God, my mouth was so dry I couldn’t swallow.

“I love you,” I said, and I could see people filming us with their phones out of the corner of my eye, but I didn’t care. “I’m wild crazy for you, and I’m sure I’ll kill you at some point, but… God, I love you so much, and I want you to marry me.” More tears streamed down my face as I choked out the words. “Marry me, Will Grayson.” I rushed up and hugged his back, wrapping my arms around him. “Can you marry me? Can I marry you?”

I held him, my cheek resting against his back and water catching between my lips.

He was going to laugh. He was probably freaked out or maybe angry I asked him instead of letting him ask me—if those were his intentions anyway.

Shit…

But then, he spun around, picked me up off my feet, and kissed me, pressing his lips to mine and backing me into a parked car.

Laughter went off around us, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him, reveling in his strong mouth and the warmth of his body.

I moaned, kissing him again and again. “Is that a yes?”

He chuckled and dropped me to my feet. I blinked against the rain, watching him dig into his pocket for something.

He pulled it out, pinching a vintage Victorian ring with a teardrop diamond and a platinum band encrusted with more jewels, encased by an ornate setting above and below. It was almost like three rings in one, and nearly an inch in width.

“It’s very old,” Will said, slipping it onto my finger, his hand shaking.

“It’s your family’s?”

“It’s yours now.” He met my eyes. “It’s been yours for nearly ten years.”

I stared up at him, tears blurring my vision. He was going to ask me himself?

I took his face in my hands and looked into his eyes, our noses nearly touching as our life up, until this point, played through my head.

The pool at school and the feel of his body in the movie theater.

Dancing at Homecoming and him sweeping me into his arms and carrying me to his bed at Blackchurch.

The intoxicating scent of his truck, and the rain on the bus windows, hiding us inside.

There was so much more than the fights and the pain.

“I’m marrying you,” I whispered.

He nodded. “’Bout time you caught up.”

I started to laugh, diving in and kissing him, cheers going off at the tavern.

Will chuckled against my lips. “We need to get out of here,” he said.

I took his hand, pulling him along. “Come on.”

I knew just the place.

Running toward the cathedral, we splashed through puddles, turned right, and raced into the patch of grass between the church and the sidewalk.

“Where are we going?” he called out.

“Hiding us away.”

The main doors would be closed now, but I’d found out years ago that Father Behr never really locked the basement door, so old Mr. Edgerton could sleep off the whiskey here instead of facing his wife hammered.

We dove in, ran down the narrow hallways, and up another set of stairs, entering the nave of the main church. I led Will up to the gallery and hurried to the windowsill, prying up the piece of wood I’d nailed down years ago, picking out that old key with the thurible key chain.

“What is this?” Will asked, looking around for any sign of witnesses.

But I didn’t answer him. I led him through the door, up the concrete stairs, and slipped the key in, opening the door to The Carfax Room.

I quickly looked around, inhaling the musty scent of rain and wood.

Dark, no sign of life, and the bed was still there. I didn’t care about anything else.

Throwing the door closed, I dropped the key and wrapped my arms around Will, nibbling and sucking too fast, because I was too hungry.

“I love you,” I panted, unbuttoning my jeans and pushing them down my legs.

He pulled off my shirt, my glasses dropping to the floor with it. “You better.”

Not leaving his mouth, I stripped off my underwear and bra, completely naked as I pulled the rubber band out of my hair and he lifted me into his arms again.

I wrapped myself around him, my cold hair draping across my back as he walked us to the bed.

“Hurry,” I begged.

I throbbed. I wanted him in me.

He let me fall to the bed, tore off his shirt, kicked off his shoes, and stripped off the rest of his clothes, his tight abs and black tattoos making my thighs rub together with need.

Mine.

He climbed onto the bed, coming down on top of me, and I just spread my legs as he reached between us, fit inside me and thrust, sheathing his cock. No more waiting.

Ah,” I moaned, arching my back.

“Don’t sleep tonight,” he gasped, pumping his hips and hovering over my mouth. “Don’t break this. Don’t break the spell.”

I rolled into him, heat pooling in my belly as I devoured his shoulder, his neck, and his mouth, unable to get enough.

“I loved you last night,” I told him. “And I loved you this morning. I’ll still be here. I’ll still be me tomorrow and every day after.”

He lifted up, not breaking pace in the least as he stared down between us, watching himself enter me.

“I’m sorry about everything,” I said.

“Me, too, baby.” He kissed me. “I should’ve stayed. I’m sorry I walked away. I’m sorry I left you that day in the hallway at school.”

He hit me deep inside, and my eyes started to roll into the back of my head.

“You and me against the world,” he whispered, picking up speed and going harder.

“Always,” I said.

And I held on as he slipped inside of me again and again, thrusting between my legs, both of us lost for the rest of the night in the warmth and frenzy of finally being together.

Emory

Present

Hours later, a ringing pierced the air, and I cracked open my eyelids, wincing at the light streaming through the windows.

“Hello?” I heard Will answer.

I rolled over and snuggled into his back, chasing the warmth of last night.

He’d been holding me all night in between spells of waking up to have sex, and I was going to kill whoever was bothering him this early. I had no plans to leave The Carfax Room today.

“Uh, just a minute,” he said and turned over, pulling me into his chest. “Hey, sorry I woke you.” He kissed my nose. “Rika’s on the phone.”

“For me?” I whined.

I felt the cell phone brush my hand as he tried to give it to me, and I kept my eyes closed, yawning as the warm jewelry on my ring finger tapped against the cell.

I smiled, remembering what happened last night.

“Hello?” I said.

“So, I hear you’re engaged,” she taunted.

I opened my eyes, narrowing my brows. “How…?”

But then I stopped myself. The videos. People were filming on the street.

Fantastic.

“Can you meet me?” she asked. “Alone?”

Alone?

I glanced up at Will, his eyes closed, but his thumb rubbing circles on my shoulder.

“Where?” I asked.

“The Carriage House in Meridian City.”

“Now?”

“An hour,” she clarified.