EPILOGUE
The London premiere of Taming the Beast is a huge affair. It’s by far the biggest red carpet I’ve ever been to. The crowds are crazy, and the frequent flash of cameras is almost blinding. I couldn’t be more delighted that the man on my arm is Rafe Bastion.
It doesn’t rain, and I’m probably the only person who isn’t happy about that.
I still love the rain.
“Diana, over here!” call the photographers, and I give them a wave and a smile. Admittedly, not many of them call my name; they’re here for the actors. For the Erica Lefroys of this world. But when they do call my name, I pose, and Rafe steps out of shot unless I drag him in with me.
Now, I have my arm linked through his. He’s dashing in his designer suit, with a face to rival any man in Hollywood.
“I always wanted to bring you to one of these,” I whisper.
“Well, now you can,” he replies, his hand slipping around my waist and tugging me into his hip. “You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
“Liar,” I hiss back, a smile on my face. “But thanks.”
He chuckles. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.
This dress is stunning.” He slides a finger under the strap of my dress—a shimmering gold number from Erica Lefroy’s newest collection—and kisses my temple.
It’s chaste, but it sends heat straight to my core like it’s the filthiest kiss in the world.
“I can’t wait to get you home and take it off. ”
The freedom of being able to be with Rafe in public, knowing that no one can take this from me except Rafe himself, is a feeling I could only have dreamed of. I don’t have to hide my feelings or pretend they aren’t there. I can indulge them, and God knows I’ve done that with gusto.
When we enter the venue, I catch sight of Seb and Erica. He waves a hand while his other is wrapped tightly around Erica, much the way Rafe is still holding me.
“Do you know how much this delights me?” Seb says as he approaches us, releasing Erica and throwing his arms wide like he means to embrace us both.
Rafe stiffens ever so slightly, and Seb reads it, so rather than grabbing us, he claps a hand on Rafe’s shoulder. “I knew it.” His signature lopsided smile makes his dimple pop as he looks at me. “Did you know, at the Southbank event, this guy didn’t take his eyes off you?”
“Stop teasing,” Erica reprimands him, but her eyes are alight and happy.
“It’s true,” Rafe begrudgingly admits, and it makes me feel all fuzzy inside.
“Dad!” comes Lizzie’s voice, and I look over to see her entering with Charlie.
He looks older than he did when I last saw him; his hair is tidy, and his suit is sharp.
He has that same Hawkston jaw and his dad’s dark eyes.
Lizzie leads him towards us until we’re all standing together, and it occurs to me that I love these people.
All of them. Maybe I’m just so happy that love is spilling out of me where it otherwise wouldn’t, but I find myself hugging each of them in turn.
“I’m so pleased to see you all,” I say, and at my evident joy, Seb hugs me tight and starts to laugh.
“Someone’s getting laid,” he whispers in my ear, which makes me giggle, and when he pulls away, I land a playful slap on his arm. “Shh. And yes. I am. Regularly. Thanks for asking.”
We all start to walk towards the cinema itself, Seb at my side, Rafe up ahead talking to Erica, and Charlie and Lizzie behind us.
“You think Lizzie and Charlie are—” Seb breaks off to wink at me. “You know?”
I glance over my shoulder to see Lizzie talking rapidly, gesturing with both hands, while Charlie listens intently. “Not yet.”
“Agreed,” Seb says with a nod. “Charlie says they’re only friends.”
“For now.”
“For now,” Seb echoes, breaking into a smile so wide his mouth appears to take over half his face. “You might never get rid of me. If they get married and you and Rafe get married, that would make you Charlie’s stepmother-in-law. And that would make me your—”
“You’ll always be the guy I didn’t marry,” I say. “And thank God for that.”
Seb rolls his eyes and dusts a hand down the front of his jacket. “Invite me to the wedding when he asks you, okay?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Seb, still grinning, touches his fist gently against my shoulder. We part ways as he, Erica, Lizzie and Charlie peel off to the right to take their seats near the front, while Rafe and I turn left.
He takes my hand, leading me through the darkened cinema. “I couldn’t be happier, you know that?” he whispers.
“Me too. It feels like I have everything I ever wanted. Every single thing I thought I might never get.”
“Me too,” he says as we take our seats. “It’s forecast to rain later. Dance with me?”
“Yes,” I say, a blissful sensation of joy blossoming in my heart and spreading through my body. “I want to dance every dance with you.”
He takes my hand in his, raises it to his lips and kisses the back of it.
“I’ll dance with you whenever you want. On the kitchen island.
In the rain. Anywhere. I might not know what forever feels like, but I’d like to find out with you.
I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you, and I will give you all of forever that I have to offer. ”
I lean in and kiss him, relishing how he softens at the touch. “That sounds like my ideal happily ever after, Mr Bastion.”
THE END