The dining room was surrounded by windows, so everyone had a great view of the changing colors from the setting sun. Bones carried the big plates of food to the center of the table, and I uncorked the wine bottles and filled all the glasses, giving Luca apple juice. All thirteen of us gathered at the table, Bones taking the seat at the head.

“This is impressive, Griffin,” my mother said. “Everything looks so good. I couldn’t even make all of this without Lars for help.”

“I took a few bites in the kitchen,” my father admitted. “And it’s good too.”

My hand moved to Bones’s on the table, touched that he went to all this effort for me. I told him I wanted to have my family over for dinner, to celebrate the last few days of summer before fall arrived. This was all I ever wanted, to share my family with the love of my life—and vice versa.

Bones pulled his hand away. “Thank you, everyone. There’s actually something I wanted to say…”

I was about to grab my glass of wine when I turned back to him, surprised he would address my entire family at one time. He wasn’t much for words, and cooking for everyone was more than enough.

Bones was quiet for a while, like he was trying to think of the right words to speak. “As you all know…I don’t have a family. I lost my mom at a very young age. I can barely remember her face, but I’ve never forgotten her spirit. I feel it again when I’m with all of you…because it feels like I’m with family again.”

I stopped breathing because I couldn’t believe Bones said something so heartfelt. He said it to a group of people he had once hated. He barely expressed his private thoughts to me, let alone a room full of my cousins and parents.

He continued. “I didn’t know how much I needed this until I had it again. I know things weren’t good in the beginning…when Vanessa first brought me around. It was intense and difficult, but somehow, we ended up here. Now all of you mean a lot to me…because you mean so much to Vanessa.” He turned his gaze on me, like he was only speaking to me now. “You’ve given me a reason to live. You’ve given me happiness. You’ve given me everything that I’ve been missing…and I love you with all my heart.”

I wished he hadn’t said this in front of my whole family because it brought tears to my eyes. The emotion was too strong to ignore, and the tears pooled on the surface of my eyes until they became too heavy and dripped down my cheeks. “Griffin…”

He kept the same gaze, unaffected by my emotion like the statue he was. He wore the same intense expression I saw him wear the night we met. He wasn’t transparent like most people were, keeping his thoughts and feelings buried under those pounds of muscle. He kept his hand on mine and gave me a gentle squeeze, his skin warm to the touch. “Despite everything that I was, you still loved me. Despite all the odds we had stacked against us, you still fought for me. You asked your family to accept me even though there was no chance that was going to happen…but you also remained loyal to them. Now that I know them so well, I understand why you’re so committed to them…because family is everything. And I’m honored to be a part of yours.”

More tears fell, and I didn’t understand why he was doing this to me. He was making me feel a million things at once as my family sat there and watched me cry.

“The moment you put that bullet in my shoulder, I was yours. You’re a fighter, the strongest woman I’ve ever met. You put me in my place more times than I can count. You hold your own in a fight and do more damage than you receive. I fell in love with all those qualities, but it took me a long time to figure out where they came from. They’re Barsetti traits…traits you inherited from a wonderful family.”

This speech was longer than I anticipated, but I didn’t ask him to stop. I didn’t ask him to stop making me cry.

“You will always be a Barsetti. I accept that because I’m willing to share you.” He pulled his hand away from mine and then moved to his knee on the floor.

“Oh my fucking god!” I covered my mouth with my hands when everything clicked into place. Carmen squealed from the other side of the table, and my mom and aunt did the same. I watched him move to one knee and pull the small box out of his pocket. “Shit, this is really happening.” I thought I would wake up one morning, and there would be a ring sitting on my finger. I never expected Bones to actually ask because he wasn’t the kind of man that asked for things.

He opened the box and pulled out the ring.

A ridiculously huge ring with glorious diamonds everywhere. “Holy shit, that’s big.”

Bones didn’t crack a smile as he grabbed my left hand and slipped the ring onto my finger. The rest of my family stood up so they could watch the events unfold. “I asked your father’s permission. I asked your family’s permission. But I refuse to ask for yours. Marry me.” He was true to who he was, never giving me a choice because that wasn’t his style. He gave my family the respect I wanted because it was important to me, but between the two of us, it was different.

It was exactly how I wanted him to ask me— not to ask me at all. “Yes.” My arms circled his neck, and I moved into his chest on the floor, letting those powerful arms wrap around me. That embrace would be there every single day for the rest of our lives. He was the only man I’d ever loved—the only man I would ever love.

My family clapped and cheered, their applause filling our new home with happiness. They filled the silent corners with memories, bringing a new energy into the home where we would start our lives. The house had been sitting there for hundreds of years, but now it was starting over—with us.

Bones pulled his head back so he could look at me, his palm cupping my cheek. His thumb brushed away the tears that streamed down my cheeks. He’d only showed his emotion twice in our relationship, both times was when he almost lost me. That emotion wasn’t there now, but I knew that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy. He kissed a new tear that just fell from my eye. He gathered it on his lips before he moved to my other cheek and kissed me again.

“I wish I would stop crying…I can’t help it.”

“You know I like it when you cry,” he whispered so only I could hear. He finally kissed me on the mouth, giving me a PG kiss that was appropriate for the rest of the family to witness. “You’re mine…for the rest of your life.”

“Even if you gave me a choice, I would still want to be yours for the rest of my life.”

He finally gave a slight smile. “A man doesn’t give his woman a choice. He loves her without permission. He protects her without her watching. And he remains faithful to her when she’s not looking. You’re my prisoner…but I’m glad you’re a willing prisoner.”