I follow her out the door, and it hits me I have a pretty great life. It was a long, hard road to get here, but together Xavier and I made it out on the other side, stronger than ever. Things tested us along the way, but learning to lean on each other helped us get through testifying against Bishop and Kai. Thanks to me and Xavier taking the stand, Bishop and Kai will be serving nearly seventy years between the two of them. The streets of Detroit are a lot safer without them around.
Deena and Rex are still a pain in the ass from time to time when Xavier and me are on the road doing Tension, but they’ve decided it was no longer worth their efforts to break us up once word got around I was pregnant. Xavier’s been on the road without me since Simon was born, but as soon as he’s a little bigger, we plan on taking him on the road with us until it’s time to start school.
My mother offered to babysit for us if we move to Portland, but I explained Detroit is home for us now. In place of rebuilding the house on Sycamore, Xavier built a recreation center for underprivileged youths in the neighborhood. Cole, Nettie, and Quinn have pitched in a lot to really get the project off the ground and run it for us when we’re on the road. It’s a very personal project for Xavier. He loves the idea of providing a positive place to keep kids off the streets.
I’ve never seen Xavier happier. I couldn’t ask for a better husband and father to our son than him. Having his own family has truly brought him out of the darkness, and now the rest of the world is beginning to learn what I’ve known all along—that Xavier is a good man with a huge heart. I am so proud of him, and I know that our lives together will just keep getting better and better.
Acknowledgements
The first person I want to thank is you, my dear readers, for waiting patiently for the conclusion to Xavier and Anna’s story. Thank you all for loving them as much as I do. I hope you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.
Jennifer Wolfel, I seriously don’t know how I could ever write a story without your input. Your love, support and never wavering faith in me and my work truly means the world to me. Thank you for being your amazing self.
Emily Snow, thank you so much for helping me with this book. It seriously helped me a ton!
Jennifer Foor and Holly Malgieri, thank you all for being there for me over the years. I treasure the friendship I have with each of you so much!
Jenny Sims and Jovana Shirley, thank you for being an amazing editors and working so hard on this project. My timing was crappy, but you two pulled through for me. Thank you so much!
Christine Borgford, you are simply amazing and are truly a wicked awesome human being. Thank you for putting up with me.
My beautiful ladies in Valentine’s Vixens Group, you all are the best. You guys always brighten my day and push me to be a better writer. Thank you!
To the romance blogging community, thank you for always supporting me and my books. I can’t tell you how much every share, tweet, post, and comment means to me. I read them all, and every time I feel giddy. Thank you for everything you do. Blogging is not an easy job, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do for indie authors like me. You totally make our world go round.
Last, but always first in my life, my husband and son: thank you for putting up with me. I love you both more than words can express.