Epilogue
Six Months Later
“ D o you, Archer Lockwood, take Delilah Newman-Russel to be your lawfully wedded wife? To promise to love and cherish her, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?”
Archer gazed into her eyes lovingly as he ran his finger over her ring finger, which held her diamond ring.
“I do,” he replied, causing Delilah to smile. He wiped away the small tear that fell from her eye and rolled his eyes at the audience, who decided now would be a great time to “aww” at them.
“Do you, Delilah Newman-Russel, take Archer Lockwood to be your lawfully wedded husband? To promise to love and cherish him, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, for so long as you both shall live?” he asked.
She replied happily, “I do!”
Archer gave a chuckle at her enthusiasm.
“By the authority vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Archer was quick to lean in and capture the lips of his wife as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
The audience cheered as the couple had finally become official, and to keep things PG, Delilah pulled away, laughing as she looked into Archer’s eyes.
“I told you to save your excitement for our second honeymoon,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “I haven’t seen you since yesterday, Princess; forgive me for kissing my wife a bit longer than usual because of how beautiful she is.”
She giggled at his antics, and he leaned in once again, placing another passionate kiss on her lips.
Killian watched as his oldest daughter swayed happily on the dance floor. After their father-daughter dance, he was reluctant once again to let her go to her now husband, but eventually did so as he didn’t want to ruin her special day.
Besides, another one of his children was going to face his wrath for a bit before he would even accept the possibility of her being in a relationship. Looking over to Ivory, he couldn’t help but chuckle as she and Jin sat beside one another but looked visibly platonic.
Killian did decide to cut Jin a bit of slack as he was one of the reasons his daughter was able to overcome the events that occurred a few months back. She was still a little shaken, but after a few sessions of therapy and more time spent with Jin, she was almost back to her regular self.
“Killian... aren’t today’s festivities simply marvelous?” Calvin spoke happily as he walked over to him.
Killian nodded. “Sure,” he responded, happy that his daughter was in love, but not entirely satisfied with who.
“I hope Andrew’s contribution is well enough for an ounce of forgiveness as he’d hope.”
Killian shrugged. “Well, his son did almost tear my family apart, so a million-dollar wedding is only... a drop in the bucket. He’s got a long way to go.”
Calvin remained silent, and Killian took a sip before sighing. “Fifteen percent,” he muttered.
Calvin’s face contorted as he replied, “I beg your pardon?”
“What, are you suddenly British now? Benjamin or Pierce must have rubbed off on you,” Killian muttered and placed his glass on the table as he crossed his arms. “I came to the realization that… you will probably never leave me alone. I had plans of having you executed by our family murderer, but that simply can’t happen now that you’ll be expected at the family gatherings, unfortunately. Nonetheless, I have to say I am... decently impressed by what you accomplished.”
“It only took fifteen years.” Calvin shrugged.
Killian rubbed his temples in frustration. “Precisely. So I can’t believe I’m saying this: Lockwood, I am offering you fifteen percent of company shares when our businesses ultimately get passed down—and in return, I want almost complete control of yours.”
Calvin nodded in understanding. “So, if I hear you correctly, Killian, you are willing to offer me twenty-five percent of your company shares in exchange for a business proposal in which we will have a fifty/fifty contract as I had intended in the beginning when I planned on Delilah and Archer getting married?”
“No, not at all,” Killian muttered, taking another sip.
Before he could speak again, they both felt a slap on the back of their heads.
“What did I say? I said no conducting multi-billion-dollar deals on the day of your daughter and son’s wedding, and what are you two doing?!” Brielle asked furiously.
Killian and Calvin both shared a look before responding dejectedly at the same time, “Conducting a multi-billion-dollar deal.”
“Don’t let me catch you two again!” Brielle warned, and the two men nodded as they watched her walk away angrily.
They stood in silence for a while, then Killian spoke again.
“Twenty percent, and we’ll discuss later what I want from you in return.”
“I could kiss you right now,” Calvin muttered, taking another sip of his drink.
“Don’t,” Blaine said as he walked over.
Killian rolled his eyes at the two as he focused his attention on his daughter, who had just finished her first dance with Archer.
All of a sudden, Archer's face was ridden with a million different emotions. Delilah smiled as she walked over with him, hand in hand, and approached Killian and Calvin.
