Epilogue
Emma
Six months later …
“I can’t see!” I complain playfully. “I’m going to fall in a chuckhole and sprain my ankle!”
“You’ll live,” Damien growls. The sound of his voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Just a little further. You can do it, baby girl.”
I flush. The ground underfoot is uneven and I take shy, cautious steps in the direction Damien is leading. The bandana tied around my eyes hasn’t even slipped a little bit, and I have no idea where Damien is taking me.
But I know that I’d follow him anywhere.
After the appeals process, everything seemed to happen in a rush. My father was arrested and sent to Federal prison, and now it’s very likely that he’ll rot there for all eternity. In addition to the charges pressed by Damien and Jed, several of his female employees came forward with damning sexual assault allegations. In the era of #MeToo, it was pretty much a ticket to hell.
It had all been very frightening at first. Damien took great care of me, though. He’d even helped with my mom. When my father’s assets were seized and she lost the house, Damien found Ramona the perfect condo in a luxury community. Now, Mom loves Damien too.
Well, he is awfully easy to love. He’s the perfect husband to me, and I’m sure that Mom thinks he’s a great son-in-law.
“Is it much further?” I ask.
“No,” Damien says. “I promise, Emma, we’re almost there.”
I flush. “I can’t believe you’re trying to surprise me,” I say. “It’s not like you.”
Damien chuckles again. The sound is pleasant and low and a thrill of arousal shoots through my body. “Well, I like making you happy,” he replies. “And if this is the best way to do it, then, well….”
I giggle nervously. “Everything you do makes me happy,” I say honestly. “Surprises or not.”
We got married almost right after Damien’s trial. He’d asked if I wanted a big wedding, but to be honest the idea of shopping for a gown as a plus-sized girl was horrifying. And it wasn’t like I had a ton of friends or family to invite. We wound up getting married at the courthouse with Mom, Lacey, and Jed as witnesses.
Then Damien whisked me away on a whirlwind honeymoon that lasted six months. Life wasn’t easy at first after the trial. Reporters came by the cabin almost every day, and there was so much publicity that I knew it made my man sick. So we went away. Damien took me all over the globe on a world tour.
It had been incredible. Part of me was almost sad to be home, but most of me was relieved. Sometimes it’s nice to come back to New York, and now that the IPO was over and done with, the attention surrounding Damien and me had died down.
“Okay,” my husband says. His voice jolts me back to the present. “You can look now.” He reaches up and unties the bandana from my eyes, careful not to pull my hair along with the knots. “I hope you like it.”
When I open my eyes, the sunlight is so bright that I can hardly see. Everything is blinding and white. But then my eyes adjust and I see a gorgeous new log home standing where the cabin used to be.
“Oh, my gosh!” I squeal. “Damien! What is this?”
Damien smirks. In the sunlight, he looks as sexy as ever. His beard is back, but it’s neatly trimmed, and his hair is slicked back from his broad forehead.
“It’s a house fit for a princess,” he says. “You couldn’t come back home and expect to live in my cabin again, could you?”
The house is truly a work of art. There’s a huge wrap-around porch in the front and perfectly manicured flower beds. There’s an herb garden to the side, and I can see a huge satellite dish perched on the roof.
“It’s beautiful,” I say softly. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
Damien pulls me close and nuzzles me. “Of course I did, baby girl,” he replies. “You’re my angel. I have to take care of you, don’t I?”
I flush happily. “Come on,” I say as I take his hand and lead him inside. “I’ve got a little surprise of my own for you.”
Now it’s Damien’s turn to look inquisitive. “Oh?”
I smirk. “Oh, yes,” I say. “Come with me.”
Damien follows as I lead him inside. The inside of the home is just as beautiful, with exposed wooden beams and tons of natural light. Beautiful leather furniture gleams from every angle and I grin happily at the giant kitchen.
“We’ll have a lot of good meals in here,” I promise.
An open staircase leads to a second floor. I lead Damien upstairs, peeking in each room. There’s a gorgeous master suite, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I walk down the hall until I see what looks like a guest bedroom.
“Here we are,” I say triumphantly.
Damien frowns. “Babe, our room is at the end of the hall. You like this one more? We can always move.”
I shake my head and reach into my purse. I pull out the white plastic stick in a baggie and hand it over.
“Surprise,” I say with a smile on my face. “I hope you like it.”
Damien takes the baggie from me and peers inside, squinting for a second. Then his beautiful blue eyes grow wide. “Is this …?”
I nod happily. “Yes. I’m going to have your baby!”
Damien scoops me into his arms and kisses me passionately. He drops the pregnancy test to the floor and dips me low as he slips his tongue into my mouth. Arousal grows in my lower belly and I moan softly as his hands run down my body.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” Damien growls as we pull apart. I press my forehead to his and stare deeply into his eyes.
I feel deliriously happy, almost like I’m drunk.
“Did you like your surprise?” I ask softly.
Damien nods. “Oh, baby, yes,” he says. He looks around. “And yes, this room would be perfect for a child.” He kisses me again and I purr happily as his hands knead my ass.
When we pull away, I’m giggling and flushing with happiness. “I’ve just got one more question for you,” I say coyly.
“Oh yeah?” Damien raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms over his muscled chest. “And what would that be?”
I glance down at the pregnancy test on the floor before picking it up and slipping it back in my pocket.
“How many bedrooms are there?”
Damien grins. “Five,” he says. “Mrs. Evercore, are you telling me that you’d like a large brood?”
“Oh, yes,” I say happily. “As long as it’s with you, I want everything.”
Damien kisses the tip of my nose. “And I’ll give it to you, sweetheart. Anything and everything I can, is yours, baby girl.”
But as he holds me close, I know that I’ve finally gotten what I’ve always wanted.
A family.
THE END
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