Page 88 of Embraced in Ink

Aaron shrugged, though there was something in his eye that Marcus couldn’t quite decipher. “Someone does have to hold out.”

Mrs. Montgomery leaned forward. “I’m sure that’s the case. But if you’re not careful, all of us will start matchmaking. We want you to be happy, and that means you may have to deal with it.”

Aaron’s face turned ashen. “I don’t need matchmaking. I can find my own matches.”

“Can you?” Marcus's mom asked all innocently, and Marcus laughed out loud.

“Well, you’ve done it now. My mother’s going to find you someone if you’re not careful.”

“I’ll help,” Mrs. Montgomery said, her eyes twinkling.

“Dear God. Let’s not do that. No matchmaking.”

“Oh, can I help, too?” Bristol asked, coming up to his side. Marcus leaned down and kissed the top of her head, and she sighed into him. He didn’t miss the look that the two mothers gave each other, each grinning wildly, but he didn’t mind it.

They had always been close, and now they were even closer because of him and Bristol.

Somehow, the fates had been kind to him and had given him his happily ever after far earlier than he would’ve guessed. He had been far too stubborn to realize it until he’d almost lost it all.

But now he had the love of his life in his arms, the loudest family full of so much that he could barely stand it, and a future that seemed pretty damn good.

All it had taken was finally saying the words that he should have long ago.

“Love you, Bristol.”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “I love you, too, Marcus.”

She was his best friend, his future, and the one person that he knew he could finally tell everything to.

He was so fucking happy that he had met the Montgomerys.

THE END