Epilogue

Troy

Two Years Later

The penthouse was so different than it had been two years ago. No more pristine conditions. Now it was filled with the evidence of family, toys strewn everywhere, the kitchen actually used as a kitchen, and décor that no longer screamed bachelor pad. I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I had been the person to say re-decorating was important years ago when Melinda had first moved in. It actually really felt like a home now, instead of a museum.

Right after Melinda and I had gotten back together, she’d talked about finding a new place closer to downtown. I’d known immediately that I couldn’t have her that far away from me anymore. I’d known that even if she was next door, it would feel like too far away, so I’d asked her to move into the penthouse. At first, she was a little hesitant, worried that we were moving at warp speed, but I wasn’t having it. I had already decided she was the girl of my dreams, so why not just jump in headfirst and get it done?

Seven months later, fourteen hours in, Melinda gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who we named Tyler. He was more perfect than anything that I had ever seen before in my life. I couldn’t wait to get home to see him, and when he woke during the night, I was the first person out of bed to pick him up and make sure that he was okay. He was born healthy, happy, and curious about the whole world, just like his mother. He had her eyes and her lips, and every time I looked down at him, I fell even more in love with both of them. After two months, we both went back to work, not wanting to leave Tyler, but needing to get into our normal routines.

Mr. Cartucci was amazing with Melinda, more than happy to start her out slowly and ease her back into work. He didn’t throw a pile at work at her and instead sat her down and let her know that working until dark wasn’t okay with him anymore. He appreciated the fact that she was now a mother and wanted to make sure she remembered that that was part of her future now. We hired a nanny to be there during the day with the baby, even though it was tough for us to trust anyone at the outset.

When Melinda got back into the swing of her new work life, she skyrocketed, becoming one of the most successful people of her age bracket in the company. She was given more responsibility and more money, and she couldn’t believe how balancing her life really helped her become even more successful than before. That balance was a surprise to me too, and I found that the happier I was at home, the better I worked in the office. I started handing out responsibilities that I had been too afraid to let go of, making more time for me to really oversee the company. We were still number two, but I was okay with that.

This particular day was special to us both, and I was impatiently waiting for Melinda to return from work. We had chosen that day to celebrate our anniversary, deciding that the day we finally decided to be together as a family was the perfect day to celebrate our relationship. It had been two years since I’d told her how much I loved her, two years since I’d dedicated myself to her and that beautiful little boy, and two years since my life had completely changed for the better.

I wanted to do something really special to commemorate this two-year anniversary, so I’d called up Chastity, the only person we trusted to watch Tyler outside of the nanny, and asked her to babysit him overnight. She was more than excited to spend time with him, always referring to him as the man that had finally stolen her heart. I had just finished putting all the food I cooked for dinner out on the dining room table just as I heard the ding of the elevator in the hallway.

When Melinda came through the front door she hung up her coat and slipped her shoes off, not yet noticing everything. She stepped forward into the living room and looked over at the dining room table which was covered in candles and food. She gasped and shook her head, starting to smile.

“Oh my gosh,” she said giggling. “That is absolutely beautiful.”

She turned and looked over her shoulder at the rest of the house and sighed, tilting her head to the side. There were three dozen red roses strewn about the apartment, all tied together with white satin ribbon. She loved roses and satin, and I wanted everything to look absolutely perfect for her. In the background there was softly playing music that we had listened to the first time she had come to my house.

“Hi,” I said, walking up and kissing her gently on the lips. “Happy anniversary.”

“Why, thank you,” she giggled. “I thought you forgot.”

“Never,” I scoffed.

“Where is the baby?”

“Chastity took him for the night,” I said. “I packed everything he would need, and he was more than happy to see her. That kid loves her more than me.”

“She’s always been good with boys,” she said, laughing.

