EPILOGUE
Olivia
Six months later
The TV in my office turns on out of nowhere and I look up. What the heck?
I look around the room wondering what the heck’s going on. I see Ethan leaning against the secret doorjamb that separates our offices. He’s got a grin on his face and I know he’s up to something. He motions with his head toward the television.
“And this just in,” the male anchor for the six o’clock news says.
“And is it a doozy,” his female sidekick says.
“The entertainment industry has been rocked by another scandal, but this one looks to be the biggest of them all. We’re getting reports of massive harassment, abuse of power, and a whole laundry list of other items coming out of the offices of Stone Solutions tonight,” the man says. “And we’re also being told the prosecution will be lead by Olivia Barnett, but you can be sure she’ll have Ethan Stone working right beside her. They have quickly become the most feared legal team in the country.”
“That’s right, Mark,” the lady says. “And not only that, Ms. Barnett will appear on the cover of the next issue of Forbes magazine. They’re calling her the next Gloria Allred, securing a better future for women everywhere.”
I turn and look up at Ethan. Words can’t express how happy I am.
“Something tells me you had a hand in this.”
He lifts his palms to the sky as if to say “what?”
I get out of my chair and march right over to him and wrap him up in a big hug, but not too tight. I’m already six months along and I have to be careful about our first born. And by our I truly mean ours.
Ethan broke my heart when he finally revealed how his relationship with Leah came to be.
Ethan’s and his best friend from childhood had made a pack to watch out for each other forever. And there’s one thing I know…make that two. One, forever with Ethan really means forever. And two? When Ethan gives his word it’s as good as gold.
His friend had found the love of his life in the military but tragically they were both KIA on the same day in different parts of the world. It was tragic, and the odds of it happening were about the same as getting struck by lightning multiple times. But as the saying goes, life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.
Ethan received word and immediately stepped up to the plate and honored his word. He kept Leah for her own sake, but a small part of me also thinks he did so to avoid the perception of good PR. The things a man does when no-one is watching really tell us who he is. And Ethan was the absolute best.
And here he goes proving it all over again.
We were already engaged, but hadn’t the time to get married yet. My career took wind right away and I was already flying high…thanks again to him.
But putting me on this case was my biggest challenge yet, next to him. But thinking back he wasn’t a challenge at all. As much as he terrified me and excited me at the same time we fell for each other so quickly that we were together immediately.
It took me awhile to get used to being around a man who inspires fear and respect in everyone whose path he crosses, but I’m getting the hang of it slowly but surely.
And another huge benefit of working on these high profile cases was the pay. I was able to pay off my dad’s gambling debts last month, and I didn’t even need to ask for a loan or let Ethan know the trouble I was facing.
I know if I would have told him he would have taken care of it right away, but this was something I had on my plate before I met him. This was something I needed to do for myself, and I did thanks to him and the opportunities he’s given me.
“You know how proud I am of you, Olivia.”
Just hearing those words melts me even more.
“Thank you. I thought I had confidence in myself when I started and in a lot of ways I did. At least I thought I did. You’ve taken it, and me, to a whole new level…a level I couldn’t have even dreamed of.”
“And just think, we’re just getting started,” he says.
“We sure are.”
“You up for the challenge of working on this one during the tail end of your pregnancy?”
“With you by my side I’m up for any challenge life can throw our way.”
“Even with one kid and another on the way?” he says. It’s so cute that he doesn’t want to overload me, but hey, this is the twenty-first century. Us ladies don’t just keep up with men, we run circles around them! Okay, maybe not with a guy like Ethan, but that’s why he’s so special. He’s always a step ahead just like he proved tonight by surprising me yet again.
“And together we can conquer any obstacle,” he says.
“Together. All seven of us,” I say.
“Seven?” He shoots me a confused look.
“Well, we’re at three of us now. And we’re going to have at least four more kids, right?”
“Sounds great to me. But why specifically seven?”
“Because it’s just enough to have a majority in a jury!” I say. “Duh!” I poke him in the ribs and he gives me a boogie. “Hey!” I say.
He lets go and takes both of my hands in his.
“The jury’s already in. Has been for a long time,” he says.
“And what’s the verdict?”
“That I’m absolutely positively guilty…of loving you”
“Awww,” I say. I lean back in for another modified hug being careful of the baby.
“And I’m guilty of loving you,” I say.
“And this verdict is for life,” he says.
“Consecutive lives!” I joke.
“Eternal,” he says. “Forever.”