EPILOGUE
One Month Later
NEW YEAR’S EVE HAD COME AND gone with Maddie and Hayley curled together in soft loungewear at Gemma and Caitlin’s house. The four of them had drunk far too much wine, laughing and dancing in their living room while they watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV.
When the clock struck midnight, Hayley’s first New Year’s kiss with Maddie had completely stolen the breath from her lungs. Surrounded by the roar of New York City welcoming the new year, the gentle press of Maddie’s lips had become a quiet sanctuary.
“That must be one good memory.” Sarah’s voice broke Hayley from her thoughts.
Even now, weeks into January, the memory of that night still brought a flush to Hayley’s cheeks. She looked up as her assistant walked in, placing a cup of coffee on her desk.
Hayley rarely bothered to hide her smile anymore. “I was just thinking about Maddie.”
Sarah grinned knowingly. “I have those contracts you asked for. Isn’t closing day just the best?”
Hayley took the crisp sheets of paper delicately, as if they were made of solid gold. “Thank you, Sarah.”
“Good luck.” Sarah winked, beaming as she twirled back to her desk.
——
That evening, as the sun set over the city, Hayley packed up her laptop and headed to her best friend’s house for dinner.
The two couples had developed a routine of hanging out at least once a week, no questions asked.
Caitlin and Hayley were always the chefs, happily cooking for their two favorite women, while Gemma and Maddie dutifully kept the wine glasses full.
Sitting around the long dining table that night, Hayley found her gaze anchored to Maddie, no matter how hard she tried to focus on anything else.
She finally understood the truths Gemma had spent years trying to explain.
Being in love wasn’t some soft, drifting cloud.
It was a pulse that lived deep in one’s chest, a fierce, driving force that shaped every waking moment.
“Since we’re all together, there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk about,” Maddie started, and Hayley’s heart dropped. “I know we don’t leave until March, but Hayley, I really want you to come with me. With us.” She gestured around the table.
Maddie had told her about the new movie a few months ago, and she had to smile through the panic that rose in her chest. Nine weeks apart felt like an exile, especially since Gemma and Caitlin would be gone too, filming alongside her.
The loneliness waiting for Hayley on the other side of February already felt sharp enough to draw blood.
“Really?” she asked, barely trusting what she had heard over the heavy thumping of her heart.
“Hay, if you say you can’t leave the office for that long, I’m going to freak out,” Gemma chimed in, helping to unravel the tight knot in her stomach.
Hayley let out a breathless laugh, trembling slightly with relief. “I would love to go with you, baby.” She kissed Maddie and held her lips there for a beat longer. “I can work from Europe. And honestly, it’s probably time to trust my agents a little more and let them handle things while I’m gone.”
A spark of pure excitement flared in Maddie’s eyes, and Hayley felt tension she didn’t even know she’d been holding drain from her body.
“Andddd,” Caitlin added, “Sandy and Eve are going to join us for a few weeks, too.”
“Those two.” Gemma wagged her eyebrows. “They were attached at the hip at our wedding, and when I went to find them to make sure they got some cake, they were both gone.”
Hayley caught the look Caitlin and Maddie exchanged. “What aren’t you two telling us?”
Maddie gestured for Caitlin to take this one. “Sandy was in town before the wedding. She took Eve out for drinks.”
“What!?” Gemma gasped. “And you never told me!”
Caitlin held up her palms in mock surrender.
“You know what,” Maddie said, taking the last sip of her wine. “They would actually make a really cute couple.”
Caitlin squealed. “Oh my God, the six of us in Europe. This is going to be so much fun!”
THE NEXT DAY, HAYLEY DRAGGED HERSELF home from work, her exhaustion vanishing the moment she opened the door and saw Maddie curled on the couch in one of her button-up shirts, reading.
“Hey baby.” Maddie’s eyes met hers, a smile breaking across her face. “How was work?”
“It was great. I closed on another listing.” Hayley walked over and bent down, brushing a kiss against Maddie’s lips. “Do you feel like celebrating with me?”
“Always.” Maddie didn’t hesitate, closing the romance novel, Love on the Road, and tossing it onto the coffee table. “What did you have in mind?”
Hayley hailed a taxi. The ride over the bridge to Brooklyn passed in a blur of thrumming anticipation, and by the time they pulled up to her dad’s condo building, her pulse was racing.
“What are we doing here?” Maddie asked as they stepped into the elevator.
Hayley didn’t answer. She scanned her key and pressed the penthouse button. The ride was quick, the doors sliding open to reveal the top floor, and she gestured for Maddie to step out first.
Maddie slowly walked into the kitchen, then swiveled back to Hayley with her mouth hanging slightly open, as if she needed a moment to catch up to what she was looking at.
On the countertop sat a bottle of Maddie’s favorite Stoli Elit, arranged neatly with extra dry vermouth, olive brine, and a small dish of olives.
Next to a cocktail shaker, two crystal martini glasses shimmered under the soft ambient lighting.
Completing the display, a glass vase held two dozen deep crimson roses, their velvet petals perfectly formed and releasing a subtle, heady fragrance that mingled with the cool evening air.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the distant glow of the Brooklyn Bridge and the sharp, electric outline of the Manhattan skyline spill gently into the room.
In the center of the carpeted living room, Hayley’s favorite part waited for them—a pile of blankets spread out with two pillows and a comforter into a cozy, private nest.
Maddie reached for Hayley’s arm, steadying herself. “What is all this?”
“This, my gorgeous girlfriend, is the listing I closed on today. For us.” Hayley handed Maddie the second key.
Maddie stared down at the cool metal resting in her palm. “What do you mean for us?”
“I turned down so many offers on this place, and I hadn’t realized why until you said you wanted to move here, to New York.” Hayley placed the key on the counter and laced their fingers together. “And that day I walked in here and found you gazing out those windows…”
“You mean before you took me on this counter?” Maddie teased, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
“Yes.” Hayley pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around Maddie’s waist. “I couldn’t stand the idea of someone else living in this space after that.”
“Hayley,” Maddie whispered, sending shivers down Hayley’s spine. “When you found me, I had been imagining what it would be like if I were to move here and live in this exact home. With you.”
Hayley leaned in and kissed her—a deep, heartfelt meeting of their lips.
“Sit on the counter.” Maddie’s husky voice and the brush of her breath sent a warm ripple beneath Hayley’s skin.
“You know, this is precisely why I set up that bed over there.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll christen that room later.” Maddie’s cheeks glowed, her eyes full of mischief. “It’s my turn to take you right here first.”
Keeping her gaze steadily locked on Hayley’s, Maddie unbuttoned Hayley’s slacks, sliding the zipper down and letting them pool around her ankles.
Hayley felt the rush of the cool marble against her skin as she did what she was told.
“Spread your legs wider,” Maddie urged.
Hayley felt like she might come undone just from the desire burning in Maddie’s eyes as she made her beg.
The moon floated across the wall of windows like a silent witness, capturing Hayley and Maddie in its pale spotlight—alone, vulnerable, and irrevocably in love.
Maddie held her with a focus that left no room in Hayley’s heart for doubt.
Just before Maddie dipped her head, she gazed at Hayley with total devotion written across her face.
Every ache, every fear, every mile had carried Hayley to this exact moment in time—to this exact woman.
The past and the future folded together into a single truth that felt clear enough to reach out and touch.
Hayley belonged here, with Maddie. To Maddie. And Maddie belonged to her. They had fallen in love, taken a chance, and together, found real happiness.