- Epilogue -

Nix

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“Are you ready?”

Flicking my eyes up, I smiled nervously. “I think so. How do I look?”

Reaching across, the woman adjusted the microphone on my shirt. “Wonderful. We'll start in one minute. Do the cameras make you nervous?”

Shaking my head, I gave a brief laugh. “No. Not much does anymore.”

The reporter beamed, motioning over my head. “Okay, here we go. Rolling in three, two, and... I'm here with Nix Birch, owner of Blue Tulip Inc, the newest—and hottest—marketing firm out there.”

I took this as my cue to wave; I did it briskly, hoping it wasn't too much. “Hey there.”

“Nix, tell us, what inspired you to create Blue Tulip Inc?”

Linking my fingers, I said, “It's complicated.” The woman—she'd told me earlier that her name was Toni—lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, it's a long story. Let's just say I wanted to... help people.”

Grinning, she waved her notepad side to side. “Well, help them you have. We all remember the hiring phase you had when Halloway Inc went out of business. It's rumored you took in more employees than you were budgeted for!”

My stomach twisted a bit at being reminded about that time. Corin Birch hadn't been joking, he'd liquefied my former company. Blue Tulip had been doing well, but it had taken a lot of number shifting—and I was forever grateful to Gram for his knowledge—to bring on so many new workers.

But I had to do it.

I refused to let those people suffer because of other people's selfish wishes.

Toni was waiting for me. I smiled politely. “We made it work.”

“I'll say! Tell us, how does it feel to be the most envied young business woman in the city?”

Flushing up to my ears, I uncrossed and recrossed my knees. “Oh, no, don't say it like that. I'm not that successful, really.”

“Don't be so modest,” a low, rolling voice said.

Looking up, I blinked as Abell entered the room. It was hard to see his face with all the lights, but he fixed that, coming around and leaning over my chair. His arm circled my shoulders, fingers tilting me into him.

His lips tangled mine up, trapping them until I forgot what I was supposed to be doing.

Someone cleared their throat.

I pushed Abell away, fanning a hand by my cheek. “Sorry, sorry! Everyone, this is my husband, Abell Birch.”

Toni waggled her eyebrows. “Oh, we know who he is. Glad he could make it, I have a few questions for him.”

“Shoot,” he said, hovering beside me.

“Well first, the world wants to know. What does it take to get such a notorious billionaire playboy to finally settle down?”

Laughing, he slid his hand over my knee. I tightened up, reacting to his touch the same way now as I had over a year ago. “I'm not a playboy anymore, and not exactly a billionaire. Everything I have is because of this wonderful woman here.”

Helplessly, I smiled up at him.

Fluffing her hair, Toni chuckled. “So it was something about Nix that made you fall in love. How did you two meet?”

Okay. I'd said not much made me nervous, but this line of questions did. Leaning forward, I said, “Hey, that story is pretty boring, how about we move on.”

Abell clapped his hands together with a smirk. “How did we meet? Well, I beat someone up for her.”

The air in the room got heavier. “What?” one of the cameramen asked. Toni glared at the speaker.

“Yeah,” Abell chuckled. “He was attacking Nix and another woman. I jumped in and, well... here we are.”

“You were literally her hero!” Toni gasped dramatically. “How romantic! And then what happened? Give us all the details!”

He smirked sharply. “Oh, you want all the details? Alright.”

Covering my face, I took a deep breath. Here it comes. He's going to tell the world what we did that night. Our hookup. Kill me now.

He said softly, “What happened next was that I realized how strong she was.”

Freezing, I cracked my fingers and stared at Abell in disbelief.

His lips slid up at an angle, but his eyes were warm—kind. He said, “She faced down this huge guy, all to save a stranger. After that, I knew she was special.”

The reporter had been stunned into silence.

Abell looked at her, teeth shining. “That's how you win over a billionaire playboy piece of eye candy,” he said.

Toni couldn't look away. She'd been thrown off, as had everyone. Even me.

Lowering my hands, I mumbled, “Abell, she never called you 'eye candy.'”

“No? I'm sure I heard someone say it,” he mused.

The room laughed, and I joined in. It was impossible to resist. In the middle of that chorus of noise, Abell shared a wink with me.

Reaching between us, he squeezed my hand. I felt the edge of something hard.

His wedding ring.

****

“There you are!” Gram said, looking exasperated. “She started crying and wouldn't stop!” In his arms, he juggled a little bundle of mint-green blankets, a shock of red hair poking from the top.

