Page 27

Twenty Six

Angel Tristan’s figure became clearer and clearer.

The pounding of her heart was now deafening, and she struggled to breathe.

Jesus told her to look.

Jesus said she hadn’t lost him.

The space between them closed faster than she could process, and when he reached her, Tristan dropped to his knees. His electric blue eyes pierced through the curtain of rain, searing into her soul as if he were seeing her for the first time all over again.

Alexa stared at him.

Raindrops streaked down his pale face, and the front locks of his dark hair slicked against his forehead. The sharp angles of his jawline, the curve of his lips, the steady rise and fall of his chest—it was all too real.

Alive.

He was alive .

“Lexa…” He reached out his hand to her face, tentative and trembling, and brushed away wet strands of hair from her cheeks. The warmth of his touch burned through the cold rain, and the sound of her name on his lips broke through the chaos inside her.

He is real, my beloved.

That was all the confirmation she needed. A sob ripped from her chest, and before she knew it, she had flung herself into his arms.

Every inch of him felt solid, warm, and alive.

“Oh, my God,” she gasped into his neck, her hands fisting the back of his shirt. “You’re alive! You’re really here.”

“I am.” He held her tighter, his body shaking as if he, too, couldn’t quite believe it. “Jesus sent me back. Oh, angel, there is so much to tell you. But first, I love you so much .”

Alexa pulled away to look at him, half-crying and half-laughing. “I love you, too.” She kissed his cheeks and his forehead. “I love you too, my darling. I-I can’t believe this.”

They clung to each other, laughing and crying in the heavy downpour. Then she pulled back and looked into those eyes she thought she’d never see looking at her again.

“ How? ”

Tristan’s gaze roamed all over her face with the tenderest smile. “Jesus.”

Alexa closed her eyes and touched her forehead to his. “That explains everything,” she murmured. “I just had my surrender too.”

“He said He wanted me here.” Tristan’s fingers combed back her wet hair. “And I couldn’t think of a better way of serving Him than with you by my side. But…”

Alexa straightened. “But what?”

Tristan’s face turned serious. “I can’t be your boyfriend anymore.”

“W-what do you mean?”

He didn’t answer, his expression still impassive.

“B-but your curse is broken.” The lightning flashed in the skies at that precise moment, confirming her words. “Nothing is stopping us anymore. And Jesus just told me I haven’t lost you, and I’m sure He—”

“Oh, angel, angel, angel,” he interrupted her ramble with a smile. “That’s exactly why I can’t be your boyfriend anymore. I want to be your husband .”

Alexa’s heart skidded to a halt before it galloped like a horse. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Tristan repeated, chuckling.

She shoved at his shoulder. “That was not funny, Tristan. You nearly scared me!”

Tristan’s face softened immediately. He sighed. “I guess I scared you a lot in the last twenty-four hours alone.”

“You have no idea.” Her voice broke.

“Let me make it up to you.” He stood and pulled her up with him. Taking both her hands in his, he cradled them to his chest. “Marry me.”

Alexa stared at him. The miracle of life— his life—standing before her, with wet locks of hair clinging to his forehead and eyes swimming with love, and asking her to become his wife.

Only moments ago, she had been a shell, broken and lost. Now, she was overflowing with joy, her soul free, her heart surrendered to Jesus, and her love returned to her—a yes away from fulfilling the promise they had made two and a half years ago.

She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t waste another second.

“Yes.” She nodded, a tearful grin breaking across her face. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Tristan leaned in and kissed her, slowly and tenderly, as if savoring the taste of her mingled with the rain. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer, and she clung to him just as fiercely. She felt the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the realness of him grounded her in the moment.

“No more goodbyes.” He pulled away just enough to murmur against her lips. He kissed her again. “No more waiting.” Another kiss. “No more separation.” Another kiss. “No more…” Another kiss. “Odds.”

Yes, yes, yes.

This man, he was the answer to her every hope and every dream. When he first saw her, she had been at the lowest point of her life. He saw the Alexa Ford no one else did—what was hidden behind her confident, mean-girl facade, her looks, and her voice. He saw her broken pieces.

He didn’t claim he could fix her. But he held her together until she was ready to let God take her pieces and mend them whole.

He never claimed he was perfect for her. Instead, he proved it every single day until she realized he was the one for her.

He never made her question his love. It had been in his eyes, in the way he looked at her. Always. Even when they fought.

He watched over her when he didn’t have to, protected her at the cost of his secrets, defended her life by risking his own, and loved her without expecting her love in return.

His heart was the greatest treasure she was ever entrusted with, and she would continue to treasure it till her last breath.

Tristan Knight was the dream she didn’t dare hope for and the fantasy she didn’t imagine would become reality.

And now, he was hers.

Her soulmate. Her fiancé. And soon to be her husband.

Alexa broke away from the kiss to look at him. She held his face in her hands and stared at him with all the love and affection she had for him.

“I can’t wait to marry you. And I guess this is my engagement ring?” She glanced at the ring he had slipped onto her left ring finger yesterday.

“It was supposed to be, but when I gave it to you yesterday, I wanted it to be just a token of my love.” His eyes grew haunted at the recollection for a moment before they cleared and softened. “Do you like it? It was my mother’s.”

“Yes, you told me that,” she said, feeling her eyes burn with tears again. “I’m honored to wear it, Tristan. I love it.”

Tristan cocked his head to the side. “Alexa Knight,” he tested her new name on his tongue. “Alexandra Knight… Mrs. Knight… My wife …” His smile grew, and he shook his head. “Man, I love that.”

She giggled. “Yeah?”

He touched his forehead to hers with a contented sigh. “You have no idea, Lexampkin.”

“For the record, I missed that ridiculous nickname.”

“Of course, you did.” He lifted her off the ground, eliciting a squeal of surprise from her, and spun her around.

Lightning flashed ahead. Thunder clapped in the skies. Tristan set her down and ran a hand through his hair before twirling her under his arm.

“I am free!” he shouted into the rain and let out a holler. Alexa half-laughed and half-cried at his ecstasy. He glanced heavenward. “Thank you, Jesus!”

He met her gaze, and for the first time, Alexa felt like she was seeing him in a new light.

The weight of guilt he had carried his entire life—of his mother and sister’s death—had always cast a shadow over his happiness. But now, that burden seemed to have lifted, leaving him freer than she had ever seen him.

She couldn’t wait to hear more about his encounter with Jesus.

Because in this moment, Tristan wasn’t just happy—he was alive in a way he had never been before.

“Thank you, Jesus,” she repeated, staring at her fiancé. Then she lifted her gaze heavenward and shouted, “ Thank you, Jesus !”

Warmth trickled down her veins. She closed her eyes and smiled, feeling Jesus smile down at them.