Epilogue
Three Months Later
Maddie
A s we join a line of limousines, I’m jealous of the guests that exude such confidence as they emerge from their cars and step onto the red carpet.
I’ve attended glitzy events back home, but nothing on this scale.
Not for the first time in the last few months, I wonder how I’m going to fit into Hunter’s world.
I’d always been molded by my family in the past. I was their problem to solve, with no agency of my own. I moved left or right at the whim of my father, and then my brother. I spoke when I was spoken to, and I was tutored on what to say.
My new life in Chicago is one I’m still trying to navigate.
There are four tuxedoed men in this limousine who trust me to make whatever impression I want to make.
I can’t fail in their eyes because they love me unconditionally for who I am, just as I love them in their own individual and quirky ways. One brother above all .
“Cold or nervous?” asks Hunter when he notices me shiver.
“A bit of both,” I confess as he puts an arm around my shoulder, providing warmth and reassurance in equal measure.
“If you get bored, I don’t mind dropping you back home,” Mace offers without looking up from his cell phone.
“ You need to stay,” Reid tells his brother. “I can’t fight off all the hot girls by myself. What’s wrong with you, lately? You need to get lay–” He clams up and gives me a look of apology. “He needs to release some tension.”
“I thought you two had moved into your own apartment to avoid tension,” Ash cuts in.
Mace and Reid moved out of the Griffin family home within weeks of me moving in. I try not to take it personally. Reid insists they were already planning on getting their own place. Mace just scowls. He wants me to feel guilty. It’s his idea of fun.
“Mace? Relaxed?” Hunter asks. “He was in a bad mood when he came out of the womb.”
“Can you blame me given the owner of that particular womb?” Mace replies, pocketing his phone as the limo comes to a halt.
Hunter climbs out then turns to take my hand. I lift the hem of the gold sequined gown that hugs my every curve, and leave the limo with poise and grace. Not all my years of Corbyn training have been wasted. Maybe I can do this.
My husband leads me down the red carpet while Ash walks on his own ahead of us. Reid and Mace follow behind. The Griffin brothers don’t court the press, but there are enough flashes and calls for our attention that make me keep my smile fixed. Until Hunter leans in and presses his mouth to my ear .
“You look stunning,” he whispers above the clicking of too many cameras. “I just hope the photos don’t pick up my hard-on.”
I should be more nervous now that he’s drawn every camera lens towards us, but Hunter’s distraction works. My smile is genuine as I glance up at him. “Would you like some help with that?”
“Yes, please.”
My hips sway a little bit more as we enter the glittering foyer of the Excelsis, one of Moncrief’s flagship hotels.
It doesn’t take long for this evening’s host to find us.
Rory Moncrief has dark russet hair, sharp cheekbones and kind eyes.
He’s a bit older than Ash, and just as devastatingly handsome as his best friend, or any of the Griffins.
“You guys scrub up well,” he says as he thumps Ash on the shoulder. He attacks Hunter next. “I expected you to turn up in overalls covered in paper pulp.”
Hunter and I have been splitting our time between Chicago and Brimstage, where we stay in the original house the Griffins rented.
It was the first place that ever felt like home to me.
I have no intention of returning to the Corbyn mansion, which is being mothballed until I decide what to do with it.
“My paper mill is state of the art,” I tell him. “You’re just as likely to see people in lab coats as you are overalls.”
“That’s a shame. I bet you look lovely in overalls, Maddie,” Rory says, kissing my hand. “And may I say you look even lovelier in the flesh than I could ever have imagined. And I did imagine.”
Hunter slaps his hand away from me. “Fuck off, Rory,” he says with a growl that’s on the friendly side, but only just. “And keep my wife out of your damn imagination.”
“Is that any way to talk to your host? Especially one who’s catering to your every need,” he says as he takes a key card from his inside pocket and slides it into Hunter’s.
“Ash warned me what you two are like. If you can’t manage to keep your hands off each other this evening, take it upstairs.
My guests don’t want to see that kind of show tonight. ”
Hunter smiles. I blush. “I hope it’s one of your top floor rooms.”
“Why?” asks Rory with a smirk. “How loud does Mad–”
“Do not finish that sentence,” I warn.
Rory purses his lips as he turns to me. “Anything for you, Maddie. Especially if you could stop giving me such a hard time in our negotiations. I want that house of yours.”
