Epilogue
INEZ
Two and a half years later…
“What did I miss?!” Nolan slides into the living room at 8:59 on Friday night, his socked feet skidding across the hardwood floor.
I laugh quietly as he tosses himself onto the cozy modern leather sectional that replaced the grandma-style couch of old.
Right after Nolan and I got married a year and a half ago, my husband gave me free rein to upgrade our home decor into the 21st century.
We got a new couch, carpet and entertainment system. We replaced the wallpaper and got rid of the floral window drapes. But we kept the crown molding, the antique piano and some sacred Brighton family mementos to preserve the nostalgic vibe. Our house is way more stylish now, but it also feels welcoming and lived-in. It feels like home.
“Relax, babe. The show hasn’t started yet.” I pass him the popcorn bowl.
This week’s episode of A Maiden Fond of Mischief is about to begin. Last week ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the fans to wonder if Charlotte would choose to go off to the city in search of her runaway sister or if she would stay on the farm and marry the man she loves. I’ve been sitting on this secret for the four months since we wrapped up filming and keeping this quiet hasn’t been easy. Nolan and his siblings have been absolutely pestering me to get all the spoilers.
“Are the girls asleep?” I ask, throwing my legs across his lap and wiggling my achy feet.
Nolan sets the popcorn on the coffee table, wipes his fingers on a napkin and dutifully takes my sole into his hand. “Stella’s out like a light, but Farah had a bit of a hard time,” he says, a worried look on his face as he gives me a much-needed foot massage.
I squeeze his shoulder. “Give her time. Being placed in a new home can be hard for kids, especially the first time. All we can do is do our very best to make her feel safe and loved until she can go back home.”
He sighs heavily. “I guess you’re right.”
When Nolan and I recently decided to become foster parents for the first time, I reached out to my old case worker, Shirley-Marie. She was so helpful in getting Farah temporarily placed with us. Thalia and the Wangs have been supportive, too, helping us navigate this daunting responsibility. As for Nolan and me, we just feel privileged to provide a home for this sweet 11-year-old girl as her mother recovers from surgery.
It’s a big task, keeping our household running smoothly. But together we get it done. Teamwork makes the dream work is the philosophy we ascribe to in our relationship. In every sense imaginable.
We truly are committed to our family. That’s why it was so important that I legally adopt Stella after Nolan and I got married. We haven’t heard a peep out of Lilian in the past two years or so.
Even still, adoption just felt like an extra layer of protection for our family, making us bulletproof. Stella feels more secure, knowing that I’m not going anywhere, knowing that every time I step out the door, I’ll be in a hurry to get back home.
Our little corner of the world is my most favorite place to be.
The show’s opening credits begin and the television steals our rapt attention. We watch as Charlotte makes the difficult decision to leave her lover behind and go find her missing sister. It’s an emotional goodbye and even though this plot twist is no surprise to me, I still find myself with a tear in my eye. Nolan doesn’t look away from the screen. He doesn’t even blink until my character is riding out of town in the back of a horse drawn carriage.
My husband picks up the remote, pauses the show and turns to me, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “So Charlotte left the farm?”
I nod. “She did.”
“So what does that mean for you?”
Smiling, I rub a hand over my watermelon-sized baby bump. “It means that I’m taking the next season off from the show.”
He blinks. “You are? Is this for real?”
“Yes.”
Nolan looks alarmed. “Jesus, Inez. Is this what you want to do? You’re at the height of your career. I understand if—”
I cut him off with a kiss. “It’s what I want to do. It’s just temporary. I’ll go back to acting eventually. But right now—with the baby coming and Stella growing so fast and Thalia struggling to settle in—I want to focus on our home for a while.”
My talent agent has assured me that the phone is still ringing off the hook with roles for me. Even if my character never returns to A Maiden Fond of Mischief, there will be other opportunities waiting for me.
“Besides, filming this past season was interesting while trying to conceal my growing baby bump. If I have to hear the director asking me to hold a laundry basket in front of my belly one more time, I swear, I’m going to throw my shoe at him.” We both laugh.
Nolan’s arms are around me and his lips are pressed against my forehead. “God, I love you so much. I’m so lucky to have you. Our family has made me the happiest man in the world.” He peppers my face with kisses as he whispers words of appreciation to me.
When Nolan gets this way, it’s hard to believe just how closed-off he used to be years ago, how he couldn’t express his feelings and would choose to communicate by writing out his emotions on my skin.
But the man I’m married to today freely and generously gives me all the validation and connection that I’ve always needed. That’s why I feel so safe with him, that’s why I’m willing to make sacrifices. Because he makes each sacrifice worth it.
