Epilogue
Devon
Five years later
Iwind around the last bend until I get to the house. There are no more weeds, gravel, or limbs blocking the way. My wife likes a clean car. Paving the road was one of the finishing touches on Grandma’s house.
It’s what we still call it even though every inch of it is all Harlow. After the big life-saving event, the contractors got down and dirty. Most of it was brought down to the studs where they were able to start from scratch.
Everything other than the staircase. That was restored to its original beauty. I’ve seen the pictures and can attest to it. It even creaks, but not as badly as it once did.
My wife is living her small-town dream in her grandmother’s house, with a garden, three cats, one dog, five chickens, and one duck who was lonely enough to join the party and won’t leave.
He loves Harlow and hates me.
I never thought I would have enough energy to hate a duck, but I do. Lloyd is a bloody arsehole, but the girls love him.
My girls.
I also never thought I’d be a girl dad, but if anyone is prepared to perform background checks and scare the fuck out of future boyfriends, it’s me. I dare any one of them to come to our door and date one of my daughters before she’s thirty years old. I won’t allow it.
Cora is three, and Collins just turned one. Cora was easy on us and gave us a gentle introduction to parenthood. Collins, not so much.
She’s hell on wheels. I love it.
I pull up the driveway and straight into the garage that was an addition since Grandma never had one. The entire place took more than a year to get it where it is today. Usually the grounds would be the last thing to be finished, but for us, it was the first.
Harlow wanted to be married here, and I agreed. It doesn’t matter how beautiful my resort is or how different we could make it. Neither of us wanted the memory of what was supposed to be her wedding with the rat bastard mingled with ours.
The fall colors were the only décor needed. Our ceremony was small. Our families and Chrissie. We didn’t need or want anyone else.
The reception, however, might as well have been a Winslet appreciation party. Something I didn’t know about small-town life before I moved here, it’s all-or-nothing when it comes to its residents. It’s a good thing my manor is big, because our reception was a doozy.
We did not sell the rights to a national magazine, but that doesn’t mean our marriage wasn’t reported on.
The bride had a murder for hire hit out on her.
The groom was a prior MI6 whose co-worker came back to life, was arrested, and tried for treason.
The American Princess and British secret agent.
We were a story in and of itself. I might not have wanted the world to know who I was when I worked for SIS, but I’m a businessman now.
We didn’t promote our story, the world did it on their own, and my business benefited from it.
For the fifth year in a row, we made the list for one of the top ten destinations in the States.
I remember the days I couldn’t fill positions. Now, I’ve got people knocking on my door to move to Winslet and work for me.
I prefer the locals. We’re still a rag-tag bunch, but we deliver top-notch service. Guests love us.
I’m living the dream. Harlow, the girls, and a business I manage from my private office. It’s everything I never knew I wanted and more.
I grab my briefcase off the passenger seat and make my way through strollers, bikes, and wagons. I stop to pick up a dirty pacifier that Collins must have dropped when she was toddling around with the chickens and Lloyd.
The moment I open the door, the sound of my family feeds my soul.
Cora laughs, Collins squeals, and Harlow sings along with whatever little kid music she’s got playing over the speakers while she stands at the kitchen sink washing vegetables from a huge basket. They must have been in the garden.
Before the girls see me, I go straight to Harlow. I wrap my arm around her waist and press my lips to her neck.
She yelps before she twists in my arms. “You snuck up on me.”
I lean down to take her mouth. “I’m not exactly sneaking. It’s a rave in here.”
Harlow glances at the girls in the family room. “Collins just woke up from her nap. They want to go outside, but I’ve got a video conference with corporate I need to get ready for.”
Harlow is still in charge of the Effie Madison Foundation, but she cut back on her travel and most everything else.
Chrissie got a promotion and handles ninety percent of the legwork that Harlow used to do.
Chrissie gets to live her best life in the city and traveling the world.
Harlow was happy to hand over those duties to her friend.
She didn’t trust anyone else to do the job.
Harlow has changed her focus to Stonebridge. It wasn’t easy for her to make that switch. Patrick had to talk her into it.
Patrick is still at the helm of the company, but even he has stepped back in his duties. It’s more like he’s preparing for the future when he won’t be able to run the company any longer, but on his own accord, not anyone else’s—like Janie’s or Allen’s.
Stonebridge is a publicly traded company, but the Madisons still own a majority of the shares. It will stay all in the family. And the family is bigger than it used to be.
I’m about to slide my hand down to Harlow’s arse covered in the same cutoff jean shorts she wore the first day I met her after I delivered her breakup note at the altar, but I don’t get the chance.
