Epilogue
Denham
Istand outside of Chique and watch my girl as she finishes up for the day. She doesn’t know I’m coming to meet her; I thought I’d take her by surprise.
After what has probably been the hardest couple of months of our lives, things are finally starting to settle down.
Amy is currently serving a sentence in the Nevada women’s correctional center, for aiding criminal activity.
Her dealings with Jonny went deeper than we realized, and she had gotten herself in way over her head.
However, I couldn’t feel sorry for her. It was karma for every shitty thing she’d ever done to anyone.
Not only had she sold me out, but she had used her tits and ass to seduce Dom, my tech guy.
Which in turn, led him to help her fuck with the security and CCTV systems. If it wasn’t for them, it would have been much harder for Jonny to get to Arianna.
But I’m sure he would have figured out a way somehow.
It was lucky for Dom that the LVMPD got to him before I did, and he doesn’t ever want to show his face around here again. Fucking sad excuse for a man.
Spike is doing really well; he’s dealing with his paralysis better than I ever thought he would.
As much as his condition sucks, it won’t beat us.
I would rather have him around like this, than not at all.
I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard, but he’s a fighter.
I’ve tried to talk to him about Lottie but he won’t hear me out, I guess it’s just going to take time.
He has the rest of us: me, Ari, mom, and Tara, and I will spend every day trying to make it the best for him.
He’s my brother and my best friend, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.
There isn’t a foreboding cloud hovering over us and The Kingdom like there was before, and the mysteries from the past have been solved.
Who would have thought that Jonny Ellison was the cause of everything for all those years?
But with him gone, there are no threats.
There’s no reason to look over our shoulders for fear of repercussions.
So we can move on. Move forward with our lives, together.
And now that I have Arianna back, I’m not ever letting her go.
“Hey, handsome!” Ari chirps as she bounces through the double doors. Fuck, she never gets less beautiful. “What are you doing here, is everything okay?”
I push myself off the wall with a smile, and plunge both of my hands through her hair, cradling her nape and pulling her lips to mine before she has a chance to say anything else.
“Happy Birthday,” I murmur against her lips.
“Thank you. Although I think you wished me a happy birthday this morning.”
“Oh, Stunner, that was just for starters,” I growl and nip her neck with my teeth. She yelps then laughs, and although I know it didn’t hurt, I suck gently to soothe any sting it might have left.
“I love my bracelet.” She beams, admiring the diamond eternity band around her wrist. She tilts it so it catches in the light, and her eyes sparkle with happiness. I love to see her smile, her pure spirit and now unguarded happiness; she makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world.
“Good. I’m pleased,” I say, kissing her cheek. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Three words, Ari. Diamonds, heels and lace.”
I scoop her up in my arms before she can reply, the thought of her in diamonds, heels or lace is enough for me to march back toward The Kingdom with a quickened pace. Knowing I’m going to have her in all of them gives me the strength of a thousand men.
“So let me get this right,” she says as I walk with her in my arms. “You get to unwrap me, for my birthday?”
“Oh no, Stunner. You get to unwrap you, while I watch … and then I’ll be giving you multiple birthday presents.”
“Is that a promise?” she asks unashamedly, which makes me beam with pride at the confident woman she is becoming.
“You should know by now that I always keep my promises. I would never make you a promise that I can’t keep.”
Her eyes soften, and I stop momentarily to take her mouth with mine, before continuing down the strip to fulfill my promise to her.
I carry Arianna the whole way home, through the foyer, and into the elevator.
I don’t want to let her out of my arms. I want to stay cocooned with her forever, in our own little bubble of happiness.
And every time I have this thought, it makes me fall in love with her even more, if that’s even possible.
She amazes me every day with her strength and resilience.
Her ability to love and trust after everything she has been through makes me so damn proud of her.
I’m a lucky man to be able to call her mine.
I let us into the penthouse with her still in my arms, and carry her straight through to the bedroom, setting her gently in the middle of the bed.
“Before you get unwrapped and I forget that anything else exists, I have something for you.”
“You do?” she asks excitedly.
“Yes, here,” I say, grabbing the large box from behind the bedroom door. I did my best to wrap it myself, but I won’t be winning awards for my efforts any time soon.
“But you already got me something.”
“Yes, and I already got you something else, do you want it?”
“Of course!” she squeals, before slipping her heels off and sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed.
“Happy birthday, Stunner,” I say, handing her the box.
I start to get a little nervous. I can’t explain it. I’m pretty sure she’s going to love it, but the nerves are still there none-the-less. I sit on the edge of the bed beside her as she unties the bow and pulls the lid off with no hesitation whatsoever.
“Oh my, you didn’t … Lace Dentelle Louboutins.
They are … they’re just,” she stumbles over her words, and clutches her new heels to her chest. “I love them. I love them,” she shrieks.
I was advised by Beth that these were the most sought after shoes in the city.
They looked just like any other high heels to me, but Arianna had expressed her love for them, many times, but refused to buy them for herself for fear of being too extravagant.
Until I met Arianna, I had no affinity with heels.
Now, as long as they are on her, I fucking love them.
“Is this another present? You bought me more?” she asks in disbelief as she pulls out the second box, and I nod.
“Open it.” She tears the bow off with more excitement than before, and it makes me want to shower her with gifts every day. She’s a little more careful with the tissue wrapping inside the second box and peels it back gently.
“Oh, honey. This is beautiful,” she remarks, holding up the black lace underwear in front of her.
“I had Beth give me your sizes.”
“I love this.” She places it down on the bed and climbs into my lap, wrapping her legs around my waist, and her arms around my neck “I love birthdays … I love you,” she whispers and lowers her lips to mine.
I momentarily get lost in her, before the nerves start to churn in my stomach again, and I remember that she hasn’t opened the last present.
“You saw the last box in the box, right?”
“There’s another box?” she asks in disbelief and reaches for it, pulling out all the filling to find the smallest box of them all.
She takes it out and lets it rest in the palm of her hand.
Still with her legs wrapped around me, she pulls the ends of the bow until the ribbon falls away. Then she lifts the lid, and gasps.
“Arianna,” I say softly and she looks up at me.
“I love you. I’ve never met anyone that makes me feel like you do.
You’re brave, you’re strong, and I’m so proud of you.
I can’t imagine my future without you in it.
” She’s holding her breath, and her eyes start to glisten, this wasn’t the way I had planned to do this, but I can’t exactly get down on one knee with her wrapped around me like this, and I don’t want to put her down.
“For all these reasons, and a million more, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me, Arianna?”
Her mouth falls open, and she looks between the diamond ring nestled comfortably in the box, and me. I’m not sure if she’s thinking about her answer or if she’s speechless. So, I take the ring from the box and hold it up between us, prompting an answer from her.
“Yes!” she gasps, her words come out with a sob from her chest and her eyes fill with tears. “Yes, yes, yes!”
I let out the breath that had tightened in my chest.
She said YES!
***
She’s the queen of his heart.
He’s the King of her love.
They’re an army of two.