Epilogue
Evangeline
(Three months later…)
I stomp into the living room with a hand on my hip. "Raphael Silver – your half of the rent is late. Again. And you still haven't paid the electricity bill. We agreed – you're responsible for the electricity bill and I pay the internet bill. Remember?"
I hand him the utility bills as he looks up from his computer with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I'm not used to handling these sorts of things myself. I usually hand those off to my assistant and she takes care of them."
Plopping down onto the couch next to him, I push his computer aside and stick my feet into his lap. "Excuses, excuses. I thought you said you were a billionaire. I'm starting to have my doubts."
He laughs, pulling me on top of him. "Is that why you made me sign a lease on this rundown old shed? You thought I couldn't afford anything better?" I glance around the room.
It's not that bad. Okay, the windows don't open all the way and the air conditioner sounds like an old dog with pneumonia. Plus, most of the electrical outlets are dead and the washer and dryer plugs are right in front of the fire escape. So if the place caught fire, Raph and I would be toast (but with the amount of sex we've been having, my toast would be well-buttered when the search and rescue finally find my charred body. Hehe.)
Anyway, the apartment isn't that bad. On the plus side, Blakely and her boyfriend live just down the hall so we hang out all the time. And even better, this is a place I can actually afford. No more living outside of my means. I'm a business owner now and a responsible adult. Keeping my finances in order is of primordial importance.
Raph keeps begging to let him buy us a house but it's important to me that I pull my weight. I don't want a free ride. I want to stand on my own two feet. Yup, he complains a lot about our living conditions but I think that, on some level, he's proud of me for doing this.
Being married to him is an absolute dream, by the way. Yes, we made a down the aisle. We couldn’t stand not being married so we just did it. Down at the courthouse. Don’t judge us.
Anyway, he leaves me little notes around the house and roses on my pillow. He brings me food on the nights when I'm working late at the shop and he gives the best back massages. He listens to me babble on and on about the shop and he always has the best business advice. The man just gets sexier every single day.
We both travel a lot for work – his business is still in New York and my expeditions to find jewelry take me all around the word – but we make sure to make our relationship our number one priority.
Plus, he fucks me like he still owns me and he does. He always will. I’m glad to be his property, the most valuable asset in his portfolio, as he often teases. At least we can laugh about it now.
I'm the luckiest girl ever. This dirty silver fox has my heart.
We’re still working on our relationship with my parents. It’s not like the four of us are doing tantric yoga double dates on the weekend. But we’re good. Seriously, as long as my parents respect that Raph and me are together, that’s all I could ask for.
As for Club Audace? The arrests of Simon, Madame Gwendolyn and their clique of pimps was a very loud, very public event. In retrospect, I'm glad that Raphael shielded me from its impact. But don't tell him I said that because I meant it when I said I want to be his equal partner. No secrets between us, no buffers. We’re in this together. Still, I cringe when I think of what it must feel like under the spotlight of that scandal, on stage standing naked under the bright lights while the whole country is watching. I'm not too worried about those crooks, though. I just know that Madame Gwendolyn will rock that orange prison jumper like it's high-end couture.
"Admit it, Raphael," I taunt him, "You love this place. Our own little love shack."
He tickles my ribs. "Our den of iniquity," he corrects me. With a dramatic swoop of his arm, he throws the bills aside. His hands slide under the hem of my tank top and run up my ribs before cupping my breasts. "No more talking about bills. Let's do something dirty."
"That sounds like a damn good idea, baby." I press my mouth to his ear, moving down over his stubbly cheek until our lips catch and that ever-present flame roars between us. I pull back and look at him.
“What?” he asks, then he nips at my chin.
I grin. “We actually have it all. I’m so friggin’ happy with you.”
He tilts his head to the side. “Well, there’s one thing missing.”
“What’s that?” I ask with a furrowed brow.
“It’s about time I put a baby in you,” he mumbles, running his hand along my belly.
Hearing him say that sparks something fierce and primal in me. A type of joy that no words could ever explain. “What if I told you that I did a few pregnancy tests the other day…”
His eyebrows dart up.
“And what if I told you that they came back positive?”
“Eva…”
“I told you,” I say with a grin as I squeeze him closer, “We have it all.”
THE END