Forgotten Prejudice (Bad Inceptions #4)

Epilogue

Ash

One Year Later

“W hat are you doing over there?” Soren called from where he was waiting for me under a tall palm tree.

“Hold on just a second,” I told him while typing Levi back. “Levi just texted me. He doesn’t know how to turn on the heat.”

With how hot it was here, in Thailand, Koh Samui, it was hard to believe it was winter back home.

“Are they struggling with the new house? I can ask my assistant to go and help them,” Soren said, stopping before me.

“Don’t worry, I explained to him how to turn it on, and he just texted back, saying it worked,” I said and pocketed my phone.

“Maybe it wasn’t a smart idea to travel here right after we got into the new house,” Soren hummed, mostly to himself, and I chuckled.

He was still thinking way too much over everything, but it was one of the things I loved about him.

“Nah, if anything, they’re excited to have the place all for themselves.”

We’d just moved into our new gorgeous house in Carpinteria. It might be an hour away from LA, but we loved it there—our little piece of heaven within arm’s reach.

Soren and I had been inseparable since that day in the hospital, and things had been going well, enough for us to live together for the past few months. Just like he’d promised, Soren took over his grandfather’s firm, and other than making Daniel angry for stealing some of his clients, he was doing great. Andrei had started college in hopes of becoming a lawyer and was already excelling, while also moving in with Miles. Thankfully, they were only an hour’s drive away, so I saw his face almost every day, especially with him coming on the weekends to study with Soren, who helped him with his school. To be honest, it was beyond me how Soren still remembered what he’d learned in college with it being years ago. Levi had also started college, but unlike Andrei, he and Jessie chose to move in with Soren and me after we left the old house. Jessie loved Carpinteria’s nature, and he spent the hours he wasn’t drawing searching around, although he was mostly working on his business. That kid was creating amazing art for clients all over the world while also working on his very first webtoon.

Watching them pursuing their dreams not only brought me pride but also pushed me to do the same, and after closing my small surf shop, I signed up for a few photography courses. My new passion was the reason I dragged Soren out of bed at the ass crack of dawn so I could take some beautiful pictures of the ocean at sunrise. I used to think nothing could beat Malibu’s sunrise, only to find that it was nothing compared to the ones in Koh Samui.

“Let’s go.” I took Soren’s hand and began leading the way to the shore. Our cabin was not too far from here, but yesterday when we were swimming, I saw a spot that I knew would make the best place for a shoot.

“Do you know where to go?” he asked, and I nodded, holding on to his hand harder.

“I do,” I said, thinking of how happy this simple moment made me feel. There was something utterly amazing about being alone, with the person you love, on the other side of the world— so far away from everything you know. As crazy as it sounded, it gave me comfort.

I had never been this happy in my life before, and while the old Ash might have felt guilty over this unbelievable amount of happiness, the new me didn’t. All simply because I’d stopped living life in the shadow of regret. My life was mine to decide on, even if my choices didn’t suit others. But the last year had taught me that when you’re confident in your decisions, things had their way of working out. Mom finally came to terms with my choice to be with Soren, and the two of them had actually learned how to get along. When she wasn’t so stubborn and Soren wasn’t too bitchy, they made a great team. Aiden was also settling down well in my old house, which was originally his and which I gave back to him. With him returning to California, it only felt right.

And Kai? He’d started his recovery journey back from scratch and was making great progress. And while I could happily say he was doing a great job staying sober, I couldn’t say the same about us, as he took the hating on me part very seriously. Everything we used to have was as good as gone, and Kai hardly ever spoke to me. But from what Aiden had told me, he was doing much better, and I was happy. I was happy to know he was finally able to move on the same way I had. And oh, did I move on.

I turned my head to look at Soren, my gorgeous man who was all mine to admire. With his shirt open and his hair falling loose over his brows, he looked so relaxed and peaceful that it warmed my heart. Not that it was new because literally everything he did made me all warm and fuzzy.

“Do I have something on my face?” he asked when he noticed me staring.

“No, I was just thinking about how handsome you are.”

His lips stretched up in a smile. “And yet, you are a thousand times prettier.”

I snorted. “It isn’t a competition.”

“Of course not, because you’d win so easily.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.

