Epilogue
ASLAN
TWO MONTHS LATER
W e renovated the executive offices against the COO’s advice. On Monday, when it’s time to move back onto our floor, Keaton glares at me. “You didn’t have to rebuild anything.”
“I have to disagree with you. Our offices are now perfect.”
She crosses her arms, giving me a challenging glare. “How?”
“Well, they’re connected by a door, so we don’t have to leave them to visit each other. We can even remove the wall and have one big office. There’s a small space in between the doors that’s private.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “You know what we can do there?”
She points a threatening finger at me. “We’re not having sex in the office.”
“Uh-huh. You keep saying that, but then you’re calling me to your office because you have an important matter to discuss”—I draw air quotes— “This way, you don’t have to use an excuse.”
“When are you going to understand that the times I call you to my office it’s because I have a work-related question or…ugh, you’re insufferable.”
I smile at her and kiss her on the nose. “You’re adorable when you get all worked up.”
“Let’s get something straight. Come to my office is not code for let’s have sex.”
“Then we should come up with a better code.”
“Aslan Spearman.” She says my name as a warning.
I smirk. “Oooh, I like that as a code. But I need you to be aware that we might end up in jail for indecent exposure since you say my name pretty often.”
She tosses her hands up, exasperated. “What is wrong with you?”
“I have a pretty hot girlfriend, and I’m in love with her.”
She smiles. “I love you.”
“Good because then maybe you can answer a crucial question.”
Keaton arches an eyebrow. “What kind of question?”
I pull out the ring I’ve been carrying for the past two weeks as I try to find just the perfect moment to propose. It’s impossible to find it because nothing is perfect, but every time I’m with her is special. This is a good moment to do it.
“I know I’ve been asking a lot from you.
First to be my fake girlfriend, then to be my COO and to stick around.
I was thinking, but what if we got married?
That’ll include a house in Paradise Bay to spend our weekends close to the family.
You can now go to the DMV and change your address—unless we decide to buy a house and leave the penthouse to Gatsby, who’s been asking for it. But most importantly…Are you ready?”
“You’re a foolish man,” she says between laughs.
“Let’s get this straight. I’m your foolish man. And stop stealing my thunder because this is the best reason to ask you to marry me. Are you ready?”
She nods.
“Because I love you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.
I don’t care if it’s just a second or a thousand years, I want to be by your side.
I want to marry you because we belong to each other—we’re the place we can call home.
Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and be the mother of my children? ”
The laughter is gone, and now she’s crying happy tears. I hug her, and she says, “Yes. I love you.”
THREE MONTHS LATER
I never thought I would be sending another child to college.
It’s never easy, and yet, I can’t wait for Savannah to be out of our house so we can have sex all over it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister-in-law but sometimes I end up with blue balls for hours because she needs to hang out with Keaton.
“If you need anything, you’re going to call us, right?” Keaton asks, fixing Savannah’s hair as if she were a four-year-old on her first day of preschool. I’m sure she’ll be like that with our kids, and I love it.
“Make sure you call us on the designated days. You can reach out at any time, but on Sunday, I have to get that call, so we know you’re okay.”
Savannah rolls her eyes. “Yes. Just a reminder, you’re my brother-in-law, not my dad.”
I pretend to wipe a tear from the corner of my eye and sob, “Oh, they grow up so fast.”
Keaton laughs and hugs her. “I’m going to miss you, Savvy.”
“You’re going to call me with updates about the wedding, right?”
Keat nods. “We’re not marrying until next year, and you’re part of the chat. I promise it’ll be fine. I’ll keep you updated with Mom’s health.”
Their Mom isn’t doing well. The doctors said she might leave us in only a few months or be around for several years. It’s hard to tell. I don’t know what’s best for her, but I hope she leaves soon, so she doesn't suffer.
Savannah chews on her lip and says, “What if I stay instead?”
“If you want to apply to a local college, you can do it,” I offer.
“Do what’s best for you, Savvy. We’re going to be here waiting for you,” Keaton promises.
“Will Lex wait for me?”
I whistle and nod. “Long-distance relationships are a lot easier these days. There are phones, zooms, and I can let him borrow my jet.”
“We need to talk about limits. You can’t offer the jet because he misses his girlfriend,” Keaton goes to chastise me. “I don’t want to kick you out, but you have to go through security.”
Savannah hugs us both and waves before saying, “I’ll miss you guys.”
“Thank you for being like a big brother to her.”
I wink at her. “She’s my little sister. Can you imagine in twenty years when our first child goes to college?”
She cocks an eyebrow. “You already thought of that, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I did. By the way, are we going to tell anyone that we got married last week?”
We decided not to wait long. Mom wants a big wedding, and we’re negotiating the terms of the ceremony.
Getting a marriage license and having my cousin Jason marry us was a lot easier.
He and his wife are keeping the secret. They did precisely the same when they got married.
Weddings can be overwhelming. Why not have one for you and one for the rest of the people?
“No. We’ll make them believe that our wedding is in fourteen months.”
“We should go on our honeymoon.”
“You said that when you took me to Vienna.”
I smile. “Let’s try Paris. We’re practicing where we're going on our honeymoon and how to make babies. Practice makes perfect.”
“We have work to do in the vineyard. Maybe next weekend we’ll go wherever you want,” she compromises.
“I love you, Mrs. Spearman.”
“You know what’s amazing?”
“No, what?”
“How easy it is to fall in love with you over and over again,” she says, stretching her neck. I bend over and capture her lips, kissing her and falling even more in love with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.