“What’s wrong with him? He looks like he’s happy but simultaneously shitting bricks,” Blaine asked.
Delilah smiled as she looked up at her father. “Don’t tell Mom yet... but I’m pregnant!” she said happily, causing Killian to narrow his eyes at his son-in-law as Calvin raised his glass.
“Mazel tov!!” Calvin said happily.
Blaine rolled his eyes. “You’re not even Jewish. Wait… are you?”
Two Years Later
Delilah sat with her daughter Adeline on the bed as she finished placing a bow in her hair. Her daughter was finally dressed and ready for the annual Christmas party Brielle threw every year.
She heard more rustling from the closet and looked over to see Archer walking over as he buttoned up his shirt. He walked over to the mirror angrily, and Delilah sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why do we have to go, Princess? You do know there are going to be about eighty people there, correct?” he said, stating the fact of the matter.
Delilah smiled. “We have to go so we can mingle and see our families. You can’t keep me and baby Adeline hostage, you know,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Archer walked over and kissed his daughter’s cheek. “You hear that, Princess? Mommy thinks I can’t keep you both to myself. Isn’t she silly?” he said, smiling, to which his daughter simply giggled in response, causing Delilah to roll her eyes.
“I’m joking, love. Besides, it’ll do me some good to see everyone under one roof again. Crazy how time flies,” he muttered and kissed Delilah’s lips as well. “Speaking of having time—” he began, and Delilah shook her head, shutting him down.
“No. The party starts soon, and our child is staring directly at you. We have no time to fool around.”
Leaning down again, Archer shook his head. “See, baby? Mommy doesn’t want to make me happy on Christmas too! Maybe I should keep you both locked in here.”
Delilah threw a pillow at Archer, who simply laughed in response as Adeline continued giggling.
Picking up his daughter, he gazed at both her and his wife lovingly before pulling Delilah to stand. He placed a kiss on her head before speaking sincerely.
“I love you, Delilah.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist as she laid her head on his chest.
“I love you, Archer.”
“Brielle. Darling, I think we have enough lights to illuminate the entire neighborhood. Let’s tone it down a notch or two; what do we think?” Killian muttered as he watched his wife with their youngest child on her hip and the twins following in tow as she paced the courtyard filled with rather costly Douglas fir pine trees illuminated by Christmas lights as they surrounded the fountain.
He had bit his tongue for the majority of the month when she incorporated a different theme in each corner of the estate, from the Candyland and Mrs. Claus bakery disaster that filled each kitchen in their home to the winter wonderland that plagued the living room, to the miniature Polar Express train that the children rode all hours of the day.
Being a billionaire, he grew to find pleasure in indulging in his wife’s interests to see them flourish. However… Christmas is where he felt a strong urge to draw the line. But in the words of the twins, “Daddy was a big grinch because he didn’t want to believe in Mommy’s Christmas magic.”
“Killy. We have guests arriving in an hour,” she responded, her tone gentle but firm as she adjusted the lights on a nearby tree. Reginald walked over with more decorations, eager to assist.
Running his hand through his hair, Killian sighed. “And you think that warrants making the estate as bright as the North Star?” he said, but gradually stopped as the twins glared in his direction.
“Daddy, stop. Mommy needs to focus,” Trinity said.
Killian could only run his hand down his face as Brielle smiled softly, praising them silently as she caressed both of their faces before she continued her assessment of the decorations.
In the corner of his eye, he noticed a few of his security guards entering with a near truckload of more decorations. Leaning against the pillar, he watched silently as more reindeer adorned with glowing lights were rolled to the back of their home to join the others that littered the garden as if they were real.
The twins smiled happily once again as Benjamin assisted, and soon, Brielle walked over with the children standing by her husband.
“What do you think?” she asked, oblivious to his slight irritation.
Killian’s jaw clenched. I think I’ve spent nearly ten million fucking dollars on Christmas decorations—
“I think it’s perfect,” he gritted out with a slightly pained expression.
As she placed a small kiss on his lips, his annoyance left as soon as it came, as he felt prepared to spend fifty, even a hundred million, on overpriced and unneeded decorations if it made his beautiful wife happy.
As they made their way inside, however, they paused. They saw a car enter the roundabout and stop before the entrance of the home. Seeing as it was unfamiliar, Killian approached, silently guiding his family behind him as they looked on.
