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Tase kisses my temple. “Our warrior.”

I’ve never felt this way before. There’s a massive difference between loving the family you’ve been born into and loving the family you’ve made. The four of us, here…we keep each other safe. We watch out for each other, nurture and heal each other.

So this is why people have gone crazy for love.

THE END

Epilogue

Aiden

Gilli’s thirtieth birthday.

Hard to fathom how the years have flown by, but what a ride.

I want things to be perfect on this special occasion. She deserves it.

My girl deserves the world.Ourgirl deserves the world.

Tase is on the way with the birthday cake, and I’ve got the food catered by Giovanni’s in town, Gilli’s favorite.

Soren left all the preparations to me, but I don’t think he expected much more than an understated party with just the three of us and the birthday girl. To be fair, he probably would have been happy with a weekend getaway to a resort where we could swim and tan and fuck all day long.

As intriguing and sexy as that sounds, our Gilli only turns thirty once. We can do the resort next year. Every year.

“I figure we’ll set up the open bar here on the deck.” I lean against the railing. “Centrally located and a fabulous view.”

The property is an absolute gem, a great find. Then again, Soren doesn’t do anything half-assed, and realestate is his life. If he’d found something that didn’t tick all the boxes, he’d have kept looking until he did. End of story.

Gilli shifts to my side and casually wraps an arm around my waist. She fits so perfectly into the crook beneath my arm, her scent twining invisible fingers through my nostrils.

She’s wearing a beautiful floral print dress that leaves her arms and shoulders bare and flows over her curves to her bare feet. The tension leaves me the longer we touch, my blood heating and warmth spreading from the way her body presses to mine.

“Thank you,” she says. “This is the kind of thing I was hoping for.”

I lean down and breathe in her hair and the familiar scents of strawberry and vanilla. “Oh yeah? You were hoping for a seven-layer cake and a mountain of presents? Because that’s what you got.”

Gilli giggles. “Okay, maybe not the mountain of presents, but the cake? Absolutely. You know me too well.”

“Tase arranged for the cake,” I say.

“And I deserve a thank you for getting it here in one piece,” Tase adds as he steps over to join us. “I have to give you credit, Aiden. You’ve done an amazing job with this party.”

A DJ drives the music selections, set up near the house and protected from the elements by a massive canvas tent. Friends and colleagues mingle on the deck and down the set of steps toward the stone patio below.

Our new house by the lake has come along well over the last couple of years. It’s still in the late stages of construction, but most of it is complete, with only finishing touches remaining. We are official Holly Brookers now.

This life isn’t for everyone but it works for us. Gilli is the only one we need. There’s no going back now, and ten years later…I’ve never once looked in the rearview mirror and wanted to change a thing.

The three of us know we’d do anything and everythingto protect her and make her happy. No threat of harm will ever worry her again, because we will keep her safe.

This birthday party is a reminder to all of us to celebrate life to the fullest. The glowing smile of happiness on Gilli’s face makes it all worthwhile.

Soren joins us, offering Gilli heartfelt birthday wishes.

“Dude, you went a little overboard with this party,” Soren mutters to me.

“Yep,” I acknowledge.