Now smitten, I giggled like a little kid, my cheeks turning red despite how accustomed I was to his flattery. What could I say? He was always smooth with his words.

“Oh, isn’t this the place?” Soren then said, snapping my attention away from my cheesiness.

Looking up, I saw he was right. “Yes, it is.” I’d already pulled out my camera from its case, grateful that we got here just in time to catch those first rays of sun. Walking over to the beautiful spot that was basically the end of the shore, I stopped a few inches from the water and positioned myself to face the horizon. The sun started to rise, and I took the first picture, the snapping sound mixing with the waves each time I took another photo, wishing it would be as precious as this moment. The sun slowly stretched its rays over the sky, painting them and the water in bright colors. The ocean was so calm you couldn’t even tell where it ended, and instead, those turquoise waters spread on and on until the far, far horizon. The only sounds you could hear were those of nature slowly waking up, and it brought me so much peace.

“Soren, come here. I want to take pictures of you.”

Soren moved in front of the camera, turning the view, which was beautiful until now, into perfection. Excited over this beauty, I began capturing this moment through the lens, admiring how after all these years, he still looked like a young prince. But then, he fumbled with his pocket until he pulled something out of it, and at first, I had no idea what it was until I did, and my heart stopped. Slowly lowering my camera, I gazed at the small black box in his hand with my mouth open.

“S-Soren?” I swallowed hard, my camera nearly slipping from between my fingers.

He smiled at me with such warmth before he cleared his throat. “At first, I thought of doing this at sunset, but then I realized that sunrise would be a much proper hour because—” He got down on one knee, not even minding the wet sand. “—I want this to mark new beginnings.” He opened the box, and I gasped at the sight of the silver ring presented on white velvet. It was simple, classy, and so Soren. “I know our love story was complicated, to say the least.” He chuckled, and I snorted, half crying already. “But it was beautiful nonetheless, and you, Ashton, are without a doubt the love of my life. And while I know and hope our story is far from being over, it would be my honor to go through the rest of this journey as your husband.” He held my stare, his silver eyes shining so vividly, even more than the ring itself. “Ashton Sage, would you give me the greatest honor of marrying you?”

My throat was too sore to speak with the number of tears I tried swallowing, and instead, I nodded. “Of course,” I cried, covering my mouth. “Of course I’ll marry you.” Thankfully, my camera was attached to a string around my neck because the next moment, I tossed myself on him, not caring if it would break. My weight crashed us both down to the sand as my lips were already on his. “Fuck yes,” I said over his mouth. “I’ll marry you a thousand times.” I kissed him again, my chest tight with love and joy.

Soren pulled back only to take my finger.

Shit , I almost forgot about the ring.

My hand trembled, but he calmed me down by stroking my skin with his thumb before slowly sliding the ring down my finger. My face was all red from excitement and sticky with tears, but that didn’t stop Soren from kissing my cheek.

“I’ll love you forever, my little Sparrow,” he promised in my ear while I kept looking at my beautiful ring, which was the same color as my summer’s eyes.

Getting back to our cabin, which was more of a suite, was nearly impossible. I could hardly keep my hands to myself, and that was without mentioning Soren, who was all too eager to get me naked before we even walked in.

The shower we took together to clean the sand from our bodies was nothing if not foreplay, and now, all washed up and groomed, I was ready to show my fiancé how excited I truly was over his surprising proposal.

“Ashton.” Soren gasped my name so beautifully after I’d pushed him back on the bed.

Tossing my towel to the floor, I slowly climbed on top of him, already knowing I was about to blow his mind away. I started kissing up his body and stopped once I reached his chest. Taking one of his nipples into my mouth, I nibbled on it until Soren couldn’t hold back his voice and let out a throaty groan that went straight to my already hard cock. On very rare occasions did I wish to be the one to squeeze such a precious reaction out of him. Almost every other day, I was eager for him to bring this side out of me, but today… today was different.

“My goodness, Ashton,” Soren gasped, lacing his fingers through my hair as I dragged my lips along his toned stomach until I reached the root of his cock. I inhaled him deeply, taking in every bit of his masculine scent before I grazed my teeth over his shaft, my fingers moving over his trimmed pubes. He hissed, and I dared to glance up only to find him looking at me, his face already a display of pleasure.

