Page 105 of Coerced

Sure enough, when I turned on our road and approached my driveway, I saw Aria’s garage door was open.

It had taken her some time to get to the place where she was comfortable being in her garage with the door open, but she’d made it. Once sentencing came down through the ranks of those involved in what happened to her—nearly everyone seeing substantial jail time—a lot of the anxiousness she felt had dissipated.

The only person who had received a reduced sentence was her father, but even he had a price to pay for the things he’d done.

As suspected, Aria hadn’t faced any legal ramifications. But I would say she’d paid a much higher price than those that did. She lost her family in the process, learned that they cared more about themselves and money over her.

It was only one more reason why I was so hellbent on making this happen now. I wanted to give herback some of what she’d lost, even if it was going to look a little different.

I pulled into my driveway, got out, and walked right over to her house. Then I stood in the doorway and felt something warm hit the center of my chest.

She was there, her back to me, and she was painting.

God, she was magnificent. Though I might have been a bit biased, I truly believed the amount of talent she had was unmatched. And I was glad she’d gotten back to doing something she loved.

While I thought she had the ability to do this professionally, I wasn’t going to push her. She was happy now. She enjoyed working at the deli and the pub, she loved her friends, and she was painting.

Her happiness was all I cared about, so I didn’t care if she chose to just paint for herself. I’d support her no matter what she decided.

Unable to stand the wait, I stepped forward and said, “That might be my favorite one yet.”

Aria gasped and spun around. “Oh, God, Paxton, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry. I should have given you a better warning.”

She stood and moved toward me, throwing her arms over my shoulders. “It’s okay. I’m happy to see you. But what are you doing here?”

“I left work early.”

“I gathered that much. I guess I’m curious why.”

“Well, I have a bit of a dilemma.”

Confusion washed over her expression. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

“I’m trying to figure out if you’re going to be upset with me,” I confessed.

Confusion turned to concern. “For what?”

“Well, the end of your lease is coming up, and I don’t think you should renew it,” I explained.

“What? But I’ve just gotten to a point where it’s starting to feel like home,” she reasoned, brow furrowed. “I’ve put up so many pictures and gotten myself settled here.”

“That’s why I’ve got this dilemma.”

“I don’t understand.”

I reached inside my pocket, pulled out the ring box, and held it up between us. “I want to marry you, Aria. I know you like where you’re living, but you’re renting, and I’m not sure the owner intends to sell. So, I thought you might not renew your lease, and you’d want to move in with me instead.”

Her eyes widened, her shock undeniable. “Pax,” she breathed.

Wanting to do this right, considering I was doing it in her garage, I dropped down to one knee, held her hand in mine, and said, “I love you, darling. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want that life to start now. Will you marry me?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded furiously. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

I stood, slid the ring on her finger, and captured her smiling face in my hands. Then I kissed her senseless before wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground. I spun her around the garage and relished the sound of her laughter.

“I’m going to get married to the best man in the whole world.”

“If you thought I was good at everything I’ve doneuntil now, just wait until you see what I intend to do as a husband.”

She beamed at me, biting her bottom lip. “You’re going to be my husband.”

Smiling, I nodded. “And you’re going to be my wife.”

Aria tightened her arms around my neck, hugged me tightly, and rasped, “I’m so glad I chose to come to Steel Ridge. It was easily the bestdecision of my life.”

She wasn’t wrong about that.

And I was going to make sure she never lived to regret that decision.