33. EPILOGUE
Rose
W e came to Atlanta in late April for the first time since I left before Christmas the previous year. Gray was officially handing over the reins of the company to Justin, and there was a work event related to that in the ballroom of some fancy hotel, as it usually was.
I was nervous about being in Atlanta with Gray. I worried that once we were here, my darling Gray would revert back to the man I'd started to resent in the past few years. I spoke openly about it with him because that was our new thing: talking. We had gone to couples counseling as well, which had helped us learn to communicate better with one another. Such a simple thing, talking, and yet it had taken us twenty years to learn to do it well.
Holden invited us for lunch at their place the day after we got to our home in Atlanta. Bonnie had set up lunch outside in their beautiful garden. She had a staff, including a cook or rather a chef, as she addressed him.
Holden had not joined the family business and instead worked at a bank managing big pots of money. He had sold all his interests in Rutherford Architects to Gray when he took over from his father. Something that Bonnie was still miffed about because now the company was so much bigger, and she felt that she and Holden deserved a piece of it. Holden didn't care. I couldn't understand why Bonnie would, considering the wealth they already had. How much was enough for this woman?
"My brother is a new man, Rose," Holden told me as we sat around a beautifully set table with champagne.
"Looks like the same ol' man to me." I leaned into Gray, who had his arm around me.
"Don't you miss Atlanta on that Godforsaken island?" Bonnie wanted to know.
"It's not Godforsaken, and yes, sometimes we do, which is why we're here," Gray explained, kissing the side of my head. He had grown more affectionate, like he’d been in the early days when we first moved in together, away from his parents—but there was something different now. Our relationship had developed a calm that wasn’t there before, a settled feeling grounded in trust and faith in each other.
"Good thing you got him back, yeah, Rose? Since you'd have been left with nothing." Bonnie's eyes flashed maliciously. I was too happy to care. She didn't matter to me, never had. I tolerated her because she was family—but she didn't affect me. Especially now when I felt so secure in my marriage.
"Bonnie," Gray's voice was sharp, his hand squeezed my shoulder, "Rose would have half of everything that's ours if she left."
Bonnie scoffed. "I know all about your prenup, Gray. Mama Rutherford said—"
"That prenup has been annulled," he cut in, and I saw the flash of shock in Bonnie's eyes and of despair in Holden's. Bonnie would be at his throat now to annul their prenuptial agreement.
"What? It can't be annulled," she protested.
Gray shrugged. "Actually, it can. There is no such agreement in place any longer. In any case, Bonnie, it's rude to bring such things up during a pleasant lunch, don't you think?"
"Are you crazy?" Bonnie snapped and then looked at Holden. "Did you know about this?"
Holden sighed. "Yeah, Bonnie, I did. It's none of our business, you understand? Gray's money is his , well, theirs ."
"How could you let him do such a fool thing?" Bonnie raised her voice. "How could you do such a thing?" She turned on Gray.
Gray got up and held a hand out to me. I took it and stood up as well.
"We're going to leave," Gray announced.
"But we haven't eaten yet," Bonnie screeched.
He ignored her and turned to his brother. "I'll see you around, yeah?"
Holden raised his champagne glass sullenly. "Yeah, Gray. Sorry about this, Rose."
"What’s goin’ on here?" Bonnie demanded.
"You're behavin' badly, Bonnie, that's what's going on here, and I don't want my wife to be subjected to your bullshit," Gray spoke calmly, but the iron in his voice was unmistakable.
Bonnie was stunned. Gray went along to get along and usually changed the conversation rather than bulldozed through it the way he just had.
"I'm not subjectin' your wife to—"
"Yes, you are, Bonnie," I interjected softly. "You always have. I don't know why. Maybe you feel better about yourself by puttin' me down, but we're done with that now. Y'all have a nice day."
I was giggling as we drove home.
"I'm not a petty person, but that felt awesome," I declared.
Gray held my hand in his. "I'm sorry I didn't do this before. Should've done it years ago."
"We look forward, yeah?"
"Yeah, babe." He took my hand to his mouth and kissed it. His phone rang then, and he answered it on the car's Bluetooth.
"Holden, you're on speaker. Rose is with me," he warned his brother.
"Man, I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Gray said.
"Rose? You okay?"
"Never better, Holden. Thanks for askin'."
He chuckled. "You look like you've never been better. You both do. Maybe I need to come down to Angel Island. It'll probably be good for my mental health."
"You should bring the kids. They'll love it. Summer is such a fun time, and Gray is buying a boat soon," I gushed.
" We are buying a boat," Gray corrected me. "Yeah, Holden, you should come."
"Bring Bonnie along," I offered. She was family. I'd never be rid of her, and neither her of me.
"You, Rose, sweetheart, have the biggest heart," Holden sighed.
After the call ended, Gray glanced at me when we stopped at a red light. "He's right, you know. You have the biggest heart. But for that, you'd have dumped my sorry ass."
"Sorry, your ass may be, but it’s worth a lot of money," I joked and added something I never imagined I ever would or could, "But since half your fortune is mine, you better be behavin', Mister."
