Wyatt now. He actually wants me. I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” I tell her. “I can be the best friend you’ll ever have or your worst enemy. Choose wisely which place you want.”

She nods, looking sincere.

“Oh and Wyatt,” I say, looking to him. “You’re a good man. She f*cks with you, let me know.”

Wyatt smiles at me then and I find myself smiling back at him. “I’ll handle her Olivia.”

“You do that,” I reply, nodding my head at him.





The arrow hits its mark.

“I’m going to be even better than you one day,” Regan announces.

Grinning at him, I turn and hand him my bow. “Come on, show me what you’ve got.”

Happily, he takes my bow, which is much too big for him, and attempts to shoot the mark. I’m about to help him out when Sam calls my name. Turning to him, I lift my chin in answer.

“Dane wants you,” he says, with an amused look on his face.

I swap bows with Regan and run my hand through his hair. “Can we continue this lesson later?”

He nods. “Sure Olivia. I’ll practice with my bow until then.”

Such a good kid.

If anything happened to Dane, I’d want Regan to lead in the future.

I catch up to Sam, walking side by side with him. Staring at his profile I ask, “What’s going on?”

He shrugs, but a grin plays on his lips. “Dane told me to bring you to him, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“I don’t like surprises,” I sigh.

Sam laughs. “Dane said that you say you don’t like surprises but you actually do.”

Damn him for knowing me so well.

Sam walks me to my bedroom door then kisses my forehead, before leaving without a word.

I watch him go, then open the door.

My eyes flare as I see Dane there on his knees, surrounded in candles, all of them lit.

Was it bad I was thinking what a waste of candles that was?

“Olivia,” he says. “Marrying you wasn’t my choice, but it was the best thing that has happened to me. I want you to know that I love you, so I’m asking you if we can have a do-over.”

“A do-over?” I ask, smiling.

He nods. “Olivia, will you be mine? I mean you’re already mine, but…”

He looks adorably frustrated. “What I’m trying to say is, I want this. This is my choice. You are my choice. I love you, and I want you to know that there’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with.”

I giggle at that.

He opens his hand, and in it is a ring with a huge red stone on it. A ruby. It’s beautiful.

“Where did you get that?” I ask breathily.

“I have my ways,” he replies, standing and closing the space between us. Taking my hand in his, he slides the ring on my finger, on top of the one I was currently wearing.

“It fits you perfectly,” he murmurs. “Just like you do me.”

Dane was so damn sweet, and I was overcome with emotions.

I didn’t know how to react, he had really taken me aback with his romantic gesture.

So I did what any woman in my situation would do.

I cried.

Happy tears.

Then I told him to stop wasting candles.





Chapter Twenty-Two


Two Weeks Later


Everything was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

Looking back, that should have been a sign that something was going to go wrong. It usually did. But I was too preoccupied with being happy. I was living in the now, loving my life with Dane by my side. It wasn’t a perfect life. In fact, it was far from perfect, but we made do.