Happy beyond words that this man was all mine, I parted my lips and took him in. What started with shallow sucks quickly turned into long, deep swallows until his magnificent cock slid down my throat.

The sensation of having my mouth filled was like no other, and intuitively, I moved to cup his balls and massaged them in my palm. He hushed a moan, and I wished he hadn’t because his deep voice was music to my ears. Feeling like he’d be up for it, I slid my hand from his heavy sack down to his ass and caressed his tight hole. He didn’t say a word, so I went on massaging his entrance, pressing my thumb to his rim until he warned me to stop, or he’d come.

Withdrawing at once, because the last thing I wanted was for this moment to be finished too soon, I grabbed his hips and sank my teeth into his right cheek. “Can I do you today?” I asked, my lips ghosting over the fresh mark I’d left on his perfect skin.

Stretching his hand, Soren stroked my jaw, his eyes looking at me with nothing but love. “You don’t even need to ask.”

His words swayed my heart, which only seemed to go faster by the minute. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d topped him, as I’d done it before, only those times were few and could be counted on two hands. Usually, I preferred to be on the receiving end, but now, I couldn’t help but want to be buried inside him.

Licking my lips, I took the bottle of lube Soren handed me and applied a decent amount to my hand. Soren watched me as I did before he turned around to lie on his side. I moved up on the bed so I was aligned with him, kissing him while my fingers slipped between his firm ass cheeks. With his leg tossed over my hips, I had easy access, and I pushed my fingers into his unbelievably tight ass at the same time I licked into his mouth, savoring the taste of him. Soren wasn’t like me, as he didn’t turn into a bundle of whines and whimpers as I fucked his ass with my fingers, and instead stayed composed. His pleasure came in the form of soft blushes and stifled groans.

Watching his arousal grow on his face turned me on beyond words, and my dick leaked with precum, all eager to go inside Soren’s body.

“That’s enough, Ashton,” Soren whispered over my lips, his fingers moving through my hair. “You can put it in.”

And even though I was supposed to be the one in charge, it sure as fuck didn’t feel like it. I watched with awe as he moved to lie on his stomach and arched his back for me while I positioned myself behind him. His strong back was on full display, and he looked so gorgeous while he waited for me to take his ass.

“My heart is beating like crazy,” I confessed, and he turned to look at me over his shoulder, a tiny little smile tinged on his lips.

“Mine’s the same.”

Heat flushed to my already flaming cheeks, and I bit my lip before taking my cock in hand and bringing it to his entrance. Pressing the tip to his puckered hole, I first rubbed the head of my cock against it, and we both groaned with the sensation. It felt so good, and I hadn’t even pushed inside. There was enough lube, but I added more just in case before I grabbed Soren’s hips and thrust forward. His body moved with me, and he let out a deep moan at the same time I did as I began sinking inside him, inch by inch, until I was settled all the way in.

“You’re so warm and tight,” I gasped, my eyes locked on where his ass sucked me in. “It’s perfect.”

“No, you are,” he half laughed, voice rough. “Now, fuck me, little Sparrow. Own me like I own you.”

His words became my command, and I began thrusting my hips, sliding in and out of him, my fingers digging into his flesh while I held him tighter. Soren’s body was as strong as mine, if not stronger, and he moved against my thrusts, increasing the sensation. It felt so good, and overwhelmed both physically and emotionally, I slumped down on top of him, one arm hooked around his strong chest. His ass swallowed my cock to perfection, and I nearly saw stars with how good his hole felt.

“I-I’m close,” I moaned, then kissed his neck, trying to hold back at the same time I ached to fill him. “God, Soren, I’m so close.”

Soren sent his hand backward to grab me, his fingers sliding along my sweaty skin. “Then come, my love. Come deep inside me. I want everything you have to offer.”

His words sent me over the edge, and I hugged him tighter before I pushed inside him, only to pull all the way back and do it again. My balls tightened, my muscles tensed, and I sank my teeth into his neck a second before my climax forcefully hit me, my body shuddering while I came inside his perfect ass. I continued to thrust through my release, not stopping until my dick turned too sensitive and it was actually painful to move.

Breathing heavily, I pulled out, licking my lips at the sight of my cum dripping out of his used hole. I wanted to say something, but before I could, Soren already had me on my back with my legs thrown over his broad shoulders.

