Tears of joy filled her eyes. But he wasn’t done.
“I won’t allow fear to lead me anymore. I won’t push you away, won’t let you push me away. I am happy now, and I see happiness in the future. I’m holding on tight to you, baby, and I’m never letting go. I’m crazy, sick, devastatingly in love with you, and I’m sorry if I’m coming on too strong right now, but no, that’s not true. I’m not really sorry. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Our issues can go to hell where they belong. You and I, we belong together.”
Jessie Kay opened the door a crack and stuck her head inside the room. “Say yes already. Listening from the hallway is harder than you’d think.”
“And don’t forget,” Beck added. “If you say yes, you’ll get to live in the farmhouse again. You can paint murals on every single wall. In fact, I’ll insist on it.”
As if Harlow needed more encouragement. This man owned her, and had from the beginning. “Yes,” she said with a laugh. “Yes.”
The others spilled into the room, cheering. Beck kissed Harlow right on the mouth, not seeming to care that she’d been in a coma and hadn’t brushed her teeth since. He didn’t seem to care about anything but her, because he treasured her, and he planned to spend the rest of his life cherishing her.
The way she would cherish him, through the ups and through the downs. “Just so you know,” she said, “this is a big change. A true life-altering one.”
“Love, as long as your feelings for me stay the same, everything else is inconsequential.”
She gripped the collar of his jacket. “My feelings aren’t something you ever have to worry about. I love you so much. You are and always will be more than enough for me.”
“Not even poisoning and a near-death experience could keep her away from you,” Jessie Kay said, patting him on the shoulder. He flinched, and she laughed. “What? Too soon to joke about?”
“I’ll be ready to joke about this in...never,” he said.
Harlow scooted over and patted the bed, and he crawled in beside her, drawing her to his chest.
“What’s going to happen to Tawny, Charlene and Scott?” she asked.
“They’re going to spend a little time behind bars,” Jase said. “Felonies are a bitch, and not something you can sweep under a rug.”
Harlow should have been overjoyed by the news, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t even mad at the threesome. Not really. Did she think she deserved what they’d done? No. Not anymore, and not ever again. Beck was right. She’d paid for her crimes, and she was a different person now. But the misery of others no longer made her feel better about the misery of her own life. Not that she was miserable anymore. Because of Beck, she’d never been happier.
“I’m going to agree to a supersmall, superfast wedding because I want to get rid of the H.A.G. initials as soon as possible. But I’m also going to take you up on your offer of a second, larger wedding,” she said to Beck. “I want the women of Strawberry Valley to witness our vows, even though I’m pretty sure they’ll attend in funeral attire, mourning the loss of their Beck.”
As the others beamed at her, Beck kissed her temple. “I’m not their anything, love. I’m yours. Now and forever.”