Page 151 of Crash

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“What exactly am I looking at?” Tessa stepped out of the car, her head tilted back to take in the full Gothic glory of the mansion. The stone gargoyles leered through the evening fog, their weathered faces telling secrets in shadow. “Because this is either the world’s most dramatic man cave or the setting of every horror movie ever made.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “A club of sorts.”

“When you said ‘club,’ I thought you meant metaphorical. Not a physical haunted mansion.”

I pressed a kiss to her temple, breathing in the honeysuckle scent of her shampoo.

“Ryker never breathed a word about this place.”

“Against the rules,” I explained.

“Rules?” Her eyebrows shot up.

“You’re the first nonmember to see this place,” I said, unlocking the heavy door.

“If there’s a secret handshake,” she whispered, stepping inside, “I expect to learn it immediately.”

We entered the main living area, where Ryker, Axel, and Jace sat around the poker table.

Ryker looked up from the spread of cards in his hand and smirked. “Told you he wasn’t kidding.”

“This place is supposed to be for club members only,” Axel muttered. “You never let me bring one model. Not one.”

“Tessa’s one of us now,” I declared.

All three guys stilled.

“You know what this means,” Jace said.

“He knows.” Ryker pushed up from his chair and put his hand on her shoulder.

“You’ve always had my protection,” Ryker said, “but now you have all of ours.”

“What?” Tessa managed, confused.

“These aren’t just ordinary men,” I explained. “They’re your guardians now. A client gets too handsy? Axel knows people who can have their company bankrupted by morning. Legal trouble? Ryker will have a team of lawyers at your door before you hang up the phone. Business complication? Jace owns so many businesses that I’ve lost count and has specialists on speed dial.”

Tessa evaluated the men, still struggling to digest what I was saying to her.

“Day or night,” I continued, “one call to any of us, and we’ll help you. That’s what family means to us. And, Tessa, you’re their family now too.”

Tessa’s eyes watered as Ryker, Axel, and Jace each patted her shoulder, acknowledging the unspoken promise.

“Come here.” I drew her through the mansion’s back door into the garden.

The setting sun painted the roses in amber light, and Tessa’s eyes sparkled as she took in the cascading flowers and ivy-wrapped trellises. Her fingers twitched slightly, like she was mentally arranging centerpieces and wedding arches.

I pulled her close, her small frame fitting perfectly against mine, like she’d been crafted just for these moments.

“I’ve spent my whole life feeling uncertain,” I admitted, the words flowing easier now than they ever had before. “Like I was standing outside a snow globe, watching everyone else find their happiness while I pressed my hands against the glass. Deep down, I never thought I’d find it. And when it came close, when you came close, I pushed it away.” I traced my thumb along her cheekbone. “Until now. Now, I’ve never been more certain of anything, Tessa. You’re my reason for everything. I promise I’ll protect you as we build our future together. I love you.”

Drawing her mouth to mine, I couldn’t believe this was my new reality. These lips, these moments together had become my heartbeat. I’d get to watch her empire grow, her wedding planning business already bursting with A-list clients and a wait list that read like a who’s who of Chicago society.

And watch I would, protecting her as she soared.

As for me, I’d decided to turn down the promotion and continue my current role in the ER while I pursued my board certification in internal medicine. After seeing what Tessa went through and getting a glimpse behind the curtain of how many patients struggle to get diagnoses, I felt called to something new, something bigger than emergency medicine. I planned to open my own clinic one day, where I could spend more time with patients, more time listening, and more time helping them get to the root of their medical mysteries.