Gray laughed.
"Yeah, Malou," I thought, smiling, " he loves me ."
That evening, I dressed up in clothes I hadn't worn in a long time and had forgotten about at the island where there was never such a need.
I put on a lavender chiffon dress that I knew looked good on me. I even wore some of the jewelry Gray had bought for me in the past. I had thought about going and getting my hair done as I usually used to when we had such parties, but I decided against it. My hair didn't make me a good wife or partner to Gray; I did . So, I let my hair loose around my shoulders and brushed it to a glossy sheen.
"You look a vision," he murmured.
"No kissing," I said coquettishly, "my lipstick will—"
"Fuck if I care."
He kissed me deeply and smeared my lipstick as we both knew he would. He pulled away to look at his handiwork. "I want to see those lips around my cock tonight, babe."
I felt heat rise through me, making me wet. Even after two decades, my man had this ability.
"I can do it now if you want." I was about to slide to my knees, but he held me up.
"No time."
"Spoilsport.” I picked up my bag and grabbed some tissues so I could fix my face since Gray had most deliciously messed up my lipstick.
When we got to the hotel and were just about to step into the ballroom, I clutched Gray's arm. "You won't just leave me all night, will you?"
The old fears were still there, and they came to the forefront when I was triggered. It was no different for Gray, who worried that I'd leave if he inadvertently screwed up. He told me when that happened, and I did the same.
"Only to take a piss, babe."
I made a face. "You've got such a way with words, my darling Gray."
"I know. It's a skill." And just like that, he put me at ease.
He didn't ignore my needs or my wants, but he also didn't make it a big deal; just said he'd be there for me and moved on. We were not going back. We were moving forward.
It was a great party, and Gray and I had more fun than ever before.
Gray did leave me when he had to go up on stage to announce his decision to step down as CEO and President permanently.
"Thank you all for coming here tonight." He was a charmer, and I felt all the tingles watching my handsome husband command a room.
Unfortunately, that was when Aimee, who was still at the company, though not Gray's EA any longer, decided to find me.
"Hello, Rose."
I gave her a tight smile and nodded in response, then turned my attention back to my husband.
Gray's eyes flickered with concern, but I shook my head, telling him the best I could silently and from a distance not to worry.
I got this, my darling Gray .
"Justin has been doing a remarkable job while I've been goofing off," Gray continued, his eyes shifting away from me to his successor. "Come on up here, Justin."
As Justin went up on the stage, Aimee said, "I'm surprised to see you and Gray back together."
I clapped at something Gray said, ignoring Aimee.
"Rose, I—"
"Shh, hon, we'll talk after the speech, yeah?" I said gently.
God, but she was young, I thought. Painfully so. She was young, confused, and infatuated with her boss. Her married boss. I felt bad for her. I had expected to feel anger or resentment for how she had behaved with Gray after I left, but I just felt pity. She'd grow up, and I hoped she'd look back at this time without cringing too much.
"I know I said I'd be back in the Summer, but I've decided to step down as CEO and President."
Whispers and chatter ran through the crowd.
"As some of you know, my wife runs a Bed & Breakfast on Angel Island, and we’re living there now, though we’ll still come and go from our home here in Atlanta. I’ll continue to serve on the board of Rutherford Architects and work on projects that Justin decides to involve me in"—he grinned at Justin—"but it’s time to hand over this company, and your well-being, to a man I consider both a friend and an exceptional colleague."
Everyone clapped. I joined in.
"You're ruining his life. He was going to do great things with the company," Aimee hissed, "And you—"
"Shh, Aimee," I said a little more forcefully this time. "Gray's still speakin'."
I never talked to her this way, ever. But I was a new woman.
"Rose, darlin', come on up here, babe," I heard Gray say.
I walked to the stage, and he took my hand, gently leading me to the microphone. He knew I hated being the center of attention, but he had cleared this with me beforehand. "My wife, Rose, and I have been married for twenty years now," he began.
A congratulatory applause and some whistles went around the room.
"She's the most beautiful person I know."
He hadn't told me he'd be talking about me , though. I thought he'd merely say something about us living at the B&B.
"She's the best wife a man could have, the best mother my kids could've dreamed about, and I'm thrilled about starting a new journey with her."
He kissed me then, and hoots went around the room.
I flushed.
"Thank you all for helping make Rutherford Architects the company it is today. I'm still goin' to be around, and I hope to see y'all whenever I'm at the office."
He put an arm around me and whispered, “Time to go home.”
I was smiling from ear to ear when Justin took over the microphone and stepped off the stage.
Justin thanked Gray for his leadership, and the room erupted in applause. As planned, once Justin began outlining his vision for Rutherford Architecture, Gray and I quietly slipped out of the ballroom. It was time for the company to move forward under new leadership.
"You owe me a blow job,” Gray reminded me, brushing his lips against my ear as walked to the parking lot.
I grinned at him. "You just like having me on my knees."
"Not as much as I like being on mine for you, Rose," he said sincerely, nuzzling the sensitive skin beneath my ear. "I love you, babe."
"I love you too, my darling Gray ."