Epilogue
IVY
“Callen!” Little Ivy throws herself at him like a cannonball. Much to Hale’s dismay, Callen has become her favourite person. However, even Hale can’t stop himself from smiling at Ivy’s delighted giggling when Callen scoops her into his arms and throws her into the air.
Pippy runs around Callen’s ankles in circles, barking excitedly. As soon as Ivy laid eyes on her, it was love at first sight. Although the guys were sad to let her go, Pippy belonged with Daisy, and she’s adjusted to her new home—and the hectic play schedule of a child—quickly.
“Again, again!” Ivy orders. “Higher!”
“He’ll be knackered by the end of the day,” Daisy says knowingly as she hugs me.
Even though a few months have passed since Alaric died, and we’ve been seeing each other regularly, I never want to let her go every time we hug.
“Ouch!” she groans at my tight embrace. “Too tight!”
I pull back and grin apologetically. “Sorry.”
“I’m still recovering, you know,” she says as Hale wraps a protective arm around her waist.
Despite my trepidation after finding out he was Alaric’s brother, the more I get to know Hale, the more I like him. Sure, he looks like a big, scary hunk of muscle, but he’s a teddy bear who’d do anything to protect his family.
“Who wants pizza?” Freddie yells from the garden.
“Me, me, me!” Ivy calls enthusiastically.
“Come on.” I jostle her along, and Pippy trots after us. “Let’s head out back.”
Since returning to the Duke’s old house, everything has changed. After I decided to stay with them, the guys let me take the reins on decorating with the condition that they’re allowed to keep their man cave. I’ve added homely touches to the house to make it more cosy and comfortable, including too many—in Callen’s opinion—rugs and colourful cushions.
In the garden, Freddie stands behind his new pizza oven, which he takes care of like a newborn.
“I’ll help,” Seb volunteers, but Freddie bats him away quickly. Seb’s the worst chef in the world. He could burn a piece of toast. “I guess I’ll help eat it then.”
Bram brings drinks over to us. He kisses my forehead before joining Seb on the reclining deck chairs in the sun.
“Hale!” Seb waves. “You owe me, remember? They lost the game!”
Hale starts arguing about whatever football match they had a wager on and joins him, while Daisy and I take a seat away from the action to drink our Pimm’s. It tastes nasty, and I’ve never seen the appeal of fruit floating in a drink, but Seb insists it’s a non-negotiable for a garden party.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Daisy says. “Living with all these guys…”
“She has a big appetite,” Callen chips in with a wink, conveniently eavesdropping at that moment.
“Cal!” I’ll throttle him when we’re next alone, but Ivy draws him away with her cries for attention. “What an arse.”
“You seem happy,” she comments, then smirks. “Which one is your boyfriend again?”
I swat her arm playfully. The truth is, life has never been better. My sister and I are reunited, I’ve started building a relationship with my niece, and the Dukes…
After everything we’ve been through, moving forward was never going to be easy, but we’re making it work. Hale taking over the Killers Club has meant assassins aren’t trying to kill us anymore, but nothing is perfect. After a brief hiatus, I’ve started working with the Dukes, specialising in security and protection. Choosing to look after people and keeping them safe, over ending lives, seems like the best use of my skills—unless someone deserves to die, of course.
“There is something I have to tell you,” Daisy says.
“Oh?”
“Spencer’s dead,” she states matter-of-factly.
I almost spill my drink. “What?”
“We had nothing to do with it,” she says quickly. “Maria thinks he got his medicine confused. They’re calling it an overdose.”
“Maria…” I sigh, wondering whether she knows more than she’s letting on. “Do you think…”
“Maria’s a dark horse.” A small, knowing smile graces Daisy’s lips. “Whatever happened, she’ll never say, but she’s going to be our live-in housekeeper now.”
“And what about Ivy?” I ask. “How did she take the news?”
Daisy shrugs, watching her daughter squeal happily as she runs rings around Callen and Hale starts chasing her. After Callen saved Daisy’s life, he and Hale struck an unlikely friendship over their shared love of adrenaline-raising activities.
“Hale’s adopting her,” she says. “He’s always been her dad, and we would have done it years ago, but Spencer would never have allowed it.”
“What about Ivy’s inheritance?”
“We don’t need Spencer’s money. Alaric dying means she’s set for life,” she says. “I never wanted it, anyway.”
A few months ago, hearing that Spencer died would have been the best news I could ever receive, or I’d have been devastated that I hadn’t killed him myself. But now, I feel nothing.
“Good fucking riddance,” I say, raising my glass.
The anger that used to consume me has dulled. Sure, I’m always going to have a fire burning inside me. I mean, I am Ivy fucking Penrose. But some things are more important.
The sun beats down over our beautiful garden, and I look at my new and found family. Daisy, Ivy, Hale and Pippy, then my Dukes: Seb, Freddie, Callen, and Bram. We all have our flaws, yet together, we work. We complete each other.
I don’t know what the future holds, but the darkness that used to hang over my head like a thundercloud has started to lift.
“Hey,” Freddie calls. His hair is streaked with more grey than before, and he epitomises the silver fox look. I clench my thighs, remembering how good it felt when he was buried between them this morning, right after Seb had finished with me. “Pizza’s ready, Duchess!”
Their new pet nickname for me has stuck, and I can’t say I dislike it. They treat me like royalty, even if I have to put them in their place daily. Living in a house filled with that much testosterone is certainly an experience, but I can handle it. Hell, they have to put up with me.
“You put pineapple on there?” Seb wrinkles his nose when he sees the fruit dotted amongst the oozy-cheesy deliciousness.
“Well, duh!” Daisy says.
Seb shakes his head. “You Penrose’s…”
Although we’ve still got a lot of healing to do, I think—maybe, just maybe—dreams might come true after all…
***
Thank you for coming along on Ivy’s crazy journey with me!
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Stripping has to be better than living under the control of a ruthless crime lord, right?
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