“Now’s my turn,” he smirked, moving his dick to my already stretched hole.

When we took a shower together, Soren had worked on my ass, and I couldn’t be more grateful because just now, when he pushed inside me in one sharp move, I saw fucking heaven. I didn’t need to be hard to enjoy the pleasure of his thrusts, although the longer he fucked me, the stiffer my cock turned, as if I hadn’t just come.

“Yes, fuck, yes!” I hugged my thighs closer to my body before allowing him to bend me like a fucking pretzel.

“I love how flexible you are,” he groaned before putting his full body weight on top of me, his cock drilling in and out of my hole.

My ass hurt in the best way possible, and I closed my eyes as I tried my best to stretch my legs further so he’d be almost completely on top of me. At this point, I almost felt like a sex toy, his sex toy , and I moved my hand over my face to clean some of the sweat. As I did that, the cold silver caught me off guard, and I looked at my ring. I was flooded with emotions because even though he was fucking me brutally, like I was nothing more than a piece of meat, I knew it wasn’t true and that each part of him was adoring me in this moment. Because this wasn’t just hot sex but another aspect of our complicated relationship that spread over many years. A relationship that might have started from a heartbreak but rolled into the most beautiful love one could ever dream of.

Swallowing hard, I moved my hand to his neck and brought my lips to his ear. “I love you, Soren. I love you so much.”

He stopped thrusting only to meet my adoring stare, and as I looked into his eyes, I saw love.

So much love.

Soren reclaimed my lips and somehow moved us into a new position where I was on top. Now having the power again, I rolled my hips while he slid his hands over my body, admiring me in the way only he knew how to do. His touch was warm, burning my skin with his love, and I wondered how I’d ever mistaken his hands to be cold.

Soren thrust inside me at the same time I rocked my hips, and it didn’t take much before we both came together, while being so in love with one another it was almost illegal.

“What are you doing?” Soren asked as he returned to bed after he’d taken a shower.

Glancing at him, I smiled, then handed him my phone. “Just texted the guys a photo of the ring.” I smiled to myself. “They are so excited for us, and Jessie already asked to be the best man.”

Soren gave me back my phone before leaning closer to kiss the top of my head.

“They can all be your best men,” he chuckled.

“I want a small wedding, though,” I said, my eyes going over the boys’ texts again. “Like my parents had.”

“We’ll have whatever wedding you wish, Sparrow. Big, small, I don’t care as long as I get to marry you.”

I snorted. “You’re such a romantic.”

And while all the boys responded in the group chat immediately, one didn’t. And even though his lack of response wasn’t surprising, it was noticeable. It was noticeable because despite not hearing from him in over a year, Diesel’s presence in our life was still vivid. Whether it was the empty chair around our dinner table, his clothes and plants we took from the old house, or his name that still appeared on our group chat in spite of him never responding to any of our messages.

I missed him, we all did, but knowing that he didn’t want to be found, I had no choice but to accept it as a fact. And yet, despite my acceptance, there were times I couldn’t help but wonder where he was or what he was doing. All I knew was that he had disappeared off the face of the planet like he’d never lived, leaving us all behind, including Shay-Lee.

But who knew better than me that sometimes, you had no choice but to leave your heart behind.

My heart broke for Shay-Lee, and I took small comfort in knowing that Soren was constantly there for him. For the past year, they’d grown closer, probably over their shared trauma, or maybe not? Their conversations were private, and I respected that.

Unable to stop myself, I clicked on Diesel’s contact info and hovered over his number. Sadness washed over me, but it quickly vanished once Soren hugged me.

“You’re thinking of calling him again?”

“He won’t answer.” I closed my phone and tossed it over the bed, then turned to look at him. “Where do you think he is right now?”

Soren simply smiled before grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lap. “Someplace warm, hopefully.”

The thought of Diesel bathing in the sun somewhere in the world, a thousand miles away from all the crap that had haunted him for years, brought me a bit of comfort, and I wished that that was the case and that he’d left simply because he wanted a fresh start. After all, wasn’t that what we all wanted?

Looking at our interlaced fingers, I admired my ring, then turned to face Soren. “I hope you’re right.” I closed my eyes and leaned against him, thanking God for giving us our own fresh start.