Eventually, a man with traits similar to a silver fox stepped out of the front. He walked over to the passenger side, and as soon as he opened the door, Killian heard his wife gasp from behind as a woman who bore a striking resemblance to her stepped out with a smile as she fixed her trenchcoat. Her skin and figure were flawless for her being in her golden years.
Killian grabbed their daughter from Brielle’s arms and chuckled as his wife descended the steps eagerly like a child on Christmas morning. Brielle immediately embraced her as she was at arm’s length, and the woman sighed heavily, caressing Brielle’s hair as if she were a child again.
“ Mom . I’m so glad you came,” Brielle whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
Her mother laughed softly.
“As if I would ever miss this, my love.”
The man closed the door behind them, and Killian descended the steps as the children followed eagerly. Pulling away as she wiped her tears, Brielle smiled as the twins waited patiently to say their hellos as well.
“Hi, Nana,” they said, hugging her.
She bent down to kiss their foreheads. “Hello, my loves. Your mommy is putting on quite the show this year, hmmm?” She giggled as Killian rubbed Brielle’s upper back comfortingly.
“It’s good to see you, Genevieve,” he said, and she nodded.
“It’s good to see you too, Mr. Russel. I see you’re faring well, accepting Brielle’s creativity this year,” she remarked playfully, and Killian could only chuckle in response, knowing well not to comment as Brielle looked over to him, her gaze filled with warnings and compassion.
“Tis her season, so need not worry. My complaints have been rather minimal,” Killian assured, ignoring the glares the twins sent his way as Brielle absentmindedly caressed their faces to ease the growing tension between them.
Genevieve nodded knowingly before she cooed softly as Brielle’s youngest lay sleeping in Killian’s hold.
Meanwhile, Brielle’s eyes landed on the man beside her mother, who seemed to have his eyes fixated on her already. She sent him a small smile, though he remained an enigma to her. The warmth in his gaze was unmistakable, but his reserved demeanor left her with lingering questions. As her children spoke, excited to tell their grandmother about the decorations, Brielle accidentally cut them off.
“I’m sorry… I don’t think I caught your name.” She spoke gingerly, though there was a slight hesitation in her voice.
“My apologies, Brielle. I’m Reid Kaufman. I was sure Genevieve would have mentioned me to you.”
Brielle shook her head, her eyes going over to her mother, who seemed indifferent all of a sudden.
“No, she didn’t mention you before,” Brielle muttered.
Killian narrowed his eyes slightly as he tilted his head. “Kaufman? Reid Kaufman?” he asked, and the man clenched his jaw as Brielle looked over to her husband.
“You know him, Killian?”
“Everyone who grew up with a gold or silver spoon in their mouth knows the famous West Coast billionaire who runs Silicon Valley… Up until now, I believed the rumors that he fell off the face of the earth.”
“Just because you fall doesn’t mean you can’t still call the shots,” the man replied, and Brielle nodded silently, still noticing her mother, who was rather silent. It was a slight surprise to know her mother was with such a wealthy man, however, it wasn’t a complete shock given her family history of being tangled with money.
“I don’t suppose you’d want to share how that happened or how you came to know my mother over cookies and milk this evening?” Brielle asked lightheartedly.
Reid chuckled in response. “It’s a rather long story, but to keep things short, I was essentially the family castaway… Genevieve was by my side through those hard times.”
“There was a famous article in The Times more than twenty years ago about him changing his last name and rebuilding his entire identity,” Killian continued.
Brielle crossed her arms almost protectively as her mother’s features seemed to grow into a guilty expression.
In contrast, Reid’s face remained stoic, oddly reminding her of how her older brother would do the same when tensions seemed to grow. Come to think of it, the man had many uncanny resemblances to her older brother—similar yet somehow distinctive and much more mature in contrast.
It could’ve been a coincidence, but something in the pit of her stomach told her otherwise.
“What was your last name before?” she asked, forcing her voice not to crack as she waited impatiently to hear the name come out of his mouth.
Genevieve looked up at him for a moment, but Reid’s eyes never left Brielle’s as he took notice of every detail on her face the same way she did his.
He watched as her face grew a bit red like Genevieve’s, from the wind of the brisk weather, and her eyes looked up at him in the same way he remembered decades ago.
With reluctance in his sigh, he spoke, his heart pounding in his chest as he prepared for the worst.
“Newman.”