“You love me?” she whispered when she came up for air.

“I do. And I always will.”

“I love you, Luke.”

The broken man had found redemption, and the wounded woman had moved past her fear. Despite their scars and heartbreak, new hope had come for them. Their history made that truth all the sweeter.

They loved each other.

The wonder of it spun like a ring of stars around them.

Epilogue

Your eyes are closed, right?” Luke asked. He walked behind her, steering her forward.

“Luke. My eyes are closed. Plus, I’m wearing a blindfold. Plus, your hands are covering my eyes. Rest assured, I cannot see anything.”

“Good.”

She smiled, anticipation bubbling inside. It was her birthday, and he’d planned some sort of surprise for her. Two years had passed since she’d opened the first clue in her father’s final treasure hunt, and she knew for certain that the treasure her dad had actually sent her, during that hunt, was Luke.

They’d celebrated Genevieve and Sam’s big day. Then Sebastian and Leah’s engagement. Then Sebastian and Leah’s wedding. Then Ben and Akira’s engagement. Then, this past June, she and Luke had married in a simple outdoor ceremony held on the lakeshore of her father’s property. Her boho dress had swished as she walked. The lake glittered blue. Dogs available for adoption dressed in bow ties and tutus charmed the guests.

The thing she remembered best about that day, though, was Luke’s face—sharp-boned, clear-eyed—as he’d gazed down at her and spoken his vows.

They’d taken a glorious honeymoon trip, and then he’d moved into her house. He worked restoring cars, and she worked rescuing dogs, and her heart could not contain any more happiness, of this she was convinced.

Luke drew her to a stop.

Her breath caught. “Is it time for the big reveal?”

“Yes. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“I sounded extremely sure!”

“Because I can wait—”

“I am beyond ready for the big reveal,” she stated emphatically.

He whipped the blindfold up and off.

She was standing in front of a large enclosure on this cold winter day. At a . . . zoo? She scanned the enclosure and realized that a lion—an honest-to-goodness lion—was sleeping on a raised platform.

A placard had been erected a few feet in front of her.

This habitat was made possible by a generous donation given in honor of Finley Sutherland Dempsey, animal activist, by the man who loves her.

Her mittened hands lifted to cover her mouth. She knew where she was. Georgia’s big-cat rescue center. She’d been here before, but this habitat was entirely new and, no doubt, outrageously expensive. She swiveled to face her husband.

“I found a way,” he said, “to spend my ill-gotten gains.”

She flung herself into his arms.

Easily, he caught her.