Cora slams into my legs and demands my attention. “Daddy!”
I let go of Harlow and swing our oldest up into my arms, giving her a little toss in the air before she settles. “Hello, love. I missed you.”
She wraps her little arms around my neck and holds on tight. “I wanna play outside but Mommy has a meeting.”
Before I have the chance to answer, Collins waddles over and lands on my Italian loafer. “Da-da!”
I bend and pick her up with one hand, boost her into my other arm, and blow on her neck. She cackles and wiggles in my hold.
I give them both a bump in my arms and look down at my wife. “I’ll change and take them outside so you can have some peace and quiet for your meeting. Is this the big one with your family and the board?”
She wipes her hands and tosses the kitchen towel to the counter.
“It is. I’m prepared but I’m also nervous.
I feel like it’s going to be half and half.
There are those who will support Dad’s decisions no matter what, but others who want to fight this.
But since we retain a majority of the shares. ..”
She lets that thought trail off.
I smirk. “So what you’re saying is this meeting is a formality.”
She bites her lip and lifts a shoulder. “We still want everyone to feel good about it.”
“I’m pretty sure no one cares about that but you, baby.” I chuckle and lean down for a quick kiss, before I put Cora down and hand Collins over to her mama. “Give me two minutes. I’ll take over. Oh, we have other things to talk about tonight.”
Her brows pinch. “Is something wrong?”
I shake my head. “Not wrong. I’ll explain later when the girls are down for the night. I need your undivided attention for that and other things.”
“You have piqued my curiosity ... for that and other things. I can’t wait.”
Harlow
It doesn’t matter what’s going on with life.
Babies, family, chickens, the board of directors, or my growing family.
When we’re like this, my husband makes me forget about the world. It’s not unlike that original contract I agreed to when I was drawn to the not-so-gentlemanly Brit and needed a distraction from life.
I’ve already come once, but when he thrusts into me from behind, hitting that place inside that is different, deep, and perfect, I see stars.
Devon buries his face in the side of my hair. “Fuck, baby. The way you come on my cock drives me mad.”
I gasp and grip the sheets below me, overcome by my orgasm. Devon loses control and takes me unabandoned. I’m here for it.
He plunges into me three more times before giving me his weight.
I collapse to the bed and Devon follows, buried deep within me.
We take a moment to come down from the high of each other.
When we’re like this, I can’t help but think back to where we started and how far we’ve come.
I love the simple life we’ve created in Winslet—with Devon and our babies—and if nothing ever changes from the way it is this minute, I’ll live a happy life.
Devon presses his lips to my temple the way he does so many times when we’re like this. “So it’s official? The Madisons will continue leading Stonebridge for another generation?”
“In one form or another, I guess. The vote was close, but it went the way we thought it would. I’ll be an advisor, for what that’s worth.
I think the board had more of an issue moving corporate to the west coast than the future leadership.
I guess you could say it’s set in stone.
Public announcements will be made tomorrow.
Dad feels confident he can convince stockholders this is the best thing for the company. ”
“That’s good, baby. I’m proud of you. I know you don’t want to take on that role.”
“It’s okay. I need to do it for our family, the girls, and my father’s legacy. It’s important. But it’s your turn. You distracted me before I had the chance to ask you about your news.”
He pulls out, climbs off me, and forces me to roll to my side to face him. He swipes the hair from my face. “I got a call today from a real estate agent in Montana.”
I frown because I don’t like the sound of real estate or anywhere other than where we’re at. “What about and why are they calling you?”
“He has a piece of property he can’t sell. It has potential, but no one wants to take on the scope of it.”
My insides clench, “Devon—”
He shakes his head. “No, baby. I’ll never ask you to move. Winslet is our home. This is our home.”
“But...” I let that word draw out. “Why did they come to you?”
“Because he saw what I did in Winslet. He’s representing a property just as vast—even more.
It’s a ranch sitting on over five hundred acres.
I had him send me the files which came with a slew of pictures.
If I thought my place was in bad shape, this is as bad or worse.
But, baby, I see potential. And we wouldn’t move there.
I know enough now, I can manage it from here. ”
I snuggle into him and press my bare body to his warm, muscled one. “You’re good at what you do. You should go for it. You barely have anything to do anymore since the manor is a well-oiled machine. You need a new challenge.”
I see in his eyes that he wants this. “Let’s go look at it next week. We’ll take the girls, show them something new, and make a vacation out of it.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll arrange for someone to take care of the animals.”
He cups my face and leans in to claim me in a searing kiss. “I love you, baby. So bloody much.”
My breath mingles with his. “I love you, too, Devon. Life just keeps getting better.”