I ease out of his embrace and catch sight of my own face on the paused television screen. “Gosh—it’s still so weird seeing myself on TV,” I laugh.
“Well, I’m a fan of that face. On TV and in person,” Nolan grins. “And I will never stop telling you how proud I am of you.” My man sweeps his lips across my forehead and he gently caresses my growing baby bump.
“I love to hear you say it,” I whisper, snuggling up against him.
He picks up the remote. “Let’s see what else is on TV tonight.”
Now that Nolan has a competent staff helping with the bar, he has more time with the family. Instead of the overwhelmed and overworked single father he was a few years ago, he’s now more relaxed and laidback than ever. And the bar is more profitable than it’s ever been, too.
The best part is, we get to spend Friday nights at home like this. Loved up on the couch, watching TV.
“Ooh! The Bachelorettes of Small Town Iowa is on!” I grab the remote and select the show.
Nolan groans. “Do we have to?”
“Yes, we have to,” I insist.
Suzy—that girl who used to work at the bar—she seems to have gotten her wish. Now, she’s got a role on this hot mess reality show. But if she was hoping to be the show’s beloved lead character, things aren’t quite working out as she’d planned. It looks like the producers are having a fun time painting her as this season’s villain.
In last week’s episode, Suzy backstabbed her roommate when she lured the girl’s ex-boyfriend into a toilet stall at a bar. Now, it’s time for the fallout.
“I did not betray you!” Suzy is yelling in her roommate’s face. “You and Jeremy are broken up! That means he’s single. He’s fair game!”
I cringe. “I wouldn’t be yelling at Gabby like that if I were her. The muscles on that woman are unreal.”
Nolan nods in agreement. “Isn’t she a bodybuilder? Or a wrestler or something like that? Looks like Suzy’s about to get her ass kicked.”
“Fair game?!” The incensed roommate yells back. “How about this? Is this fair game?!” I watch in shock as the tall muscular woman one-handedly grabs Suzy by the back of her sports bra and mercilessly flings her into the pool.
Suzy screams bloody murder as her body flies through the air like a French baguette and lands in the water. Nolan cracks up uncontrollably as his former employee flails about, makeup running down her face in the pool.
“Stop it! Stop laughing!” I smack his arm, fighting back my own laughter. “Poor girl.” Not really.
Nolan’s still laughing. “I guess Suzy’s finding out that life in the spotlight isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.”
I snuggle closer to him, nodding along. “I’ve got to agree with you there.”
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy my moments in the spotlight now and then, like when I sometimes get recognized by our show’s viewers on the street or when I forced Nolan to walk the red carpet with me at the season premiere party. But I much prefer our quiet moments together. I really love this little life of ours.
The baby starts kicking and I feel Nolan’s fingertips tracing swirls and lines and doodles on my tummy. I tune in to the movement of his fingers.
M…Y…F…O…R…E…V…E…R…&…E…V…E…R…&…E…V…E…R…
I lay my head on his chest and smile quietly to myself. He’s my forever and ever and ever, too. I am madly in love with this man.
King of Forehead Kisses.
Emperor of Butt Stuff.
Governor of my Bandaged Heart.
“I still don’t think you truly comprehend all the ways you’ve saved me, healed me, fixed me,” I tell him.
“That’s the thing. I didn’t fix you at all. You were always perfect, Stargirl. I just helped you see it. Like you helped me see all the good parts of me.”
“I love you, Nolan Theodore Brighton.”
“I love you, Inez Carolina Brighton.” I hear the grin in his voice.
“You like saying that, don’t you?” I grin, too.
“I do.” He squeezes me tighter. “When I’m on my deathbed, if those are the last words to leave my lips, I’ll die a happy man.”
Thank you for reading Real Thing. I hope you fell in love with Inez and Nolan (and Stella).
Nolan gave Inez a swoon-worthy pre-honeymoon surprise that would make the producers of The Bachelor green with envy. (Yes, I’m still swooning).
Grab Inez and Nolan’s bonus epilogue to read all about it.
I am sooooooo excited for what’s coming next!!!!!
Here’s a hint…
Excerpt from The Brighton Family book five:
Needing to feel him moving inside of me, I start trying to thrust my hips. My walls clamp down around his cock. My body is working on pure instinct.
It feels so…fucking…good. Too good.
His face twists with pleasure. He hisses sharply, his body going stiff above me. Urgently, he grabs my hips to stop my movements.
“Careful with those magic tricks, Ziggy. I might start believing that this pussy was made for me.”
Yes—Ziggy’s coming soon, y’all! Pun intended, lol.
Guess which Brighton brother she’s got in a chokehold.