Grinning, I wrapped my arms around my daughter, hugging her close. “You can make a company run like an oiled wheel, but you can't comfort a baby?”

“She didn't want to listen to all the different ideas I had for streamlining her nap time.” He made a face, and we both laughed.

Pressing my cheek to the top of her head, I breathed in her sweet smell. “Shh,” I hushed. “Everything is fine, my little Riley-Bean.”

Riley's fragile whimpers stopped. Her eyes, as blue as her father's, sparkled up at me. She had a face I could have worshiped for an eternity.

Gram gave me an impressed look, amazed at how I'd quieted her. “How did the interview go?” he asked.

Bouncing Riley gently, I rolled my eyes. “As expected. Abell couldn't stop himself from popping in.”

“I bet they loved that.”

“Of course they did.” So did I. “Did you see where he went?”

“I think he went to make some last minute arrangements for while you're gone. Speaking of which, are you seriously going to have your phone turned off the entire time? I know it's supposed to be the honeymoon you guys never went, but I mean, come on.”

Pushing my lips out in an exaggerated pout, I said to my baby, “Someone thinks he can't handle things while I'm gone. Yes he does, yes he does.”

“Don't turn her against me already!”

I kissed Riley's forehead. “Gram, you'll be fine. I wouldn't have made you vice president of Blue Tulip if I thought you weren't the man for the job.”

“Maybe,” he said, acting cagey. “Or you did it because of your promise.”

Straightening my mouth into a serious line, I stared at him pointedly. “I promised you a better life, yes. But I also wanted you at my side. You've always been there for me, Gram. This wasn't a pity offer, you're my right hand because I believe in you.”

He looked uncomfortable. Then, he ruffled his hair. “Dammit, Nicky. Way to make me blush.”

Mockingly, I put a hand by Riley's ear. “Don't swear in front of the baby. Anyway, I need to get going. That plane won't wait for us.”

“Before you go, I wanted to ask something.” He walked me towards the elevator. “Did Dad or Gabby ever... you know, try to contact you? After everything?”

Slowing, I hugged Riley closer. “Not once. You?”

“Yeah.”

I stopped short, arching my eyebrows. “Gram...”

Puffing air through his lips, he shrugged. “Dad called me to ask for money, about a week before Halloway Inc shut down.”

The side of my neck hurt from how tense I'd gotten. “Did you give him some?”

“I did. I sent him two grand, and then never heard another peep.” The corners of his eyes crinkled, his lips a sad smile. “He could have said he was sorry, and I would have forgiven him, you know? He had that chance, right there. Instead he took the money and ran. I'm guessing I won't be seeing a Christmas card.”

Gently, I ran my palm over my brother's shoulder. “You have a bigger heart than me.”

He chuckled, then pulled out his phone. “You better hurry, Hawaii is waiting.”

Gripping him firmly, I sighed. “Don't run my company into the ground while I'm gone.”

“I thought you believed in me!”

Winking, I darted into the elevator as the doors closed. “See you in two weeks!”

****

“Abell?” I called out, setting Riley in her crib.

Crossing the hall, I peeked into our room. The bed was covered in folded clothing and an open suitcase. Abell hunched over the piles, setting them in the luggage. He looked up at the sound of my footsteps. “Hey there,” he said with a smile.

“Are you still packing?” I wandered towards him, shaking my head. “Isn't our plane leaving in two hours?”

“Actually,” he said, clicking the suitcase shut. “It was delayed another hour.”

“What?” Checking my phone, I saw the missed call from the airline.

Setting the suitcase on the edge of the bed, he said, “No rushing needed. I was actually going to hop in the shower, since we have a good eleven hour flight to Hawaii.”

Tapping my chin, I leaned into the hallway—listening. “Riley is down. How about I join you?”

Abell grinned wide as a canyon, pulling his shirt over his head. “I think I'd love that.”

Shedding my clothes, I left a path into our bathroom. He followed behind like I'd dropped a breadcrumb trail for him.

Twisting the shower knobs, I turned away as steam began to flood the room. Abell had stripped down to match me, and he was just inches away.

Gliding his hands around the small of my back, he pulled me in, nuzzling my collar bone. “Fuck, how did I get such a beautiful wife?”

Shivering, I bent close to whisper the secret answer. “By being a better person than you thought you were.” I pulled his earlobe between my teeth.  “Also, you fuck like a horse on speed. That helps,” I giggled.

