EVER AFTER – LILY #3
I’m a shivering, purring mess by the time Otley unties me.
He’s saved his knot for last, and it’s still deep inside me as he carries me to the sofa.
I curl on his lap while he checks me for any hint of bruising and then wraps me in his shirt.
Ah, buttons. Is there anything better than feeling his careful, clever fingers wrapping me in his scent?
“We have something else for you,” he says quietly as he rolls back my cuffs and removes my blindfold.
I blink a few times to clear my eyes, then start tearing up again when I see the cake on the table, my other mates gathered around with grins on their faces.
It’s a Black Forest Cake with lashes of whipped cream, dark chocolate shavings, and gleaming cherries.
It’s exactly like the one I said I wanted for our bonding ceremony, and I can instantly tell that it’s one of Otley’s decadent creations.
He’s finally come clean to everyone that he’s taking cooking lessons and even plans to be more hands-on when Lexington’s opens its next restaurant in one of the nearby ski resorts next year.
“Why?” I ask, brushing my tears away with his shirt sleeve. “I mean, I’m not complaining…”
“Because you got the money from the investors,” Ellis tells me with so much pride, another wave of tears burst free. “Lily's Horse Rest & Refuge is now a fully backed business.”
“Really?” I manage to croak between sniffles. “They’re going to give us all of it?”
“Congratulations, sweetheart,” Tristan says, tears in his own eyes as he wraps me in a hug. “You did it!”
Logan, who’s already cutting the cake, pauses to wink over his shoulder at me. “Never doubted for a moment that they’d go for it. How could they resist Lily Percy? I sure as hell don’t know how to.”
I laugh but shake my head numbly, because I can’t describe the feeling that grips me.
I guess it’s a mixture of shock, gratitude, and excitement, because for the last three months we’ve been working on the business plan, everyone pitching in with ideas to bring a hazy concept to life.
The pack’s lawyers have helped me with the paperwork, and the guys’ contacts were essential to finding investors, but I’ve insisted from the start that I won’t touch a cent of their money.
This is the first time I’ve built something from the ground up, and I want the risk to be all mine, even though I know they’ll be there to catch me if I fall.
Not that I plan on failing. The first phase will just be housing and rehabilitating horses over at the old homestead, but eventually I’d like to offer temporary shelter to single moms in need.
The plan is to invite them to be part of a sustainable farming experience, where they can learn new skills while soothing their souls in our corner of paradise.
When I told Rosie about it, she didn’t look surprised.
According to her, I got both my green thumb and good intentions from her side of the family.
After cleaning up, we take the cake out to the deck and wait for the rest of our pack to drift over.
Leo and Bobby are the first to arrive, Bloomer slobbering all over them as they demolish their slices and come back for more.
I smile as I watch Catherine and Zander linger near her rose bushes, his devoted gaze never leaving her face for a second.
More bittersweet feelings, but I take a breath and focus on the good.
Kaysie promised to come visit next week, now that the craziness of the media storm has died down and she’s back to serving lattes and monster porn to our book club friends.
They’ve all accepted invitations to our bonding ceremony next year, and Beau has promised to bring the bedazzled Stetsons, as long as I ensure there are at least a dozen strapping, single cowboys in the crowd.
God help the unmated men of Eagle County when Hurricane Beau blows through.
Unnatural disasters aside, I can’t help thinking that the future looks rosy.
As I watch my mates demolish the cake and chat with our friends, I can accept that life is full of dips and downturns, and there might be as many thorns as rose petals ahead for me.
The difference, of course, is the landing.
And I’m lucky enough to have a pack - and this little slice of paradise – to cushion my fall.
Ellis smiles as he catches my eye and a warm glow spreads through our bond.
This is how those sunflowers must feel, bathed in the passing rays of their idol.
Most of the time being around him feels as easy as breathing, but staring at him now, I feel almost starstruck.
Not for his fame or the person his fans see on the big screen, but because of the life I get to live with him and our son.
Who belongs to all of my mates equally, because names and biology aside, every one of them will have a hand in raising Leo.
Including the beautiful man who sidles over and pops a cream-coated cherry between my lips.
If stardust and chemistry are as real as I suspect, then I thank fate every day for sending Tristan into my life.
“Are you happy, sweetheart?” he asks, a soft smile curling his lips.
“I’m perfect,” I tell him, especially since I’m thinking about later, when I plan to lick the cream off his pretty mouth.
“Perfect in every way,” Ellis hums, and as I rest my head on his shoulder, I’m finally happy for the credits to roll - at least for this first installment of our happily ever after.
THE END
Thank you for reading my book.