Page 32 of Midnight Masquerade

"Can't talk!" I growl over my shoulder at Midnight. "I'm fucking busy."

"Yeah. We're going to have we're-getting-married sex!" Madeline shouts, clinging to my shoulders as peals of her laughter ring out around us. The bright, happy sound hits me right in the goddamn heart, toppling every single inch of it into her perfect hands.

This is the most chaotic, perfect holiday I've ever had. And I get to spend a lifetime with her and her chaos turning my life upside down, making every part of it better every single day. The past doesn't matter anymore—this does.Shedoes. And I can't fucking wait to turn this town inside out with her.

Epilogue

Madeline

Six Years Later

"You are in so much trouble, Drake Whitlock!" I cry, storming into his office with the baby in my arms and a scowl on my face.

He glances up at me from his desk, his eyes wide. "Whatever it is, I probably did it, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, you definitely did it." I stomp across the room toward him. "The school just called."

"Shit." He actually looks nervous now. Good. He should.

"Our daughter was in the principal's office."

"What did she do?"

"Where did you take her last night, Whitlock?"

He gulps, his gaze sliding from mine. "For ice cream?"

"Try again."

"I can explain, unicorn."

"Oh, really?" I adjust the baby in my arms. "You can explain why our five-year-old daughter drew her Halloween decorations having S-E-X and drinking beer while all the other kids drew theirs chilling in the front yard?"

"Fuck," he whispers, drawing the word out.

"You are so lucky that the principal helps steal the decorations and knew what was happening!" I growl. "Livvie didn't have a clue. She probably thought we were crazy sex people."

"Crazy sex people?" He rises from the desk, circling around to me with a smile tugging at his lips. "I do not want to know where your mind went, unicorn."

"I saw a movie once."

"Was it porn?"

"Maybe. That's beside the point." I narrow my eyes on him. "Stop trying to change the subject, Drake Whitlock. Why did you take her out there? She's way too young to see all of that!"

He knows I'm not wrong. Six years ago, there were hundreds of decorations out there. Now, there are hundreds more. And none of them are doing anything appropriate for a five-year-old's eyes.

Now that Drake spends a lot more time socializing in town, we've slowly started finding out who helps steal the decorations. He was surprised by some of the confessions—and not so surprised by others. But with every conversation and every apology, another wound closes. The bullied little boy who felt like an outcast finds a little more closure. The beautiful manwho shut himself away carves out a little more room in town for himself.

Six years later, I think Drake remembers the good memories more than the bad now. I love that so much for him. And I love it for me, too. He's so damn confident and sexy. And he gets more confident every year.

His confidence is rubbing off on me. I doubt I'll ever walk into a haunted house. We'll never have creepy decorations in the yard. But living in a Halloween town isn't nearly as overwhelming as it was six years ago.

We actually celebrate Halloween in this house now. How could we not? It's no longer the day associated with our trauma. It's the day I placed my hand in his, and our lives changed forever.

I don't regret that decision or a single second of the last six years. Our life is nothing like the life my parents lived. We're happy in a way I never imagined possible. Every day is so full of love and laughter, I feel like I'm floating through the air.

Drake and our kids are my entire world—and we're his world, too. He loves us so perfectly. Because of him, our life is loud and chaotic and full of adventure. I love every single thing about it.