Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Hayden
Three Months Later…
T he best part about having a gigantic house right on the beach in the firmly upper-middle-class neighborhood along Barrington’s northern coast was that it was the perfect place to host a pool party.
“You guys have done amazing things around here,” Rachel commented, fruity drink in hand, as she joined me and Junior by the deck railing, where the best view of the ocean was.
Junior liked to watch the waves from the carrier I almost always had strapped to my front these days. He gurgled and cooed and flailed his arms and legs as he watched the constant motion of the water.
“Yeah, I definitely married up,” I joked.
“No, you didn’t, dear,” my Papa told me with a roll of his eyes as he stepped over to join the conversation. “Your father and I have provided nicely for you and your brothers all these years.”
I wanted to tease Papa by reminding him of the time he’d kicked me out of the house to live in a one-bedroom apartment downtown, but the way Junior yanked his attention away from the ocean and cooed for his Grandpapa stopped me.
“Hello there, little man, hello,” Papa cooed right back, shaking Junior’s chubby foot. He glanced up at me and asked, “Would you like me to take him for a while?”
Translation, Papa wanted some time with the new love of his life.
“Sure,” I said, pulling Junior out of the carrier and handing him over. “I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to change his diaper while you’re at it.”
Papa sent me another eye roll before walking off, bouncing Junior in his arms and pointing to one of the flowering trees the landscaper had put in the week before.
Rachel laughed. “You’re lucky to have such a supportive family.”
I peeled out of the empty carrier and set it on one of the chairs nearby, laughing with her. “I’m lucky to have an understanding boss, too.” I gave her a sheepish look and said, “You’re sure you don’t mind me working from home half the time?”
Rachel made a sound and waved off my concern. “You’re a fantastic office manager, Hayden, but you’re an even better papa.”
“I am not,” I said, as if she’d insulted me.
“Oh, come on,” Rachel shoved my arm when I moved to stand beside her again. “You absolutely dote on Junior. You’re always taking him to the park or playing on the beach with him.”
“His name isn’t ‘Junior’,” Mace said, sliding up to hook an arm around my waist and to join our conversation. “It’s Mason Canton the second.”
I sent Mace a flat look, then turned to Rachel and said, “It’s Junior. Mason Canton, Jr.”
Mace rolled his eyes, just like my Papa, but I felt nothing but affection and amusement through our bond.
“I knew you would get your way in the end,” Rachel said, winking at me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my boyfriend. You two haven’t met him yet, so I want to introduce you.”
“By all means,” Mace said, smiling as if everything in the world was exactly the way he wanted it. “I’ve been dying to meet this guy.”
“Me, too,” I called after Rachel as she walked away.
Once she’d blended in with our many guests, I sighed happily and sank against Mace.
“How did our lives turn out so damn amazing so quickly?” I asked, resting my head against his shoulder.
“Because it wouldn’t dare turn out any other way for us,” Mace said.
He was absolutely right. Within less than a year, we’d gone from virtual strangers, who had happened to make a baby together, scrambling to start a new tech company while Colin attacked us from every side to growing and thriving, both in our family life and in our business.
Once news of my kidnapping, the real one, got out in the business circles Mace and Colin ran in, outpourings of outrage and sympathy came flying our way. Several former business associates from Mace’s days in Port Lucia said they’d always known something was wrong with Colin. Colin’s ex-wife and Mace had had a tearful phone call, in which she practically bled with guilt for not doing more to stop Colin or warn Mace about how unstable he had become.
Mace and I had both insisted Gloria had nothing to do with Colin’s behavior and that she’d been exactly right to get out while she could. And since Mace and Gloria had been friends way back when, in the early days of Colin and Gloria’s marriage, we’d invited her and the kids to come for a vacation in Barrington.
They’d been our first houseguests last month, and after some discussion, they’d decided to stay, since Canton Enterprises needed a new assistant office manager, and the company had just set up a top-notch daycare in the building.
In fact, Gloria and the kids were splashing around in the pool at that very moment, playing with Ari, Gwen, and the latest addition to the brood, Oliver.
“Do you know how cool it is that we have so many friends?” I asked Mace, turning to slide fully into his arms.
“I don’t care if we’re the most popular kids at the cafeteria table,” Mace said, closing me in his embrace. “If we didn’t have any friends but each other, I would still be the happiest man in the world.”
