Epilogue
AARON
A YEAR LATER
“ Harry!” I called out as I entered our home.
There was no sign of my husband. Or, Endor or Chewie, which was odd. They were usually the first ones to greet me at the door.
“Baby, are you upstairs?”
When I got no response, I knew exactly where Harry was. I wandered through the living room and spotted my husband sitting on our back deck, with Chewie lying at his feet and Endor curled up on his lap. My cat had finally succumbed to Harry’s charms, just like everyone else. Only, it had taken months with Endor. Months of daily treats and scritches. Unlike me. I’d succumbed to Harry after a few days, during that trip to Banff, and I’d been falling ever since.
Most days I woke up and I couldn’t believe this was my life. Our home was chaotic at times, but always full of laughter. Laughter, friends, and Harry’s family, who took me in as one of their own. Not that our relationship was without issues. I tended to retreat when I felt vulnerable, and Harry did the opposite. It took more than a month to find our groove as a couple, both living and working together. We still fought, passionately, and that would never change. But through it all, there was love. The kind that steals your heart and has you coming back for more.
I couldn’t imagine my days, or nights, without him.
I opened the patio door and stepped outside, the air fresh and cool, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon.
“Hey, baby.”
I sat down in one of our Adirondack chairs and sighed with pleasure. This was the second-best part of my day. Harry offered his free hand, but he didn’t say anything in return and that alarmed me. My Harry was always ready to talk.
“Harry?” I prompted.
“I’m leaving,” he stated quietly.
“What?”
I swear my heart stopped beating. He squeezed my hand tighter.
“The company, Aaron. I’m leaving the company.”
“Jesus Christ, Harry, don’t do that to me,” I hissed. “My heart?—”
“Your heart?”
“Yes, my goddamn heart! That’s you.”
“You love me,” he announced with a cocky grin.
“I did, before this conversation,” I snarked in retaliation, then leaned over to kiss him. “Yes, I love you, more than anything.”
Harry’s stunning smile appeared. The one that was all mine.
“I love you too, sweetheart. But it’s time. You’ve hired a chief operating officer to help offset your workload and the company’s rebounded. And as for me, I’m more than ready to start my business.”
After my father bitterly conceded defeat, we never spoke again. I was more than okay with that. We never had much to say to each other anyway. I went ahead with the audit into the company’s finances and Tremaine’s NDA was overturned when a criminal investigation was launched against Winston, Tremaine, and my cousin Gordy for embezzlement. The rest of my relatives reacted much the same way as my father, albeit with cold indifference instead of anger. I was okay with that too.
“I’ll miss you,” I confessed, looking away, my throat suddenly tight. “I’ll miss having my partner at work. Especially those one-on-one meetings in my office.”
Harry chuckled and the sound made me warm all over.
“I’ll still visit. You can have one-on-one meetings with your hot new freelance consultant,” he quipped. “And I’m still your partner. In every way.”
I pulled his hand up to my mouth and kissed it.
“Plus, working from home means I have more time for our family,” Harry continued. “The one we have and the one we’ll create, together.”
Day by day, my husband coaxed out all my secret wishes, things I’d locked in my heart, never believing they would happen. We both wanted children. Harry wanted at least four. I was still marveling at the reality that I had a husband (even a year later), never mind planning for a brood of kids. But I knew my Harry, once he set his mind to something there was no stopping him. Given my history, I was scared that I’d fuck up. But my dreams outweighed my fear. And I knew that with Harry by my side, our family was going to be an incredible adventure.
“I’m ready for it,” I replied and got up, offering my hand.
Harry placed Endor on the deck and stood up, pulling me into his arms.
“Are you going to make me another offer?” he teased.
I kissed his lips and tasted his smile. The one I couldn’t live without.
“Come to my office and find out.”
Thank You for reading Happily Never After! If you enjoyed this enemies to lovers’ romance, check out some of my other titles like Rule Breaker , The Cockpit , and B-Mine .