Epilogue
Six Months Later
If you’d asked me a year ago what peace looked like, I’d have probably laughed in your face.
Peace wasn’t a word men like me used. It wasn’t something we chased because somewhere along the way we’d convinced ourselves survival was enough.
That if the people we loved woke up breathing every morning, we’d already beaten the odds.
But standing on the terrace of the home I’d spent the last year designing from blueprints sketched halfway across the world, watching my wife laugh beneath the Tennessee sun while our son attempted to crawl after his sister across the perfectly manicured lawn, I finally understood something that had eluded me for most of my life.
Peace wasn’t the absence of war. It was finally having something beautiful left after the war was over.
Our compound had started as nothing more than blueprints and a conversation between Ysis and me during our trip to Dubai, one of the few weeks life had allowed us to breathe.
Six months later, it stood the way we’d imagined it, every detail built from the ground up to become the place our children would one day call home.
We sold the old smart house to one of the hottest young streamers making noise in the gaming world, closed that chapter of our lives, and never looked back.
Life had been moving faster than either of us could’ve imagined.
Myles Tech had expanded into three additional international markets before the end of the quarter, with offices opening across Europe and Asia while several new acquisitions pushed our valuation higher than even my board had projected.
Marcus and Cazmir had been right. Stepping back from the day-to-day hadn’t slowed the company down, it gave me room to build again.
Today wasn’t about Myles Tech, though.
Today was about the next chapter.
The brunch overlooking the infinity pool looked more like a summit than a celebration. Some of the most respected businessmen in the country had flown in, not because they needed another investment opportunity, but because they believed in what we were building together.
Kingston, A1, and Jahlil. The Trinity had touched down from Chicago the night before, bringing the same confidence that made men listen whenever they spoke.
Their Black Ivory Social Club had become one of the most respected spaces for accomplished Black professionals, making them the perfect partners for what came next.
Across the patio, my sinful niggas from New York, Sincere and Rome, were arguing over something only they found entertaining while Maverick, Atlanta’s own music mogul and a beast in every sense of the word, laughed into his bourbon like he’d heard the joke a hundred times before.
Each one of them had earned his seat at the table. Each one of them understood legacy. More importantly...each one of them understood love. Not the fairytale version. That real shit Mary J Blige was talkin’ bout.
The kind that challenged you, sharpened you, humbled you, and somehow made even the most dangerous man want to become better than he was yesterday.
Each one of them had become more than shareholders in Myles Tech.
Today they officially became founding investors in my newest venture.
A dating platform built for people looking for something real.
The Trinity’s Black Ivory Social Club had already become the foundation for our first wave of vetted members, while the Sinful crew’s Tri-State connections stretched from the East Coast to the West, bringing in everyone from entrepreneurs and executives to teachers, nurses, artists, first responders, and everyday people simply hoping to find the person they were meant to build a life with.
Their wives had signed on just as enthusiastically as the men, each one knowing firsthand the difference genuine partnership had made in their own marriages.
The women believed in it just as much as we did.
If you were familiar with those names, then you already knew the kind of impact they carried. If you weren’t...you’ll have to catch up on your own time. Right now, this my story.
Across the lawn, Ysis stood laughing with their wives as though they’d known one another for years. Every now and then she’d glance in my direction, catching me watching her before flashing that smile that still managed to stop every coherent thought in my head. Her career had exploded too.
Set for 90 Days had climbed every major bestseller list in the country before spending weeks at number one, introducing millions of readers to the storyteller I’d always known she was.
Her memoir was scheduled for release later this year, and despite everything success had brought into our lives, Thursday afternoons still belonged to therapy.
That wasn’t something either of us hid anymore.
Healing deserved the same commitment as ambition.
Our twins were thriving. Kasen had already mastered the art of getting exactly what he wanted with one grin, while Kinsley carried herself with a confidence that reminded me far too much of her mother.
Every morning I looked at them and thanked God they would never know the version of me who believed survival was enough.
Someone brushed against my shoulder.
“You staring again.”
I smiled before slipping an arm around my wife’s waist.
“I married fine.”
She rolled her eyes. ”You say that every day.”
“I mean it every day, Troublemaker.”
Her smile softened as she leaned against me. For a moment, surrounded by family, friends, and the life we’d fought so hard to build, I realized something. For the first time in a very long time...nobody was looking over their shoulder.
The celebration carried well into the evening before the last of our guests headed home, leaving the compound quieter than it had been all day.
I was finishing a video call with several of the new shareholders from my office when I heard soft footsteps in the hallway.
Looking up, I watched Ysis pause in the doorway wearing nothing but come fuck me pumps and a luxurious chinchilla coat draped over her shoulders.
Without a word, she met my eyes, smiled with unmistakable mischief, and slowly let the coat slip from her shoulders until it pooled at her feet. Muting my mic I loosened my tie, unable to hide the grin spreading across my face.
“Mmm. I see you wanna play, Troublemaker.”
“Why yes, sir,” she answered with a playful smile, bringing one hand in front of the other as though already waiting for me. “Yes, I do.”
Unmuting, I glanced back at the screen.
“Gentlemen, that’s enough business for one day. We’ll pick this up tomorrow.” I said, my smile never leaving her.
After ending the meeting and closing my laptop, I rose from my chair and crossed the room toward my wife with the same focus that had carried me through every battle we’d survived together. “Sounds like baby number three on the way. Lead the way, Mrs. Myles.”
She smiled, turned, and disappeared down the hallway. I followed, grateful that after everything we’d endured, home had finally become what we’d always hoped it would be. Ours.