Page 14 of Built for Her Love

He brushed his nose with mine and closed his eyes as I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight to me. I would never be able to take away his pain or the horror of his childhood. But I could make sure his future was happy and warm, filled with sunshine and laughter.

And I would do that until the end of my days.

epilogue

Seb

Within a coupleof weeks of me being back home, I was practically living with Athena. When we weren’t working, we were spending every waking moment with each other. Eventually, she told me to just get my shit and move into her apartment. And that was that for our living situation. I didn’t even bother putting up an argument since I hated being away from her.

She was blossoming in her new role as Cecily’s assistant. She handled the pressure like a fucking champ, and I seriously could not be more proud of the woman she was becoming and growing into. Even her grandparents were so proud of her, they braved the strip club and brought her a cake to work, where they inevitably met me.

Thankfully, I won them over, though I didn’t do much besides what I normally did, which was mostly just dote on and take care of Athena.

“You sure you’re ready to do this?” Athena asked me, her fingers twining with mine once she was out of my truck and the passenger door was shut behind her.

I nodded and squeezed her hand, silently letting her know that I was more than okay with this. I wanted her to be my wife. It hadn’t taken me long to convince her, really. Mostly, I just had to assure her that I was ready for this kind of commitment. So what if we’d only known each other six months? The moment I’d laid my eyes on her in that club, I knew she would become my everything.

And she had.

After setting my truck keys and our folder of paperwork into the bin inside of the courthouse, I walked through the metal detector, and then Athena quickly followed behind me.

“Where do we go for our marriage certificate?” Athena asked the balding security officer. She always did this—ask people for directions or information when we were together. It left me in my comfort zone. I was a true introvert, but Athena? She loved to talk.

“Right down that hall there,” the officer pointed. “Last door on your left, hun,” he told her with a kind smile. “Congratulations, you two.”

I nodded once at him in respect. Athena beamed and latched onto my hand again once I had my keys and our documents back in my possession. She pulled me to a stop outside of the room we needed, and I immediately turned to face her, arching an eyebrow at her perfect face.

“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” she whispered. Then, she leaned up and gently brushed her lips over mine in a soft kiss that spoke more volumes than any passionate one we’d shared before.

I hoped my expression conveyed everything I didn’t say. And by her little smile, I knew I’d succeeded.

* * *

“Oh, my God!” Athena yelled, tears swimming in her eyes the moment we walked into the clubhouse.

Balloons floated up to the ceiling upon our entrance, and everyone cheered, “Congratulations!” I flinched at it all, but the sort of unwelcome surprise was worth seeing how happy my wife was.

My wife.

Fuck, that still sounded near impossible to me. But that was what she was. Despite how quiet I was, despite my need for silence sometimes, she still chose me. Unlike so many other people in the world, she never saw my differences as something to change.

She saw them as something to love. And fuck, if I wouldn’t cherish her for the rest of my life. She deserved so much more than I could ever give her, but I would strive every day to be the man she needed me to be.

“Congratulations, man,” Remi said, coming up to clap me on the back as Athena was dragged into a heartwarming hug by Cecily and Chelsea. Chelsea’s military boyfriend, who was apparently home for a couple of weeks, was standing by the bar with Adler and Beau, drinking a beer.

I grunted in response. Remi chuckled and stepped back, giving me some space. “You want some cake? Chelsea spared no expense on it, and apparently, none of us are allowed to touch it until one of you gets a slice first.”

My lips quirked in response, but I inclined my head nonetheless, silently telling him to lead the way. He wasn’t the least bit worried about if I wanted cake. He just wanted me to get a slice so he could have some.

I loved my brothers; they were one hundred percent the best family I could have ever asked for. But goddamn were they predictable.

Athena slid up next to me as I picked up the knife laying on a plate beside the cake. “Cut it with me?” she asked, laying her slender fingers over mine. Tingles raced up my arm. I hoped we never lost the intense passion and love between us.

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers in a silent answer. With her beaming next to me, we sliced down the three-tier cake together, more cheers from our family ringing out around us. After I fed her a piece of cake, I gave her the plate and stepped back, letting everyone else swoop in on the sugary food. Cake just wasn’t my thing.

“You made her the happiest woman alive today,” Athena’s grandfather, Raul, rumbled as he stepped up next to me.

Strangely, he hadn’t taken offense to how quiet I was. His wife, Melanie, was still struggling to get the memo that I really wasn’t a talker, but at least they weren’t offended. She just thought she’d be the one to break my “tough” shell, as she put it.