I led Melinda over to the table and pulled the chair out for her, pushing it in as she sat. It was perfect as we sat there eating, drinking wine, and talking about the baby. We both couldn’t believe how much our lives had changed, but both agreed that it was all for the better. When dinner was done, I cleared the table and poured Melinda a glass of wine, watching her as she swayed back and forth to the sound of the music.

I rinsed the dishes off quickly and put them in the dishwasher, so I could move on with the night. I then took Melinda by the hand and led her out onto the balcony, turning up the music just enough for us to hear over the sound of the breeze from that high up.

She walked forward and took in a deep breath, shaking her head at how beautiful the city was from that distance. I, on the other hand, couldn’t take my eyes off of her, not believing how incredibly lucky I was to have a woman that beautiful in my life. I walked forward and took the wine from her hand, placing it on the table and turning back to her.

“May I have this dance?”

“Of course,” she said, reaching out her hand.

I pulled her close and looked deeply into her eyes for a moment before holding her right hand in mine and dancing across the balcony. The song was long, which was perfect since I didn’t want to let her go, not even for a moment. She pulled in closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder, letting out a small sigh.

Right there under the stars, I held my beautiful love in my arms, feeling like we were the only two people in the entire world. She had become my goddess, everything that kept me going on a daily basis, and I wanted her to know that. At the end of the song, I dipped her backward and then brought her up, cupping her face in my hands and kissing her gently.

I could feel the butterflies floating up in my chest, building stronger and stronger with every passing moment. I wanted this night to be one of the most perfect nights in Melinda’s life. I had thought long and hard, planned for weeks, and finally had reached the moment where I was going to give her a surprise that I knew was more than perfect for both of us.

I leaned back slightly and kissed her nose, watching her smiling brightly at me next to the twinkling colors of the cityscape. Stepping backward and grabbing both of her hands, I took in a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. She looked at me curiously, noticing the anxiety that had built up inside of me. I had practiced this speech over and over again, but for some reason, in that moment, I was completely blank upstairs.

I squeezed her hands tightly and shook my head, laughing nervously before clearing my throat and standing up straight.

“Melinda, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman that I have ever met,” I said. “You’re perfect in every way possible. Everything about the last two years, and even before that, has been bigger and brighter than anything I ever imagined for myself, starting with the way you immediately forgave me for the worst mistake of my life. For that reason and so many more, you’re the best person I know, the love of my life, the light of my world, and the person who holds my heart.”

“Wow.” She gazed into my eyes, smiling. “Please go on.”

“For the first time in my life, I belong to a family. I feel like every time I walk through those doors, the is love emanating from everywhere, including that beautiful baby boy you gave me. I owe everything to you for making it all happen. For being there to wait for me, and opening your arms to me when I finally pulled myself in from my own stupid brain. You saved me, and I will never forget that.”

I dropped her hands and reached into the pocket of my jacket, pulling out a small black box. As I knelt down, she gasped, holding her hands to her mouth. I opened the box to reveal the three-carat diamond ring that she had seen in the jewelry store a year before. Little had she known that three days after she first saw it, I had gone back and bought it.

“Melinda, you are my world,” I said. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

She stood there for a moment, her hands still covering her mouth and tears streaming down her face. Finally, she shook her head up and down and pulled her hands away. My heart jumped in my chest.

“Yes,” she cried out. “Yes of course I will marry you!”

I stood up and pulled her in close to my body, tilting her chin upward and kissing her passionately. She melted into my body, and as the warm wind blew across the terrace, we promised ourselves to each other for an eternity. She pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes, still crying.

I pulled the ring from the box and slid it up onto her finger, smiling as she realized it was the ring that she had wanted.

“How did you …”

“I bought it the next day,” I smiled. “I’ve been planning this for a while.”

“It was perfect,” she said, coming back in for another hug.

I finally had everything that I hadn’t even known I always wanted. I had a beautiful son who was growing every day. I had an amazing business that I had built from the ground up. And just as important as our son, I was now going to marry the love of my life.

It really is funny how love finds you even when you’re hiding from it.