“Aw, shucks, boss,” I said, blushing up a storm.
Mace leaned in and kissed me. I felt that kiss down to the tips of my toes. It was filled with sunlight and promise. I could feel our entire, happy future in that kiss, and every other that Mace gave me.
Because of that, I wasn’t too happy when someone cleared their throat beside us.
Mace and I pulled away from each other and glanced to the alpha who stood waiting for our attention.
“Are you Rachel’s new boyfriend?” I asked.
The alpha looked to be close to forty, he was handsome, and he had the air of command that I knew Rachel liked in her men. He wore a full business suit, which was weird at a pool party, but maybe Rachel liked that, too.
But he said, “No, my name is Victor Woodbury.” He held out his hand to Mace. “My uncle owns Victory Holdings.”
As soon as Mace grasped the man’s hand, my stomach sank. I could feel Mace was immediately on his guard.
“I don’t think you were invited,” Mace said with a false smile.
“For which I apologize,” Victor Woodbury said.
He cleared his throat and went on with, “I’ll make this brief. Colin Gregory was not acting under our orders in any way when he…importuned your omega.” He glanced briefly to me, looking genuinely awkward. “I can’t honestly say why my uncle hired him last year. After the interview, I advised him against it.”
He paused, and when neither Mace nor I said anything more, he went on with, “I know Victory Holdings has a…less than stellar reputation, but I want you to know that I’m working to change that. My uncle and I don’t always get along. In fact, we have very different ideas of what the family company should be and do.”
“I appreciate you saying that,” Mace said slowly, as if he couldn’t quite understand the reasons a man like Victor Woodbury would show up uninvited to a housewarming party just to apologize.
Victor nodded. “Well, I truly am intruding. I’m in town for a series of meetings, and I felt I should take the opportunity to express to you in person that I regret what happened and any part my family’s company might play in it. We will do better in the future.”
“Thanks,” I said, then added. “I think?”
Victor nodded awkwardly, like he knew he shouldn’t be there, then turned to go. As he left, he nearly walked right into Simon, who was on his way over to us.
Simon mumbled some sort of apology for the near collision, then his eyes went wide. I could practically see him getting wet as he swept Victor Woodbury with a hungry glance. It had to be the suit. When Victor walked on, Simon continued to stare at his retreating back for a moment before hurrying over to us.
“Who was that?” he asked, eyes bright and voice filled with importance.
“Victor Woodbury,” I answered. “From Victory Holdings.”
“You’re kidding,” Simon said, nearly choking on nothing. He searched for Victor again, then turned back to us. “What was he doing here?”
“Coming to apologize for Colin,” Mace said, brow knit, a puzzled feeling radiating from him.
“Did he have anything to do with it?” Simon asked, his eyes going wide.
“No,” I said, just as puzzled. “He insisted that Colin was acting alone when he—” I stopped with a gasp, then turned to Mace. “I wonder if that’s who Colin was arguing with outside the door when he kidnapped me.”
“That’s right,” Simon said in awe. “You told me Colin had been arguing with someone on the phone, then in person, and you had the impression they didn’t approve of the kidnapping.”
“I bet it was Victor Woodbury,” I said. “Or someone from Victory Holdings. They were trying to get Colin to stop what he was doing.”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to cast Victory Holdings as the good guy,” Mace said. “Mr. Woodbury just told us he’s at odds with his uncle, and Martin Woodbury is the one who actually owns and controls the company.”
“But it sounded like Victor here wants to change things,” I said.
Mace made a sound. “Whether he can or not remains to be seen.”
I wanted to argue, probably just for the sake of arguing, but it was a pool party, and we were there to have fun, not speculate about someone else’s business that we had nothing to do with.
“I’m getting peckish,” I said. “When do we eat?”
Mace laughed. “I’ll fire up the barbeque now.”
He leaned in to kiss me, then let go and walked off to the other end of the pool deck, where the fancy barbeque I’d given Mace as a housewarming present stood.
“I love him so much it’s obscene,” I said with a happy sigh.
“Yes, we know,” Simon said. He, too, rolled his eyes at me. I was, like, the king of receiving eye-rolls these days.
A second later, Simon grew serious and turned to me, hunching slightly and drawing me in to practically huddle with him.
“That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about,” he said in a low, guilty murmur, his cheeks flushing red.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, grinning. “This has to be good, because you’re blushing.”