“And you’ll have it – once you’ve agreed to visit our little town,” I remind him.
Rory wants to convert the Corbyn mansion into an exclusive retreat, and I’m close to agreeing the terms. Ownership never did transfer to me after I tore up my divorce papers, but it’s a moot point.
I’m a part of the Griffin empire now, and I’ve been charged with deciding the future of that particular asset.
“You need to see it for yourself, and earn the trust of our little community, especially the independent businesses who’ll see you as a threat until you convince them you’re an untapped resource,” I tell Rory. “You don’t have to be so afraid.”
“If they’re as tenacious as you, I think I do.”
“There’s only one Maddie,” Reid says with a laugh.
“I suppose we should be grateful for that.” Rory glances at Mace, who’s only half-listening to our conversation. “Broken any arms lately, Mace?”
Mace gives him a look. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sure you don’t. Just keep it out of my hotels. ”
I have no idea what Rory could mean, and looking at Mace’s brothers, neither do they. But it’s a worry for another day.
“You’re not going to like this,” Rory says, glancing over our shoulders. “But Alice Emerson is here.”
Hunter places a hand on my back. He and his brothers don’t turn around, so neither do I. But my stomach churns.
“Jesus, Rory. Did you invite her?” asks Ash.
“You know I have to appear neutral. It keeps everyone guessing where my allegiances lie,” he answers.
“Did Barrett get an invite too?” Hunter demands.
“After the stunt he pulled, there’s no way he’d show his face here,” Rory says a little too confidently.
I hadn’t realized Rory had been told about the attempted abduction, but it’s becoming clearer over time how much the brothers trust him. Which makes me trust him too – not that I won’t negotiate hard when it comes to the house.
“There’s no sign of Barrett,” says Mace as he taps his cell phone. He’s checking security cameras.
“Can you not hack into our systems for once,” Rory says, rolling his eyes.
“If you let me overhaul your security, no one would be able get into them,” Mace assures him.
“If I let you into our network, you’d probably lock me out,” Rory mutters, but he’s distracted by someone closing in on us. “If you want to head on in, I’ll divert Alice.”
We continue deeper into the hotel, and follow the throng through to the main hall where the gala will take place. Rory at least had the foresight to seat us at a table furthest away from Alice, and I relax enough to eat.
When the charity auction starts, I’m laughing as I watch the Griffin brothers bid against each other.
Hunter and Ash get most competitive over one of the last lots, which is a designer purse that I’d expressed an interest in because it was once owned by Grace Kelly.
Ash wins, and immediately gifts it to me.
“I can’t believe you two fought so hard when it was obvious you were both going to give the purse to me.”
“Because my brother’s an asshole,” Hunter answers.
“Funny. I have three of those too,” Ash retorts, but he’s smiling. He’s actually smiling at me.
I don’t know if I’ve completely convinced Ash that I’m not going to be a disruptor in their lives, but maybe that’s exactly what I am. I want Ash to find love one day too. It might soften his edges, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to be one of his other brothers who falls first.
It won’t be Reid, who’s far too interested in playing the field. Mace on the other hand… He’s been very distracted lately, and he’s spent most of this evening checking his phone. I hope whoever she is, she doesn’t mind having her privacy invaded. It would be nice to have another woman on our team.
Hunter leans into me, his lips ghosting my neck as the lights go down and the music starts. “I should have kept bidding. I wanted to be the one to give you something,” he complains.
“There’s something you could give me that no other man could,” I tease, leaning into him. “It would be a shame not to make use of that key card.”
“If we leave now, we can make it back for the last dance,” he promises. “And I want to dance with you, Maddie. I want everyone to see that you’re mine in every way that matters.”
“I want her to see too,” I reply, knowing the show would be for Alice. “Just let me go and freshen up first. I’ll be back in two minutes.”
As I weave my way through the tables, I keep Alice in my periphery, as I have done all night.
She’s watching me, and when she stands, I have a horrible feeling she’s going to follow me into the restroom.
I’m only slightly relieved when I see her head straight for Hunter and his brothers. She was waiting for me to leave.
Although I’m anxious to find out what passes between them, I take my time reapplying my makeup. I know the bare facts about how she walked out on her family, but it’s become painfully clear how her abandonment affected three little boys, and continues to influence their life decisions.