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She gave him a perplexed look when he stood back up "How did they find out?"

Ash smiled, but it wasn’t a warm smile She shivered at the darkness in his eyes This was a man you didn’t fuck with No , underneath that carefully constructed façade was an intense man with unbreakable determination

"They may have had a little help," he said in a dark tone

She sucked in her breath as she stared back at Ash "So you did have so to do with his murder"

Ash shook his head "No I didn’t If you’re asking if I have blood on ht inforht people What they did with it was up to them I didn’t kill him Didn’t have him killed But I uess you have to decide if you can live with that And me"

Slowly she nodded, a little nu to jail because of her Of it ruining both their lives Not when she planned a life with hioodI’ve ever believed in It’s not for e Before I would have been appalled over justice being taken this way"

"And now?" he asked quietly

"You’ve changed ood Or all bad I don’t know that it’s either It just is You’ve changed me Made me better in some ways Murky in others"

"I don’t want you to ever be touched by the gray areas I’m immersed in, baby I want you clean I want you to shine, just like you always do We’ll never talk about this again Don’t ask and I’s--I will not lie to you--but you will not be confronted with them Ever Can you live with that?"

"Yeah," she whispered "I can live with that"

"I love you, baby," Ash said in a tight voice, filled with emotion "I don’t deserve your love or your shine, but I want it because with you I can feel the sun I don’t want to go back to those shadows"

"You don’t have to," she said quietly "Stay in the sun Withwill touch our children, Josie You haveever touches you or our kids Gabe or Jace, Mia and Bethany You’re my family I’d die for any one of you and you’ll all stay in the sun where you belong"

"You belong there too, Ash And I want you there withas she realized what he’d said

"Wait, are we having children?"

He sance andmy babies, Josie Bank on that How irl Because she’ll need big brothers who’ll always look out for her They’ll be different froive a shit We’ll be a real family"

Josie sent him a tender smile, full of her love for him "Yeah We’ll be a real family I want six Think you can handle that?"

Ash looked dumbstruck "Six? Holy shit, wootta do"

She nodded soleet started?"

"Hell yeah," he muttered "Don’t want to be an old bastard when you have the last one But you have to get well and out of the hospital before we start working on that first baby"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box

"I wanted to do this at just the perfect ruffly "But I can’t think of aabout our kids and how asped as she stared down at a gorgeous dia through her , dazzling her with its brilliance

He lowered hiently took her left hand in his

"Will you marry me, Josie? Have my babies and put up with me for the rest of your life? No one will ever love youto spend every day for the rest ofwobbled and went blurry in her vision as he slid it onto her finger

"Yes Oh yes, Ash! I’ll marry you I love you so much And I want those babies Lots of babies"

He sathering her carefully in his ar

"I love you too, Josie Never want you to doubt that I have a lot to ht now But it’ll wait until you’re out of the hospital and home where I can fuss over you and spoil you rotten"

She reached up with her left hand to cup his cheek, her ring sparkling on her finger

"I’ forward to that, my love"