Laughing, he lifted me up, setting me in the hot stream of the shower. “Naughty mouth! We need to clean you up, get in here.”

I tasted water when I grinned.

Together, we hung our heads in the tumbling droplets. They coated us both, soaking me through and leaving his tattoos shining. Reaching over, I grabbed the bottle of shampoo.

“Here,” he whispered, taking the bottle away. “Let me.”

Pouring the liquid into his palm, he rubbed it onto my head. Suds foamed along my scalp, his fingertips massaging.

Static rumbled through my cells, my brain firing on overdrive. The sensation of having him rolling his hands over my skull left me swaying.

There was something beyond intimate about having someone else wash my hair. He ran the long strands through his palms, piled them up, rinsed them gently. The constant white noise of the shower had my muscles going slack.

Tilting me forward, he washed the soap out, keeping it from my eyes. He massaged the base of my neck, erasing tension I hadn't been aware of.

Turning me, Abell brushed the soaked hair from my forehead. His kiss created ocean swells of delight in my brain.

Opening my eyes, I saw him watching me through half-closed lids. His lips were reddish from the pressure of our kiss. “Hey,” I whispered. “How long was that delay?”

Abell started to smirk, his voice caramel and sin. “An hour. More than enough time.”

He guided me backwards; when my thighs hit the tile wall, Abell came down on me like a landslide.

Eagerly he pulled my right nipple into his mouth. The skin was slick, made more so by his tongue. I moaned, arching into him to get more attention.

Between us, he slid his hand. While he suckled my tits, his fingers probed—confident in how they located my firm clit. Thumbing it, he made precise motions, grazing the sensitive bud until I was wriggling against the tile.

“Abell,” I gasped. “That feels amazing.”

Grinning with my nipple between his teeth, he chuckled. The vibrations made my knees soften. Abell crouched, kissing my sternum, my ribs.

He wrote poetry down my body with his mouth.

Fisting his prick, Abell narrowed his icy eyes on me. “You taste as good as ever. I can't wait any longer, I'm taking this sweet pussy. My pussy.”

The way he talked to me, it had ecstasy invading my blood. Reaching down, I squeezed his shaft, guiding him to me. Abell's nostrils flared, his lust encouraged by my obvious need.

With two fingers he spread my pussy-lips. He held himself with his other hand, rubbing his cock-head along my slippery entrance.

“Look at me,” he whispered.

Wordlessly, I did. Keeping his fierce stare on me, entrancing me not to look away, he fed his length into me. Fuck, I'd never get tired of that sensation. Being stretched so much that I still expected to break in two, nothing was more thrilling.

His cock rammed into me, consistent in its pressure. Every thrust stole the oxygen from my lungs. The water and steam had made me warm, but it was his touch that scalded me.

Hooking my thigh around his hip, he pinned me on the wall. One hand clasped my ass, guiding my tempo. I surrendered to his control.

“Fuck me harder,” I whispered in a voice I didn't recognize as my own. “Fuck me until I scream.”

Panting, he pushed us to the bottom of the tub. The water cascaded over us, but his body blocked it, protecting me from the spray. “Spread your legs wider,” he growled, pressing my thighs into the porcelain.

Quickly, I obeyed him. I could smell my own arousal, the steam making everything humid and heavy.

He constrained me into the position he'd chosen. I was trapped, made to bend—to break—the way he desired. Blinded by my passion, I struggled to keep his face in focus. His cock plunged inside of me, filling me to the brim.

My body was a live wire. I shuddered and twisted, hungry to keep his hot cock deep inside. Pleasure bloomed down my limbs, and I knew, when it hit my lower belly, I'd cum.

“Scream,” he said, pumping faster—rougher. His hard pelvis ground against my clit, never relenting. He was pushing me towards orgasm whether I wanted it or not. “Scream for me, scream until you're hoarse.”

His voice was a raw whisper. I let it consume me, rolling my cunt up to meet every one of his thrusts. Our voices echoed around us, the shower a constant rumble.

The nerve endings inside of me went into overdrive; I whimpered helplessly, then took enough breaths to flood my lungs. I needed that air.

I needed to scream.

“Yes!” I squealed, my pussy convulsing over his hard length. “Fuck, yes! Yes!”

After that, everything I said was broken, unrecognizable.

Abell grunted, his forehead pressing on mine as he held me tight. I was still shaking, squeezing at his cock, when he started to cum. I didn't think he would pull out, but in my desperation, I locked my legs around him and rode out the waves of his orgasm.

