Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor

Epilogue

THREE MONTHS LATER

Reid

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I was so nervous I felt physically ill. I’d not told anyone I was going to do this, but I wanted to make her mine. I wanted to show the world how much I loved her. But I also wanted to stop hiding.

I hoped that this would help me do both.

We’d all made plans to meet at Heather’s coffee shop while she finished closing up, before going for dinner and cocktails. When I arrived, Lou and Billy were already there. She was sitting on his knee, whispering something in his ear, while he ran his thumb along her jaw.

I loved seeing the two of them together; they were perfect for one another. Both of them were cheeky, full of fun, and completely and unapologetically filthy. As I watched them, Billy burst out laughing at whatever it was she’d said, causing Lou to blush in embarrassment.

Like I said… filthy.

Behind the counter, Max and Heather worked together to finish closing the shop. They were a bit weird for a while after the shooting, but they seemed to be all right now. I suppose that was understandable, given the fact they nearly lost their best friend. It was a hard time for us all. But hearing just how close she had come to being killed… well, that was hard for all of us.

When the police searched Roger’s house, they found evidence that he had raped and killed at least three other girls from across the country. Hettie was his next victim.

I knew Hettie had been struggling with the fact that she had taken another person’s life, but we all knew she had no choice. What she did not only saved her life and mine, it also saved the lives of his future victims. One thing was for sure, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over what she did. I owed her my life and I intended to spend the rest of it making sure she knew how grateful I was for her bravery.

I heard the door behind me open, pulling me from my thoughts. “You ready, man?” Thomas asked as he slapped me on the back.

I turned, confused. “Ready for what? Dinner? Cocktails? Yeah, I’m looking forward to a night out.”

“No, are you ready to ask her?” He winked and my mouth dropped. “Reid, I’m your best friend, I know what you’re thinking without you saying a word.”

“Shit, man! Am I that obvious? I thought I’d hidden it pretty well.”

“You did. I just happen to know everything, remember? I have eyes everywhere.”

The door opened again and in walked the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

Etta.

She looked absolutely stunning with her long dark hair spilling down her back like a waterfall. She was dressed in a pair of skin-tight jeans that perfectly hugged her hips and highlighted her perky ass, which she’d paired with a red sweater that hung off one shoulder. She knew it drove me crazy and desperate to get my lips on her pale skin. As she walked over to join me, she ran her tongue seductively over her bottom lip, which was perfectly painted to match her top, silent promises of where those lips would be later were hidden in her smile.

“Hey, beautiful,” I greeted her, kissing her softly before throwing my arm around her and pulling her into me so that she could feel my semi-hard cock. “Shall we grab a seat and a pathetically weak cup of tea?”

“You know me so well, Viking.”

We all took a seat, not just as seven friends, but as family. My family. I’d not had a family in such a long time that I sometimes had to pinch myself. When I thought about the people that I wanted in my life to see this, to celebrate with us, I realized I was lucky to have them here.

“You’re quiet, Reid, are you okay?” Billy asked.

“Yeah, I just have something I’d like to talk to you guys about. I’ve made a bit of a decision and I’m afraid it’s going affect you all. Which is why I asked you all here. I wanted to make sure that you’re all good with it before I start anything.” All eyes were on me, confusion painting each of their faces. Well, almost all their faces––Thomas simply grinned.

There’s no going back now.

“I want to tell my story. Writing my last book for Hettie made me realize that some stories just need to be told. And I think it’s time I tell mine and put my family into print so that they’ll live on forever. I would like to focus on life before I lost them––who they were as people, and then the accident, the dreams, the aftermath. I know I can’t remember much, but with the help of the things in the file, I can piece a lot of it together. The only problem is that once it’s out there, life might get a bit manic for a while. I honestly don’t know how the press will react.” I looked around at my friends and one by one, they smiled.

Hettie threw her arms around my neck and whispered, “I’m so proud of you, Viking. Do it, it’s time you tell your story.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. Everyone nodded.

“Are you going to write it, Reid? It might be tough to do yourself,” Max questioned.

“No, actually, I’ve found the perfect person to do it for me. I’ve got her name here, somewhere.” I pretended to search my pocket before pulling out a piece of paper and laying it on the table in front of Hettie.

On the paper were the words: Mrs. H. Johansson

The table grew silent as Hettie stared at the paper. “Wow, Reid, did you find a family member who’s also a writer? That’s so amazing! What a stroke of luck. I mean––”

“Oh my God, Hettie, you really are the worst at this,” Lou shouted, causing everyone to burst into laughter. “Why were you a reporter exactly?”

Hettie looked at her in confusion, a questioning look in her eyes.

“Jesus, Etta! Do I need to spell it out?”

Still appearing confused, I pulled the small black box out of my pocket and slid it across the table next to the paper before opening it.

“Etta, I have loved you since that first night, when you came to my bed in the middle of the night to save me from a nightmare. You are brave, strong, fierce, beautiful, funny and shit hot in the sack.” I smiled as her cheeks blushed a rosy shade of pink.

“You brought me back from a place I thought I couldn’t escape, and you’ve shown me how to live life. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and helping you make your dreams come true. I want to marry you, Etta. I want to marry you and I want you to write my story. I trusted you with my secrets and now I want you to help me share everything that happened to me and my family under that ice. What do you say?”

She looked around at our small family, tears spilling down her face.

“Yes, yes, yes. Yes, Reid, I will marry you and I would be honored to write your story. I love you so much,” she shouted excitedly as I slipped the princess-cut aquamarine diamond onto her finger. She flung her arms around me while our friends clapped and cheered in approval.