Epilogue
EPILOGUE
VANCE
Two Weeks Later
A s promised, Hana and I finish our round-the-world trip in France. Surrounded on all sides by my family, we’re sitting outside in a roadside bistro, enjoying the fresh air, sights, and sounds of Paris. If it were up to me, I’d have Hana all to myself. Locked away in our cabin of love, overlooking the Eiffel Tower, and ending our journey the same way it began.
But it’s not up to me, at least not this time.
We’re here to celebrate the successful merger of our company with La Superiorite. Had I not wanted to take Hana on a sightseeing adventure of the world, we’d have ended up here anyway.
“To The Superiority.” Victor’s sitting at the head of the table with a champagne glass raised high in the air.
“Hear, hear.” Vaughn’s next to cheer our monumental achievement.
“But let’s get down to our real cause for celebration.” Victor’s eyes travel down the table. First his wife, Olivia, cradling their baby to her chest. Then Mom beside her, leaning over to tickle her granddaughter’s cheeks. I’m next, expecting him to stop here, but his eyes move farther down until they settle on Hana. “Another welcome addition to this family.”
Hana’s cheeks instantly set ablaze, and her grip on my hand under the table tightens. “Thank you. I’m just so happy to be here.”
“Oh God,” I groan and roll my eyes. “You know you don’t have to play along with his bullshit, right?” Of course, she does. I gave her an in-depth brief of how this was going to play out in advance.
“Getting flustered, Vance?” Victor smirks at me, but there’s no malicious intent behind his words. Just a brotherly ribbing to make me squirm.
“Sitting next to this stunning woman, how couldn’t I?”
“Vance, stop. You’re making me blush in front of your mother,” Hana says in a whisper intended for me, but Mom hears it and laughs.
“Being flirty and cute are the least of my concerns, dear,” Mom says, shaking her head to ease some of Hana’s tension.
“And what about you, little brother?” I flick my eyes over to Vaughn, who has Victor’s first child on his lap. He’s bobbing her up and down on one knee while making funny faces that send her off into fits of hysterics.
“What about me?” he asks, in the lighthearted tone one would approach a baby with.
“When are you gonna find yourself a pretty little thing to bring along to these family get-togethers?” I ease back in my chair and smirk. “Unless you want Mom to come along on all our triple dates.”
Vaughn’s face shifts several shades of red as the table erupts into hearty laughter. But as it all settles down, Victor’s attention lingers on Mom, who’s staring right back at him. His brow flicks upward as if the pair of them are having some telepathic conversation, and after a long sip from his short glass, Victor speaks.
“Two down, Mother.” He snakes a hand behind Olivia’s neck. “One more wish, though I believe I know where it’s going.”
“And you’d no doubt be correct.” They both turn their attention to Vaughn.
Leaving them to whatever they’re talking about, I face Hana directly, staring deep into her eyes. The start of a smile twists the corner of her lips upward.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she whispers, not to interrupt the rest of my family.
“Like what?” She opens her mouth to speak, but I continue before she gets the chance. “Like you really are a stunning woman? A goddess among us mere mortals? The love of my life?”
The smile and blushing from my first two points disappear behind a wall of astonishment on the last. “What did you just say?”
“I love you, Hana. Known it since the very first second I saw you?—”
Without caring about who’s around, Hana throws herself into me for a kiss. Her hands snap up to my cheeks and hold onto me tightly, refusing to let me break away from her mouth. Not that I would. Or could, for that matter.
“I love you too,” she whispers. Either from embarrassment that the first time hearing and saying those words is in front of my family, or because she’s so taken away that she can’t raise her voice any higher.
As we turn back to the table, Victor brings his hands together in a clap. The rest join in, cheering on our future.