Epilogue
Long Island
New York
Alexander popped his head out of the study, grinning as squeals sounded from down the hall.
Callie was on the run from the kitchen, Amanda hot on her trail.
He and the crew had been kicked out about an hour ago when the girls commandeered it to get ready.
The crew had grumbled half-heartedly about being exiled, but considering the feast being prepared in the background, they’d taken it in stride.
The Montgomerys—Bloody hell, it felt good to say that—had finally settled in New York for the summer; and only a week later than scheduled.
That pain he used to feel in his chest, he chuckled, it had been anxiety.
It was only now that he’d been free of it that he realized just how persistent that pain had been, and how much he’d just gotten used to it.
While he was grateful it wasn’t his heart, he couldn’t believe something of the sort had taken him down. Literally.
Evan had told him to get over it. That millions of people suffered from anxiety, and considering the last year and then some, he’d had every reason to exhibit the symptoms he had.
Landing in the hospital was a wake-up call.
They needed to slow down and enjoy every moment they had.
Though, he wasn’t going to stop working or anything.
And neither was Amanda. They both loved it too much. She was back at it already, writing songs and playing her beautiful music.
And then there was their east coast compound, which was nothing short of spectacular. Think Anthony Hopkins’s estate in Meet Joe Black. Right now, event planners were tweaking their finishing touches on the terrace and lawn.
Yeah, today he was going to marry his girl. Again.
The last helicopter had landed two hours ago, which meant the circus was back in town.
In addition to the crew, there were a few special guests.
Art and his wife, Betty; Jason Wild, whom he’d struck up a friendship with since the gala; and, of course, Lizzy.
How could they not include her when it was her Amelia Bedelia cake that had snapped Amanda’s memory back into place?
Alexander laughed to himself thinking again about how fickle fate and chance really were. A cake of all things. A cake.
As Callie sped by, he snaked an arm out and bent to grab her.
She giggled, clutching Mrs. Beasley closer and fixing the wreath of flowers on her head.
He stood up, his daughter in his arms, and she rubbed his whiskers, which were just a bit longer now.
Amanda liked his five o’clock shadow so much, he’d indulged her with something more akin to a midnight shadow.
When she’d first seen it, she’d mouthed hot. He’d kept it. Obviously.
Amanda stopped short at the sight of him, halfway down the corridor, already dressed in a white knee-length sheath dress, stunning and classy, bare feet aside.
He motioned with his free hand for her to join them.
She did. Bloody hell, she was about to be his, legally, in the twenty-first century. He couldn’t wait.
“Hi, gorgeous,” he said, his voice low. Her cheeks were flush, eyes bright as hell. She lit his every last fiber.
“Just a few minutes more,” she said, taking Callie back.
And at five o’clock on that very day, he walked up the stone steps of the terrace and extended his hand to her.
“Come with me, Amanda?” he asked.
“Anywhere, Alexander.”
The Brothers Montgomery series continues with a sizzling contemporary romance, featuring the men of Calder Defense and the women they love. Find out what Stan missed when he took Amanda into hiding, and why a trip to Britain — circa 1774 — may be in the cards after all.
Turn the page now for an extended excerpt from Never Too Late.