Page 122 of Built for Mercy

“Those are ridiculous,” Callie laughed, emerging onto the patio with the boots daintily held between her fingers. “But I love them. This kid’s going to be as badass as its auntie and uncle.”

“Or as stubborn and hardheaded as its parents,” Sophie quipped, following behind her with Wednesday in her arms, the setting sun accentuating the scars and tattoos that marked herjourney—her skin as much a tapestry as mine. She’d changed into a black summer dress that revealed her arms and shoulders.

“Hey, it takes one to know one,” Callie fired back, her eyes alight with mirth.

“Touché,” Sophie conceded with a grin, then turned to me, her gaze softening. “How are our boys doing? No casualties at the grill, I hope?”

“Still got all our fingers and toes, babe,” I assured her, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

“Good,” she murmured, leaning into me. “We’ve got more important things to focus on than losing digits to a barbecue.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, thinking of the operations we still needed to dismantle, the lives hanging in the balance. Despite the laughter surrounding us, the weight of our purpose lingered, a constant reminder that our work was far from over.

“Hey, look at this,” Sophie said suddenly, pointing to the horizon where the first stars began to twinkle in the dusk. “A perfect night.” It was like she knew I needed the distraction.

“Perfect,” I echoed, then looked down at her. “I love you. You know that, right?”

As I held my wife, petting our spoiled cat, with our friends close by and the promise of new life on the horizon, I knew with certainty that I’d choose this life, this love, time and again. It had been six months since Sophie and I decided to tether our lives together, a marriage that saved us both. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.

“With every fiber of my being,” she whispered, her eyes still on the sky. “I love you.”

Wednesday jumped out of her arms to bolt back inside, and Sophie and I laughed at her usual crazy self.

And if you were wondering if she held out on that month-long sex ban… yes, she did. Because Sophie was as ruthless as I was and always made good on her word. But we suffered together,just as we’d promised in our vows. When I took her again, I made sure she remembered who owned every inch of her—heart, body, soul. And I dared her to ever deny me again.

“Let’s eat,” Liam called out, breaking us from our quiet moment. We all converged around the table, a family forged in fire, bound together by love as relentless as the night sky above us.

I stole a final glance at Sophie and slid my hand into hers. No matter what challenges lay ahead, as long as I had her by my side, I could face anything. She wasn’t just my partner—she was the only thing that had ever beenreal.

The woman I’d once stalked to ensure she wasn’t a threat to my empire became the most dangerous thing in my world. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

She wasmine.

And I was fucking hers.