Epilogue
Fiona
one year later
The doors to the New Host Library slid open with a mechanical thump. I glanced up, knowing it was them before I even saw their faces.
My father rested his arms on the counter. “Looks nice,” he said. “You did well.”
“Of course it is,” my mother said. “It’s Fiona we’re talking about.”
I forced a smile, though I had little to do with how the space was decorated. My priority had been setting up adult and youth programming; the decorations and renovations would come later. Sawyer had insisted on giving us an obnoxiously substantial donation, but I declined. Of course, an anonymous donation came in every month, which doubled in size if I talked about needing funds for certain programs. I didn’t ask him about it, but I always told him how grateful I was for the donor. And he’d smirk back at me .
“I didn’t think student loans could get you this far,” my mother said.
I opened my mouth to retort, but Sawyer emerged from the staff room, putting a protective arm around me.
“You don’t have to worry about those anymore, if I’m not mistaken?” he said.
“You’re right!” my mother exclaimed. “Did she tell you about the grant?”
“All about it.”
With a grant Sawyer claimed was specifically for librarians to pay off student loans, I had entirely paid my parents back for all of my higher education. Sawyer’s claim was ridiculous, but it was sweet too.
“How are you doing, honey?” my mother said. She leaned over the counter to Sawyer and they kissed each other’s cheeks. Like we were a normal family.
It was strange to consider our different backgrounds. A fairly normal, suburban family, next to two brothers who ran a murder-for-hire operation. I crossed my fingers that my parents would never find out.
“Better than ever,” Sawyer said, stealing a look at me. I beamed back. His wedding ring gleamed in the light, and my channel-set diamond band sparkled on my finger.
“And when do you officially leave for your honeymoon?” my mother asked. “Tonight? Tomorrow morning?”
“Come on,” my father said. “Let them have their fun.”
“You sure you don’t need us to house sit?” my mother asked, her eyes pleading. “I’d love to take care of it for you.”
I smiled. “Maisie’s already on it.”
“Take lots of pictures though, okay?”
She gave us both kisses and hugs before my father pulled her away.
I looked up at Sawyer. “When are we leaving?” I asked .
“In—” he checked his watch, “—just over seventeen hours.”
We still had to pack. It wasn’t our honeymoon—we had already taken a trip to Hawaii for that—but this was the only way we could explain our trip to my parents since they still thought Sawyer worked on a ranch. In reality, Sawyer was negotiating with a client in the Caribbean and thought I needed a break. He could have left Wilder to do the job, but he wanted to treat me. And, let’s be honest, he liked controlling the business deals.
I held his hand, then put one of the new full-timers on the front desk, then followed Sawyer to my office. We made sure the blinds were shut. Then my skin instantly flushed, sensing his eyes on me.
“Now,” he said, “where were we? You were going to ask me something.”
I sat on his lap, spreading my legs to straddle him. He moaned as he realized I still wasn’t wearing any panties. It was always a delight to him, even if it was our usual habit. Like he relished knowing how strongly I wanted to obey him.
“Please, Sawyer,” I said, grinding into him.
“Good girl,” he murmured, and he kissed me.
THE END