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“Yes.” I nodded. “The collection launches next month. This is the first one I made. The others are done by employees.” I helped him put it on.

It looked fantastic next to the friendship bracelet I’d made him years ago, which was also leather.

He glanced at the two bracelets. “Perfect.”

“You inspired this aged-leather twist design.” I grinned, pride soaring through me. “We already have ten thousand preorders.”

His eyes widened. “That’s fantastic!”

I picked up the camera and snapped some pictures of him and me.

“I love you, Audri.” He stood and took me into his arms.

“I love you too.” I fell into his embrace, loving him more than he could ever know.

We took a bunch of pictures of the sunrise.

“We should do this every day to see how the color changes,” I suggested.

“Let’s do the same for the sunsets.”

An hour later, he grabbed my hand. “I have something to give you too.”

“What?”

“A marathon.”

I made a face. “What do you mean?”

“A sperm marathon.”

I burst into laughter.

“Let’s see which of my sperm can get you pregnant.” A wicked smirk flashed onto his face, and he yanked me to him. “Let’s start a family. I want mini Audris or mini Remis running around the house.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest. That was my dream too.

He scooped me into his arms so fast I almost dropped my camera. “The first race starts now!”

With laughter and love, we started our baby-making marathon.

MICHELLE AND ROYCE

EPILOGUE

Months later

Royce

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, the sound resonating throughout the house.

“What a wild storm. I hope the rain will stop soon,” Michelle said, snuggling closer to me on the couch where we were watching a nature documentary on TV. She had a bag of sour cream potato chips in her hand. She reached into it, grabbed a chip, and offered it to me.

“No, thanks, Angel,” I said, admiring her tray of snacks on the coffee table. An assortment of nuts, gummy bears, chocolate, cookies, and a bowl of fruits. “Didn’t you have dinner an hour ago?”

She slid me a glance. “Do you have a problem with that, Viking?”

We’d been together long enough for me to know that she usually ate when she was stressed or on her menstrual cycle. Experience had taught me to tread carefully. Though there was a storm outside, there could be an even bigger storm inside.