Simon looked so embarrassed he might sink into the floor. “I made an account on the Dark Fantasies Club app,” he whispered, barely moving his lips.
I burst out laughing, which drew momentary attention and had Simon glaring at me. “I knew you were just as kinky as I am.”
“Shh!” Simon hushed me, grabbing my arm. “Dad and Papa are here. I don’t want them getting wind of this.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling,” I said, trying to sober up a little. “So you’re actually going to go for it? What’s your fantasy?”
Simon flushed even hotter. “I want to…I want to pretend to be….” He lowered his voice to a whisper so quiet I almost didn’t hear it. “A sex slave.”
I nearly choked on a laugh as I tried to suppress it. I clapped a hand to my mouth until I thought I could speak without snorting, then said, “You kinky bastard, you.”
“I don’t want anyone to know,” Simon said, so red he looked like the beach ball Ari and Gloria and the kids were playing with in the pool. “Which is why I’m heading out to Norwalk in two weeks to do the fantasy.”
“To play,” I corrected him. “You’re going to Norwalk to play. You’ve got to learn the terminology if you intend to really get into this.”
“I don’t know if I’ll get into it or not,” Simon said. He hesitated, then continued with, “I just want to give it a try.”
“I support you in whatever you want to do,” I said with a smile, clapping my hand on his shoulder. “And I’ll definitely serve as your second.”
“I’m not having my brother act as my second in a dirty sex game,” Simon said, his eyes going wide. “I was going to ask Ari.”
I tried so hard not to giggle. “I’m sure Ari will say yes.”
“Okay, good,” Simon said, writhing with awkwardness. “I just wanted to let you know that’s why I’ll be away for a week.”
“A week? That’s a long scene.”
“I want the full experience,” Simon said.
“Well, good for you,” I said, pulling my brother in for a hug.
After that, I deliberately steered the conversation around to mundane things until Simon’s color went back to normal and he relaxed. He actually started to have fun after a while, too.
Eventually, Rachel came over with her boyfriend, who I liked, and as Simon fell into conversation with them, I left them to go get Mace.
“Are you ready for some thick, delicious meat?” Mace asked once I reached him at the barbeque.
I laughed out loud, then practically threw myself around him. “I love you so much,” I told him. “No one else would ever be willing to put up with me the way you do.”
“Never forget that,” Mace said with a serious look.
I meant to tell him about Rachel’s boyfriend, but if felt too good just to stand there hugging him, the delicious scent of burgers and dogs cooking next to us. And then Papa came over to us and handed Junior back to me.
“There you go,” he said as Junior clung to me, turning my goofy heart to much. “He’s changed, but he’s hungry, and my years of feeding babies are long over. Besides, I see the Pattersons are here, and I want your father to talk to them about the new golf club they’ve joined.”
“Thanks Papa,” I said rolling my eyes at him for a change.
Papa kissed Junior’s head, then kissed my cheek, then nodded to Mace before walking on.
“Rachel wants to introduce you to her boyfriend, by the way,” I told Mace as I settled Junior comfortably against my hip.
“In a minute,” Mace said, sliding his arm around both of us. “Right now, I just want to stand here with my omega and my son, basking in how good we have it.”
I drew in a breath and leaned into him before letting it out on a happy sound. “We are lucky, aren’t we,” I said in a baby voice for Junior’s sake.
“Mason Canton the second is the lucky one,” Mace said, stroking his hand over Junior’s head as Junior grinned up at him and drooled. “He’s got the best papa in the world.”
“The best dad, too,” I added. I took a moment to kiss Mace, then said, “He’ll be surrounded by love his entire life. We all will.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed Hayden and Mace’s story! I tried to make it just as dark as Ari and Samson’s story, but Hayden absolutely would not behave! His personality just grew and grew as I wrote, and I’m really happy it did!
So what about Simon? Shy, sweet, frustrated artist Simon is new to the whole Dark Fantasies Club scene, but he definitely knows what he likes and what he wants. What he wants is to be a slave for a handsome alpha in a suit. Imagine Simon’s surprise when he stumbles across Victor Woodbury on the app…looking for an omega about to go into heat to be his slave for a week. Read all about it next in His Master !
Also, if you’d like more omegaverse stories in my world, I invite you to check out the Bangers & Mash series, beginning with How to Train Your Alpha !