Epilogue 1
One Year Later
“Hey, babe!” I called as I entered the kitchen from the garage. Coconut trotted happily into the room and looked expectantly up at me. I picked her up and kissed her head, giving her all the kitty rubs she enjoyed. She wasn’t a baby anymore, but she was a gorgeous little feline, and I adored her. “I was talking to your daddy, but hello to you too, beautiful.”
Then Cat Daddy himself strolled into the room, shirtless and sweaty from his run. My cousin followed him, and I placed a kiss on each of their cheeks.
“Hi, guys. How was your run? Did you give the ladies of the neighborhood their daily eye candy?”
“You know, we do what we can for humanity,” Cam answered with mock solemnity.
“You should really win some kind of award,” I shot back, lifting one sarcastic eyebrow.
“How did the car run today, Bee?” Hawk asked, changing the subject as he ran his fingers through the hair over my ears. I’d kept my pixie cut. Everyone was right; this style did suit my face .
“So good. It didn’t break down or make any weird noises at all.”
“I can’t believe you bought her a new car,” Cam said, leaning back against the counter with a smirk.
Hawk scowled at him. “She needed it. I’m not having her drive around in that fucking death trap Honda that broke down on the interstate every day. And besides, we bought it together, right Bee?” He smiled fondly at me through his not-quite-the-truth statements.
The Honda had broken down exactly once, and it had been on a surface street, not the highway. As for buying it together, well, that was a bit of a stretch as well. We’d decided to open a bank account together for household stuff, and while I contributed the money I made from my dance lessons, it certainly wasn’t enough to cover the payment on my brand-new red Ford Escape.
“Right,” I agreed because I didn’t feel like arguing with his stubborn ass about this again. I’d been content to get a sensible used vehicle, but my bossy man had been insistent on buying new. “Though I do miss seeing you shirtless underneath the hood of my car when you checked it every week.”
Seriously. Every. Damn. Week.
He kissed the spot just in front of my ear. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll still be checking your new one to make sure it stays in good condition. Fluid levels. Spark plugs. Stuff like that.”
“I do enjoy it when you spark my plugs and check my fluids,” I purred, sliding my hands up his bare, damp chest. I loved when my man was all sweaty and…
A throat cleared from behind Hawk. “Uhh, guys, do I need to be here for this innuendo-filled conversation? ”
We parted, and I laughed as I turned to grab a couple bottles of water from the fridge and toss them to the guys. “Sorry. I do want you to stay though. I have to tell you both something.”
The men made themselves comfortable, Cam hopping up on the counter and Hawk taking one of the bar stools.
“I got a phone call today from a lawyer who said she has a group of women who are filing a suit against Bernard Moreau.” I widened my eyes. “For sexual harassment.”
“How did she know about you?” Cam asked.
“She’s calling all of Moreau’s senior-level students from the past ten years to see if they experienced any harassment from him. There are apparently seven other women who have come forward, plus a few more who chose not to participate in the lawsuit.”
Hawk lifted his dark eyebrows. “Wow, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to join them of course. I feel like… I don’t know… like it’s easier to go forward with a team behind me. Like a support system of other women who have gone through the same thing.”
The men shared a smile before Hawk rose and crossed to me, kissing my forehead sweetly. “You do whatever makes you comfortable, Little Bee. The important thing is that he’s going to get his nasty ass nailed to the wall for doing this to women.”
“So you think I’m doing the right thing?”
“I do, but like I said, it’s completely up to you.”
“I know it’ll be hard to talk about in court, but I actually feel really good about this. Like I’m doing something to stop him from hurting other women. I just wanted to talk it through with someone I trusted before I gave her my answer. ”
“Good,” Cam said, lifting his water bottle in a salute. “Why don’t you take a couple days to think about it, and then call Kassie back.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said, turning to the refrigerator to get the lunch meat and cheese. Then I froze and turned around to face them, the space between my eyebrows narrowing to nothing. “How did you know the lawyer’s name was Kassie?”
“Shit,” Cam muttered as his eyes met Hawk’s. The look that passed between the two men was a combination of panic and guilt.
“Did you two… know about this?” I asked, my mind churning to figure out what the hell was going on.
“Maybe?” the man beside me said at the same time Cam pointed at him and yelled, “Hawk started it!”
Hawk shot him a glare and then turned back to me with trepidation in his dark eyes. “We wanted Moreau to pay for what he did. I personally would have liked to take care of things in a more… physical way, but I’m also not fond of going to jail.”
I softened, remembering his story about beating the man who hurt his sister all those years ago. I knew he still struggled with his lack of control that night.
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said quietly.
