Table of Contents

Title Page

Epilogue

All series from M. S. Parker

Blindfold Epilogue

By Cassie Wild and M.S. Parker

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 Belmonte Publishing LLC

Published by Belmonte Publishing LLC.

Epilogue

Toni

I stared down at the ring on my left hand. It'd been there for nearly a year, but there were days I could still hardly believe it. This was one of them. I doubted it'd be the last, especially since it was about to be joined by another one in less than an hour.

I turned towards the full-length mirror for the first time since Isadora had finished putting the final touches on me. For nearly a full ten seconds, I stared, not recognizing myself. My soon-to-be sister-in-law had pinned up my long hair in a mass of curls that had taken most of the morning, and then she'd insisted on doing my make-up as well. All of that, plus the simple but elegant dress made me look far different than I did every day.

“Beautiful.”

I looked at my mother in the mirror. Her eyes were darker than mine, but the shape was the same, and I knew I'd have those same faint wrinkles around my eyes when I was her age. If I also had half the love she did, I'd consider myself lucky. I was already lucky. I had my family. I had Isadora.

I had Ash.

Things happened so fast between us that, even after his proposal, I'd been concerned about our relationship. We'd gotten together under such insane circumstances, and our relationship was anything but traditional. I'd worried that, once things had settled down, we'd find that all of the passion between us had gone.

I was wrong.

If anything, I loved Ash more now than I had before.

“Could I have a minute with Toni?”

I heard the door close as my four bridesmaids left. Isadora was my maid of honor. My sisters-in-law, Yvette and Beth, were also attendants, as was Rachelle, my brother Vic's former ex-girlfriend. Well, maybe not his ex for much longer. At least, I hoped that'd be changing soon. They had a son together, but Vic hadn't been very reliable the first few years after his son had been born, so their relationship had been rocky at best.

Over the last year, however, Ash wasn’t the only one who'd been making strides in his personal life. Vic had started working with our father, and was working even harder on making things right with Rachelle. He'd told me not more than a month ago that he didn't just want to be in his son's life. He wanted Rachelle back too.

I hoped it worked. My brother wasn't perfect, but he deserved happiness. Plus, I liked Rachelle better than most of the other women he'd dated over the years.

“I'm so proud of you.” My mom's voice was strong, but I knew her well enough to tell her emotions were at the surface. “Your father and I both are.”

I turned towards her and she caught both of my hands in hers.

“You've always known what you wanted,” she continued, her eyes glowing with the light of motherly love. “And you've worked so hard to get it. Fought tooth and nail against everything that's come against you. You've grown into a woman even more beautiful and amazing than we ever could have hoped.”

She pulled me into her arms, and I looked up, blinking hard, in an effort to keep myself from crying. My make-up was waterproof, but I didn't want my eyes to be red when I walked out there.

I managed to hold on, even if just barely, so when Isadora knocked to tell us that it was time for my mother to head into the sanctuary, I didn't need to do more than take a slow breath before I was ready.

And I was ready, I realized with a start.

The nervous flutters in my stomach had shifted at some point. Now they were twists and coils of a different kind.

Excitement.

Desire.

I wasn't just ready. I was eager. Eager for Ash, but not only physically. I was eager to start my life with him. It was true that we'd all been working on moving forward since the trial ended, and we'd had a series of milestones since then, but this was the one. The one that really made me feel like our life was truly beginning.

When Isadora stuck her head back in, I smiled and followed her out. I could hear the music Ash and I had selected, and the thought of him waiting at the end of that aisle made my pulse skip a beat. I caught a glimpse of my niece and nephew as they went from their mom at my end of the aisle to their dad who was waiting near Ash.

“Ready?” My dad stepped up next to me and held out his arm, his face the very definition of pride.

“Definitely.” I nodded as I threaded my arm through his, and we waited our turn.

I tried to concentrate, to remember every detail, but the day jumped in fits and starts, some parts lost in the background, others stark and clear.

The feel of Ash's hand as his fingers wrapped around mine was an imprint, never to be forgotten.

The traditional words faded into background noise.

Our self-written vows stood out, and I knew I'd remember his as well as my own.

“From the first moment I met you, Toni, you defied my expectations. And you've continued to do that, every minute, every hour. I know that I don't deserve you, but I promise to spend the rest of my life loving and protecting you. I trust you with my life and my heart. You're my world, my everything. I love you, Toni. And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Then it was my turn.

“The first time I saw you, I couldn't believe how good-looking you were. Or how arrogant.” I paused, giving the audience a moment to quit chuckling. “But I quickly learned that there was more to you than your looks. Or your arrogance. I saw a man who loved his sister more than anything, who was intelligent and passionate. And I fell in love with that man. You amaze me, and I know you'll continue to amaze me in the years to come. I trust you with my love and with my heart. I love you, Ash.”

Other words buzzed by, but then I heard the important ones.

“...husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Ash stared down at me for a long second and then cupped my chin. I expected a harsh kiss, something fierce and passionate, especially since we hadn't had sex in two weeks – surprisingly, at his insistence – but his lips were gentle as they came down on mine. He took his time, his tongue sliding into my mouth, slowly exploring every inch. Searching. Seeking. Discovering. As if it was our first kiss.

And then it was over and we were walking back down the aisle, hand-in-hand.

The receiving line was a blur, a series of hugs and well-wishes that I was grateful for, even though what I really wanted was to take my husband to the nearest private space I could find and feel him inside me.

As soon as the limo door closed behind us, I knew that I hadn't been the only one thinking that way. I barely had time to register Ash moving before he was kneeling in front of me, mouth and hands hot on my skin. He kissed me with the near-desperate hunger that had been missing from our wedding kiss. His teeth scraped over my bottom lip, and I moaned into his mouth as he pushed the skirt of my gown up far enough to get his hands underneath.

“Need you,” he growled as his mouth moved down my jaw and throat, nipping and sucking until I knew I was going to have marks.

I shot a glance towards the front of the limo, but the driver had already put up the partition window, giving us complete and total privacy. I took a second to hope that the intercom was off too, and then Ash's hands were sliding up the outside of my thighs and I didn't care anymore.