He lets out a low, breathless laugh. “You terrify me.”

“But . . .”

“But what?” he asks.

“How do we make this work?”

His lips twitch and from one heartbeat to the next, he jumps over the low retaining wall that separates us in one smooth motion. I’m in his arms instantly.

His warmth seeps into me, his heart a strong, steady beat against my cheek as I cling to him.

He leans back, eyes locking on mine. “Let’s start by being honest with each other. Let’s not assume but always ask for clarification. Let’s give each other everything because I believe you can deal with my shit in all its glory.” I chuckle. “And then, second by second. Minute by minute. Hour by hour. Day by day. We love our way through the failures, Cookie, so we can reap the rewards.”

“Rewards?”

“Marital bliss.” He presses his lips to mine and shrugs. “I mean, we already did the hard part, right? The stress of a wedding. The chaos of picking out colors and bridesmaids and—”

“I think marriage is a little harder than a wedding ceremony,” I say through a laugh.

“Perhaps.” He shrugs. “But I like to think we have this Operation Live-A-Little down to a tee. We try. We fail. We fuck. We make up. We love. We laugh.”

“Wow. That’s quite a list. Is it always in that order?” I tease.

“It’s whatever order we want, Cookie. We make up the rules.” He brushes his lips against mine and I feel like my entire world is wrapped around me. “I love you, Hendrix Gizmodo. Seems I can’t help myself. Besides, I am your husband, after all.”

“I forgot about that part.”

He chuckles. “Never again you won’t. You’re stuck with me.”

“No complaints here.” I pause and hold his eyes. “Because I love you too.”

“Hendrix?” my momma’s voice calls out, then she steps onto the porch. Her eyes widen as her hand flies to her chest. “Oh, my stars, is that Jase? Your Jase? Well look at that, for once Natalia was right about something. She just called to tell me you were out here, and I told her she was dead wrong. Shit. I hate when she’s right.” She waves both of her hands in a come hither motion. “C’mon now. Don’t be shy. It’s about time I meet my son-in-law.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

Gizmo

The hum of the private jet is a low, steady vibration beneath my fingertips as I stare out the window. The sky shifts from the soft hues of dawn to the deeper blues of morning.

We’re heading home. The thought makes me smile.