Epilogue
Zoe
A glance at the bathroom mirror with a smile. Stuck to the glass is a post-it note that says I love you .
Gee, I wonder who could have written that? I can't believe that this is my life now. I'm in love with Damien and can't believe how lucky I am. He's everything I ever dreamed of and more. It feels like in such a short time since we disembarked from the cruise six months ago, we've been through so much together. We faced danger, betrayal, and loss. We uncovered the truth about his father's death and are watching the killer be brought to justice.
I still can't believe it was Max, the security guard. Damien's dad found out that he had been charging people to stay in the unused lower-level offices and giving a kickback to the janitorial crew to keep the secret. Faced with losing a lucrative side hustle, Max decided it was worth killing someone for.
I wonder if it's worth it now that he's in jail.
I wash my hands and leave the bathroom, walking out into the living room where the buzz of my friends’ voices fill the air. Though nobody stops talking, Damien’s gaze meets mine and he gives me a private smile. And I think about how we've supported one another through the hard times and celebrated the good moments.
And now here we are at my house with my friends, having fun and relaxing. This feels like any other game night, but it's also special because we're all together.
We're playing Scrabble and, of course, Cass and Ben are sticking with their funny words - I watch Cass play vag and Amy spells out irate . Ben seems lost, and finally plays boo , which prompts Cass to jolt and feign that he frightened her. I laugh, feeling loved, safe, and happy.
This group of people completes my life, and I can't imagine things being better than they are right now. I walk over and take my seat beside Damien, who's looking over his tiles.
“I'm pretty sure it's Damien's pick for movie night,” Ben says.
“Oh, that's easy. We're watching Titanic,” Damien says.
All of my friends turn to stare at me, as if we're all recalling the conversation where they were going to celebrate my relationship with Damien with a Titanic-themed party. I lift both shoulders and shake my head with a slight smile. He really is perfect for me.
The part that surprises me is that it hasn't come up how I feel about that movie, or how he feels about it, for that matter. But in this moment, I know for a fact that it's something we both love.
He leans into me and I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing my lips to his stubbly cheek. His focus leaves the game and turns to me as he kisses my lips, and Amy calls out Cass for playing an acronym.
“Okay, that's against the rules and you know it.”
Cass isn't letting this go without a fight, though, and turns to Amy. “Just because it's your rule doesn't mean it is a rule.”
Amy crosses her arms and gives Cass a mock annoyed look,
But Cass doesn't give a damn. “What are you going to do? Call your boyfriend on me? Where is he, anyway?”
“Use your phone. Look it up. The official rules say no acronyms.” Amy stands her ground and Cass mimics her words with sarcasm, and I giggle at their antics.
I’ve never been so happy. As his heat sinks into my skin, I inhale his spicy cologne and leather scent that’s a mix of sophistication and ruggedness that drives me crazy. Everything about this man drives me crazy.
As I meet his gaze, I catch him smiling. I swear he is the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on, and his smile is unparalleled, even by movie stars. The slight dimples in his cheeks make me melt and his bright blue eyes still leave me reeling. I love the sparkle of humor and wit in his eyes, and the way he makes me feel like we’re the only two people in the world sometimes.
He goes out of his way to make sure I feel loved, heard, and seen, and I love him so much. “Is that okay with you?” he asks.
“What?” I ask, lost. Not only does he not need to ask my permission for things, I have no idea what he's asking me permission for. I hope I haven't been just staring at him like a silly love-sick girl while he's trying to talk to me.
“If we watch Titanic?”
I hear Ben laugh. “She loves that movie. Now that you’ve shown a weakness, expect to watch it once a week.”
Damien doesn't take his eyes off me. “I can live with that.”
I can't hold back a smile. “I do love that movie. Once a week might be a little excessive though.”
“Oh, the betrayal,” Damien whispers with a hint of a smile as he leans in and kisses me again.
“Fine,” I say. “I guess if it’s important to you, we can do it.”
I swear the whole world melts away as he whispers, “Yay.” And he kisses me again. I can't imagine anywhere I'd rather be or any other people I’d rather be with. His lips taste like peppermint and chocolate - the cocoa he’d made - a combination that leaves me wanting more.
And for the first time ever, I want to send my friends home just so I can spend more time with him.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“Oh, no, don’t start this again,” I tease, and he chuckles. “I love you too.”
“Hey, lovebirds, it’s his turn.” Cass sounds annoyed, likely because her four-letter acronym became a two-letter word and she’s losing more epically than usual.
But I'm still focused on Damien. Even though we tell one another that we love each other often, those words never seem to lose their meaning or power. Sure, we said them soon, but when we said them, it felt right. It felt perfect... and it still does.
