Page 128

West stands behind me before his arms wrap around my waist. “I thought it would make you feel closer to them,” he murmurs in my ear.
Tears blur my vision as I lean back against his chest. “It does,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “God, West, it really does.”
I turn in his arms. My eyes are so coated in unshed tears that I can hardly see him. I shake my head in disbelief. “You did all this for me?”
“Of course,” he says, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “You’re my wife, Amelia. Your happiness is everything to me.”
I gaze into West’s eyes, overwhelmed by the depth of his love. This man has given me back the pieces of my soul that I thought were lost forever.
We stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, surrounded by the memories of my past and the promise of our future. And it hits me how far we’ve come. What started as a business arrangement—a transaction to solve our problems—has blossomed into something very real.
“I love you,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “God, West, I love you so much.”
He pulls me closer, his forehead resting against mine. “I love you too, princess. More than I ever thought possible.”
I think about the girl I was when I agreed to West’s proposal. A scared girl, secretly alone, and sleeping in his office because I had nowhere else to go.
Now I’m his wife, standing in the home I loved. The home I feel my parents. And I feel safe and cherished in a way I never thought I would experience again.
West’s hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining. “Welcome home, Mrs. Davenport,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my temple.
“I can’t wait to build new memories here,” I say, looking around the room. “With you.”
West’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “Well, Mrs. Davenport, why don’t we start right now?”
Before I can respond, he scoops me up in his arms again, heading for the stairs. I laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck as he carries me toward what used to be my bedroom.
But I realize that ‘home’ isn’t just this house anymore. It’s wherever my husband is.
He’s become my anchor, my safe harbor in the storm that has been my life.
And what started out as transaction I needed to change my life, turned into me finding the greatest love of my life.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Epilogue - West
Two Years Later
Iglance at my phone, sighing as I read the confirmation of the plane’s itinerary. “One more day.”
Amelia looks up from where she’s wrestling with Kingston, our one-year-old tornado of a son.
“Already? I feel like we’ve just arrived! And you still need to give me more driving lessons.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “You’ll never drive in New York, anyway.”
“I can drive here, though.”
She kisses Kingston’s head. “There you go. Go to Daddy while I get the wipes.”
I smile at Kingston. His shirt is on backwards, his wild curls sticking up in every direction.
He grins at me, chocolate smeared across his cheeks.
“Dada!” he squeals, breaking free from Amelia’s grasp and toddling toward me.
I scoop him up, ignoring the sticky hands that immediately grab at my face. “Hey, little man. Ready for our last beach day?”