With every swing of his hips, the indents on his lower back flexed. I traced them, clung to him as his thick cum filled me until it over flowed.

I felt it trickle down the inside of my thighs, mixing with the shower water.

I wanted every bit of him, wanted him to be dry to the bone and emptied.

His essence belonged to me. Only to me.

Curling my nails in his wet hair, I kissed his cheek. “I love you,” I whispered.

Lifting his head enough to see me, his eyes were ruthlessly honest. “I love you, too. More than you could ever know.”

Smiling, I said softly, “I think I have some idea.”

Tiny tremors still worked through my pussy. Especially when his shaft, still stiff somehow after his release, inched backwards. I groaned, listening to the noise when his cock escaped from my body.

We'd wasted our shower. Luckily, we hadn't abandoned it yet. Abell stood carefully, then he reached down to help me to my feet. Together we washed up a second time, removing the evidence of our little escapade.

Scrambling from the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel, scrubbing one over my head vigorously. The air was cool, tiny prickles rising on my drying skin.

Abell had hung his towel around his hips. I paused, eating up the visual. He didn't hide his smirk, clearly enjoying how I was enjoying him.

“You really like my ink, huh?” he asked, sliding into clean clothes from our dresser.

“Of course I do. They're very... artsy, I guess.”

Smiling tenderly, he nodded. “I got most of them after my mother passed. She always loved tattoos, too. Said it was exactly that, art for the body.”

My hair was still damp, I tied it back in a wet bun. “I'm sure she would have loved all of them.”

Abell stopped what he was doing, eyeing me like I'd said something he hadn't expected.

Blushing at his scrutiny, I headed to my closet. Sliding into a fresh sundress, I pushed my feet into my black flats. Abell had already finished changing; a shame, I would have loved to ogle him more.

“We'd better hurry,” I said. “We're pushing this whole 'arrive at least an hour before your flight' thing.” Grabbing the suitcase on the bed, I pulled it by the handle. One of the latches hadn't been closed; pants and underwear fluttered out, landing softly on the floor.

Among the cloth, a heavier item clunked.

“Wait!” Abell gasped, reaching for me.

Kneeling, I picked up the smooth, thick book. “What's this?” Turning it in my hands, I peeled the cover back. Inside, a photo of my smiling face and creamy white wedding dress stared back.

This is...

Flipping the pages, I looked over another picture; this one had Abell feeding me cake. He'd used his hands, sliding his fingers in—and out—and in again, so I was bright red in the photo from embarrassment.

Next to me, I felt the slight weight of Abell sitting on the rug.

“It's our wedding,” I said in awe. We'd held it while I was still pregnant, so I'd been giant and round.

I remembered how I'd felt awfully close to being a blimp, but Abell had told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Flipping faster, I came across a new scene. Green walls, bright lights; a hospital.

This was a glossy print of Abell. In his arms, he was cradling a sleeping, red faced Riley. He was wearing scrubs, and the look in his eyes—even through the paper—was pure adoration for his newly born daughter.

“I wanted to surprise you on our trip.” His hand touched mine. “I know that neither of us had the typical loving family.” Reaching across, he gently caressed our daughter's face in the picture. “It's the first family photo album I've ever been a part of. I want her to remember everything we do together.”

Looking up at him, I studied the face of the man I'd fallen so deeply for. “It's amazing. Abell, I love it!”

He pulled me close for a gentle press of our warm lips. Against my skin he said, “I love you, Nix. And now,” he said, pulling me to my feet, shoving the suitcase back together. “We have a plane to catch, and a daughter to pack up still.”

Covering my mouth, I hissed, “Oh, you're right. I didn't think about the extra time for that!” I snatched up my bag, hurrying down the hall to Riley's room. “Traveling as a family is kind of new for me!”

“Me too.” Abel gently gathered up the sleeping baby, buckling her into her car seat. “Better get used to it. This won't be our last trip.”

“No,” I agreed, leaning close to kiss each of them on the forehead. “And if we can't manage now, how will we do it when our family gets bigger?”

Abell froze, staring at me with wide-eyed hope and wonder. “Are you... are you already...?”

Winking, I grabbed the suitcases and ran down the stairs, laughing all the way to the car.

It was so strange, I could only distantly remember thinking that the idea of this—being a mother, being a wife—didn't make sense.

Now, I couldn't imagine a different life.

This one was perfect.

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THE END

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