“The thought of that asshole going to prison won out, so we called Kassie Ramirez.”
“But she said she’s based out of New York. How did you know how to contact her?”
“She’s engaged to Shark’s cousin, Monty Bouvier, and she’s a real ballbuster in the courtroom.”
“Ohh, he’s Auburn Bouvier’s brother?” Hawk nodded. “How did you know there were other women? ”
“We didn’t,” Cam spoke up, walking over and taking my hand, “but men like Moreau are predators, so we figured it was likely you weren’t the only one. Kassie said she would handle everything as far as research. We had no expectation of you joining the lawsuit. The choice was totally up to you, and we would have supported you either way.”
Hawk bobbed his head in agreement. “We thought there might be other women out there like you whose stories were swept under the rug, and we wanted to give them a chance to have their voices heard. Even if they chose not to sign on, at least they would know they weren’t alone.”
I grabbed them both in a fierce group hug, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill over the rims of my eyelids. “I love you guys. Thank you.”
“We love you too, Mal,” Cam said, kissing the top of my head before stepping back and taking a long swig of his water. His customary mischievous grin tore across his face. “I wonder how Karen is going to handle this.”
I burst into giggles at the thought. Before her divorce from my dad was even final, the bitch started dating none other than Bernard Moreau. I was completely disgusted, and any thought of salvaging our fractured relationship was obliterated by her selfish decision. I hadn’t spoken to her since.
“Should be fun to watch,” I commented. “We probably need to fill my dad in on all this. I want to tell him personally.”
“We can have him over for dinner tomorrow,” Hawk said. “Cam, you guys want to come?”
“Probably. I’ll check with Shiloh. ”
“How’s she feeling?” I asked.
“Pregnant as hell,” he replied with a proud grin. “She’s just hit her third trimester, and my son is getting really active. Bella loves feeling him moving around in Shy’s tummy.”
“All right. Let me know. I’ll grill something while Mal studies. Now, if you could kindly leave, I’m taking my girl out for dinner tonight.”
Hawk was fidgety all throughout dinner. Maybe his tie was too tight or something, but he was the one who’d insisted that we go fancy. He was in a perfectly cut suit that had every female eye in the steakhouse turning his way when we entered. I was wearing a black satin sheath dress and heels I was trying not to wobble in.
When we returned home, he still seemed nervous, so I grabbed his tie and pulled him to me for a long kiss. “Get your ass in the bedroom, Gentry,” I said, nibbling on his bottom lip. “I have plans for you.”
He seemed to relax marginally and swatted me on the ass. “Maybe I have plans for you, Little Bee.”
“We’ll see who wins,” I said, following him to our room and heading to the bathroom where I removed my dress and earrings. When I strode back into the room, I was wearing only my black lace lingerie and the heels of death. I managed to put an extra swing in my step without falling down, and his eyes followed me across the room.
Hawk Gentry—my sexy, beautiful man—was lying on the bed almost naked. I could see the appreciation in his eyes—and also growing beneath his black-and-white boxer briefs—as he watched me.
“Come here, Bee.” He held my hand as I climbed onto the bed and straddled his hips. “Do you know how much I love you?”
“I’m aware. Do you know how much I love you?”
“A lot, I hope.”
He took both my hands and placed them on his chest. Something felt off beneath my right hand, and I lifted it. “Did you get some new jewelry?” I asked, peering down at the pink satin ribbon that was looped through his ring.
My breathing halted in my chest. Attached to the ribbon was…
Oh my fucking god!
The most beautiful princess-cut diamond was mounted on a platinum band and glinted at me in the light from the bedside lamp.
“Tate?”
He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it before inhaling and exhaling a long breath. “Bee, since you’ve come into my life, you’ve changed me, but you’ve also let me stay the same, and I think that’s what I love most about you. You made me believe in love.”
“Yes,” I blurted out, and he frowned.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“I haven’t even asked you yet.” An amused smile tilted his perfect lips.
I waved my free hand impatiently at him. “Oh, go ahead then.”
“Well, now it just seems anticlimactic,” he pouted .
“Would you hurry up? I’m ready to be engaged.” I leaned forward and kissed his lips. “And now you don’t have to be nervous because you know I’m a sure thing.”
He wrapped those big arms around me and bound us together. “Mallori Fitz, will you please marry me?”
“Even though you proposed to me with your nipple ring, I’m going to say yes.”
He laughed happily and rolled me off him, deftly untying the ribbon and slipping the ring onto my left hand. “I promise I’m going to make you the happiest woman in the world, Little Bee.”
I stared at my gorgeous engagement ring before moving my eyes to his.
“You already have, Tate. You already have.”