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He took a breath. Dropped to one knee.
“Marry me. Build a future and a family with me.”
For a beat, she simply stared, wide-eyed.
Then her smile bloomed—warm as a desert sunrise. Her eyes shimmered with tears.
“Yes to all of it. I love you, Caleb.”
He stood, and they kissed as the last sunbeams set Spider Rock ablaze in a fiery burst of red.
Gia drew back slightly, her fingers curled in the front of his jacket. Her voice was soft, sure.
“I spent so long looking over my shoulder, afraid of being found. Afraid to want too much. But I’m done running, Caleb. I’m choosing you. This place. Our life.”
Tears fell, glistening on her cheeks. Happy tears. “For the first time in a long time…I’m not afraid.”
He’d spent a lifetime on the outside—never letting anyone in. Never letting himself belong.
Now, he’d found a love he never dared dream of.
A family he hadn’t known he’d needed.
And a bond with his teammates—his brothers—he finally understood.
For the first time, Caleb saw his future.
And it was more than he’d ever dreamed possible.
THE END