“I wanted to be home, believe me.” I rub my hands on her thighs gently and say, “I’m sorry—”
She presses her finger against my lips. “No more apologizing, no more explaining. You have done enough of both.” She cups my cheek. “Tucker, you wrote that you admire me, well, the feeling is mutual. You’ve been through hell and back, and yet you stand here on your own two feet, able to listen, to provide for yourself, for me, and to open your heart once again.” Her thumb strokes over my cheek. “You have taught me about perseverance, about the strength a human possesses, and that despite your upbringing and influences, you rose above it all and became the most beautifully broken man I’ve ever met.” She leans forward and presses her forehead against mine. “I love you, Tucker. And I want to be yours forever.”
I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, trying to comprehend her words and the impact they have on my soul.
She loves me.
Emma. Marks. Loves. Me.
I’m where I belong, in her arms, in the only place that’s only felt like home to me.
I press a kiss against her lips and say, “I love you, Emma. This right here, this feeling of being in your arms, it’s home. It’s as if I’ve waited so damn long to love someone as much as I love you. You’re it for me, Emma. My love, my soul, my home.”
She presses her hand against my chest, right over my heart and she says, “You’re where you belong.”
And she couldn’t be closer to the truth.
I grew up believing the love I felt for Sadie was as good as it gets. Life is funny, and right when you think you have it all figured out, it throws you for a loop. Some of the darkest days bring the lightest of life-changing moments. I know this is true because Emma is my light.
Who would have thought that the night I saw Emma at the bar would be the moment to completely redirect my future?
I hated being at my house alone. I hated every second of its emptiness, of what it represented. It felt like a glaring reminder of my failure.
And then there was Emma. Bright, beautiful, and sassy-mouthed Emma Marks.
She didn’t just transform the empty walls of my house into a home; she transformed me. Her light. Her love. Her brightness changed me from being a mere shadow. A desperately despondent and aimless man.
I’m not reliant on her love to hold me up. That was the old me.
With a home that feels like home, a gorgeous woman in my forever, I’m a man fulfilled. I’m a man with hope. I’m a man with love.
I’m DJ Hot Cock, a fucking lucky bastard, ready to make music with my DJ Jazzy Nurse Tits.
Forever.
EPILOGUE
TUCKER
“I swear to God, Racer, if you don’t stop poking me I’m going to kick you in the dick.”
He puts his hands down and hops in place. “I’m just so excited. How can you not be excited?”
Maybe because I’m fucking terrified. We spent the entire day during one of Emma’s twelve-hour shifts fixing up the deck in the backyard and making it into a little oasis for Emma to enjoy when she wants to relax with an Old Fashioned after a long day on her feet.
We woke up really fucking early, stained the deck, built the furniture I purchased, including a coffee table fire pit, and hung bulb lights across the entire deck. There is a log ready to be burned, s’mores ready to be consumed, and a question on the tip of my tongue ready to be asked.
“You know, you can go around the corner and wait with everyone else. You don’t have to stand here.”
“But then you would be by yourself. Plus I enjoy seeing you sweat.” He tickles my cheek with his finger that I swat away.
“Get the fuck out of here.” The sound of a car door shutting rings through the night. Eyes wide, I turn to Racer and whisper, “Go, now!”
“Fine.” He holds up his hands and then pulls me into a bear hug. “Ugh, my little man is all grown-up.”
“Christ.” I push him off me and straighten my polo. “I’m seriously calling on Smalls whenever I need help now.”
“Lies, so many fucking lies.”
Racer takes off before I can respond and hides next to garage with everyone else.
My stomach is flipping a mile a minute and my entire body feels shaky, so I stuff my hands in my dark jeans and try to calm my racing nerves.
I hear the kitchen door shut and I know she’s seeing the sign to meet me out back. Since the door to the deck is right off the kitchen, it’s going to be hard to miss the new lights illuminating the backyard, but hopefully she won’t see everything from the kitchen window.
I see her in the window and my heart rate picks up. She opens the door and peeks out first, a giant smile on that gorgeous face. “What did you do?” she asks as she steps out onto the deck and takes it all in.
Damn, she looks so cute in her scrubs.
“I wanted to give you a little place to relax after your long days,” I reply while walking up to her and linking our hands together.
“Tucker, you’ve given me an entire house to relax in. You didn’t have to do this.”
“I know I didn’t, I wanted to.” I kiss the top of her head and spin her around to the light music that’s playing in the background. “What do you think?”
I hold her close to me as we slow dance on the deck; her eyes trail over the lights, the moonlit sky above us. When she meets my eyes, she says, “It’s perfect.”
“Almost perfect.”
I spin her around one last time before dropping to my knee. I hold on to her hand as the other goes to her mouth. “Tucker . . .” she whispers as I pull a ring box out of my pocket.
Taking a deep breath, I look her in the eyes and say, “Emma, you came back into my life when all I could see was darkness surrounding me. You moved into our house when I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to still live there myself. You helped me see the beauty in the place we call home. You brightened every ounce of my life with your smile, your teasing, and your weird random purchases that still continue to boggle my mind.” She giggles as tears fall from her eyes. “You’ve shown me how to love again, how to live again, and how to see this world in full color. I can’t imagine a day without you in my life, in my arms.” I let go of her hand and pop open the ring box. She cries even harder. “Emma, will you please do me the honor in marrying me?”
She shakes her head yes, happy tears streaming down her cheeks. I stand, a weight of happiness lifting me up as I place the ring on her finger and then cup her face. “I love you so much, Emma, so fucking much.”
“I love you too,” she squeaks out before looping her hand around the back of my neck and pulling me into one of the best pair of lips I’ve ever had the privilege of kissing.
From behind us, a wave of cheers erupts as our friends start clapping and coming in for hugs. Racer is the first one to wrap his arms around us. He’s screaming in excitement and jumping up and down.
“I knew she would say yes.” He shakes us to the point that I’m forced to push him away, but not before he grabs my cheeks and lays a huge kiss on my lips.