Damien is perfect for me, and as he turns around to play the word exotic - triple word score and making both Ben and Cass groan - I can't help but feel like I'm perfect for him too.
Even though he has my friends groaning right now, I know that they truly like him. They're happy for us and they've welcomed him into our group as one of our own. Honestly, this friendship group is the best one that any girl could ask for. They've been with me through thick and thin, and they always have my back and I always have theirs.
We all enjoy the nights when Amy's boyfriend comes over too, because he is part of our little extended family here. Damien and I both know that we could never have uncovered his father's murder if Ryan hadn't stuck his neck out there.
And Ryan's been rewarded for his behavior and is now the chief. Now, of course, we still teasingly call him a cop, but we all have the utmost respect for him.
My friends took the time to get to know Damien. They asked him questions about his life, his work, his hobbies, and I'd watched him open right up while secretly confiding in me that he only had one friend he caught up with once a year. I can't even imagine how lonely he felt. But now he'll never have to feel lonely again.
He fits into my life and my friendship groups perfectly. And now that he's here, I can't imagine living any other way.
His phone chimes and he pulls it out of his pocket. I catch sight of the name on the message. It’s Felicity. He quickly scans the message, then hands me his phone.
I need my job back, please. I’ll do anything.
I'm grateful that he's sharing the message with me, but it's not my choice to make. “Do whatever you need to do.”
“Trust is important at my company. I don't trust her because she's proven she can't be trusted,” he says quietly as Ben gives up the Scrabble game.
“Then I guess you know what you need to do.” I’m not going to judge whatever decision he makes, but I am grateful to be a part of the process. The way I see it, Felicity made her decision and now she can live with the consequences of her actions.
I join my friends and help clean up the scramble game. Once every last tile is found and put away, the group disperses, some working on snacks, others working on drinks, and I myself move over to the couch. The rule is that since we're at my place, I don't have to do anything but sit back and chill.
Damien comes over and pulls me into a quick hug. “Is there anything specific you want for movie time?”
“Just you,” I say, grabbing the collar of his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss.
He chuckles. “I'll see what I can do.”
“Not good enough, mister,” I say, pulling him in for another kiss before finishing the rest of my soda.
He kisses me and saunters off to the kitchen as I realize I need to make a quick bathroom trip before the movie gets started. I make my way back to the bathroom, and Amy corners me and slips into the restroom with me.
I'm not bothered. It's not the first time she’s done this. We’re not super shy. But for some reason the tone seems different this time as she pushes her back to the door and stares down at me.
“Well, hello,” I say, wondering why she’s acting weird.
“You sure are using the bathroom a lot,” she says.
I lift both eyebrows. “That's a weird thing for you to keep track of.”
“Is it, though?” Her eyes narrow.
“As fun as this is, I need to pee,” I say, jerking my head toward the door in a clear indication that she’s welcome to leave anytime.
But she seems to have no interest in leaving. Instead, she digs in her pocket and pulls out a box, pressing it into my hands.
I stare down at the pregnancy test, shaking my head, then look up at her, absolutely confused.
“Try to remember that I'm dating a cop and I'm something of a detective myself,” she says with a smile, and I remember back to our murder mystery game where she’d thought the CEO did it.
“Okay, then,” I say, ready to prove her wrong now, just like I had then. I tear up in the box and pull out the foil wrapped stick, placing it on the bathroom counter before unfolding the roadmap-like extensive directions.
She yanks the directions out of my hands, and I stare up at her. How does she expect me to take the test if I don't know what to do?
She opens the foil pouch and hands me the stick. “Take off lid, pee on stick. Put lid back on, place on counter,” she says in her best cavewoman impression.
I roll my eyes and do as she says, staring at a spot on the wall because I don't want to accidentally make eye contact with her, and I don’t think she has looked away.
I put the cap back on and put the stick on the counter before finishing up and washing my hands. The front of the box makes it very clear that one line is not pregnant, two lines means pregnant. So I hold the box next to the test.
“See? I’m...”
And I trail off. On the front of the test are two very blue lines.
“Is this a joke test?” I whisper.
“I would never.” She sounds insulted that I would even insinuate such a thing.
Oh my gosh, I think I’m pregnant.
I don't even notice Amy disappear, but a moment later I'm wrapped up tight in strong arms and Damien’s comforting scent surrounds me. I snuggle into him and rest my head on his chest as he kisses my hair. Despite the uncertainty within me, I feel so safe and happy in his arms.
“I'm so excited,” he whispers.
And all at once, the tiny bit of fear I'm holding back flushes out of my system and I’m thrilled.
We're starting our family together.
We’re going to have a baby.
I thought everything was perfect, but now I know it is.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“Say it one more time,” I beg.
“I love you, Zoe.” With that, he tips my chin up and presses his lips to mine.
THE END