Epilogue
DYLAN
Nine Months Later
I pace back and forth in our living room, my heart racing as I wait for Liv to arrive. The air is charged with excitement, and I can’t stop fidgeting. Trying to calm down, I look around our space and note all the special touches she’s added to make our new house a home. Living with her has filled a hole in my heart, and one day soon, when she marries me, I know I’ll be complete.
Finally, the door opens and she breezes in with her silky curls bouncing down her back and a bright smile lighting up her face. My breath catches at the sight of her, the same way it always does whenever I see her.
“Hey, babe!” she cheerfully calls out as she sets her bag and keys on the entryway table. When she makes it to the living room, her steps halt as she notices me pacing. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”
“Not with you way over there. C’mere,” I demand, and she immediately moves toward me with her seductive hips swaying as she walks.
As soon as she’s within reach, I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off the ground. My heart fills with contentment as I twirl her in a circle and listen to her melodic giggles.
“Put me down! I’m too heavy!” she fusses between bouts of laughter.
“Woman, no matter how much you weigh, you’ll never be too heavy for me. Even when you’re pregnant with my babies.”
She leans forward to kiss me, and her soft curves press into my body. “As long as it’s one baby at a time.” She smiles against my lips.
“Eh…” I shrug. “We’ll see.” I grin like a love-sick fool as I place Liv’s feet back on the floor.
“You’re certainly in a good mood. Did you miss me that much?”
“Always, baby. But that’s not it,” I explain, and her eyebrows lift as she waits for me to continue. “I’ve got a surprise for you. I’m taking you out tonight.”
“Really? What’s the occasion?” Anticipation glitters in her eyes.
“Do I need an occasion to spoil my girl?” I scoff before tugging her against me and planting another kiss on her lips. “Now, hurry up and get ready. We gotta leave in twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes? But I just got home,” she grouses. “How am I supposed to get dressed up for a date in twenty minutes?”
“Really quickly, that’s how. Now, go on.” I swat her juicy ass before she rushes off to change.
I follow Liv down the hall, leaning against the doorframe as I watch my beautiful girl flit around our room. Clothes are flying everywhere as she strips down and tosses various outfits onto the bed.
“Clock’s ticking, baby,” I taunt, earning myself a glare.
“Want me to go in my underwear? Fine by me,” she sasses as she struts into the oversized walk-in closet. “Just let me find some heels to match my bra and panties.”
I stalk after her, capturing her in my arms and giving her ass cheek a rough squeeze. “No one will ever see you like this, except me. Got it?” I crush my lips to hers in a sensual kiss that makes my cock hard.
She teasingly rubs a hand up and down my length, caressing me over the thin fabric of my dress slacks. “Then I guess you better let me get dressed then.” Her voice is so sultry when she’s turned on.
That makes two of us.
“If you don’t hurry, I’m gonna throw you on the floor and fuck you in this closet.”
A mischievous smirk plays on her lips. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Behave yourself, baby. Dinner first. Then I’ll fuck you any way you want when we get home.”
She drags her pillowy lower lip between her teeth as her breathing grows faster. “Promise?”
I pull her close so she can feel my hardness pressed against her. “It’s a fucking guarantee.” I kiss her again before leaving her to it. If I don’t walk away now, we’re never leaving the house. And as good as that sounds to me, she deserves to be treated like a princess. Before I dirty her up and fuck her into the mattress.
We’re celebrating tonight, so I have my driver take us to the hottest new restaurant downtown. The waitlist is several weeks long, but it’s fascinating how much weight my last name carries, and I was able to secure a reservation with no problem.
When we pull up to the valet, Liv’s jaw drops in disbelief. “Trio? You’re taking me to Trio?”
“My girl deserves the best.”
She beams at me with excitement as I gaze adoringly at her.
My driver assists Liv out of the car. I exit the vehicle, then walk around to meet her. With my hand at the small of her back, I escort her inside, where our host leads us to a private table. As we settle into the plush chairs, a waiter appears with complimentary glasses of champagne.
“Congratulations on your well-deserved promotion. I’m proud of you, baby.”
Liv smiles before clinking her glass against mine. “I still can’t believe it. Global campaigns! It’s like a dream.”
After graduation, Liv was offered a job at Bennett Enterprises, one of the largest acquisition firms in the country. She was shocked, but I wasn’t, since she graduated with honors in the top five percent of her class. My girl is intelligent and ambitious, which means any company would be thrilled to have her.
“I know you’ll do great, baby. You always do.”
“Thank you.”
I take a sip of my champagne. “For what?”
“I don’t know, for loving me. Supporting me. Giving me this wonderful life.” She glances down at the table.
I lift her chin with the tip of my index finger. “Don’t ever thank me for loving you. It’s impossible not to.”
She relaxes with a contented sigh.
“And it’s me who should be thankful. Because you love me no matter what I have or don’t have. You love me for who I am, and no one’s ever done that before.”
We dotingly gaze at each other for a moment longer, before our server comes to the table. After making our selections and conversing briefly, the girl leaves us to enjoy our champagne.
I’m listening intently while Liv tells me about her new position, until I notice a familiar face behind her, just a few tables away. My abs clench with unease when recognition dawns on me, and I’m praying like hell he doesn’t notice me.
What the fuck is he doing here?
Always perceptive, Liv picks up on my change in mood right away. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Of course not, baby.” I direct my attention back to her, hesitant to alert her to his presence. But when she narrows her gaze at me, I know it’s futile to hide the truth. “Don’t turn around, but my father’s here.”
Her spine stiffens and she sits up in her chair. “Has he seen us?” I can hear her swallow from across the table.
“I don’t think so. Just forget about him. We’re not gonna let him spoil our night.” I can tell she’s not so sure, but she reaches forward and squeezes my hand anyway. “Go on, honey. I’m listening.”
Liv grabs her water goblet, taking a small sip of the cool liquid before continuing with our previous conversation. But my stomach drops when I hear someone clearing their throat behind her. I lift my gaze and lock eyes on the man I haven’t spoken to in months.
“Son,” he greets, then moves to the side of the table to stand between me and Liv. My lip curls with disgust at his audacity to approach us. He raises his palms in a placating fashion. “Please, Dylan. I just want to talk.”
Anger simmers inside me, but as soon as I glance at Liv, it all disappears. I remind myself that she’s all that matters, and nothing he says can hurt me as long as I have her.
I turn back to my father with a curt nod. “Talk about what?”
Before he explains, he remembers his manners and finally greets my girlfriend. The smile he gives her appears genuine, but I know better than to let my guard down.
He sighs heavily and stuffs his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry, Dylan.”
Suddenly, he has my full attention, and I observe his sullen expression. I sense Liv’s gaze boring into me, but I’m too stunned to take my eyes off my father.
“I’m sorry for how things ended the last time we spoke. I had no right to threaten you like that.” His head hangs with regret.
“I… I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“I saw you,” he admits, but my brow creases as I stare at him. “Took some digging to find out who he was, but the more I learned, the more I realized I’ve been a fool.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I look across the table. Liv appears just as bewildered as I feel.
“Construction, huh? Interesting job choice.”
I shift in my seat, not comfortable with my father knowing certain details about my life. A life I’ve chosen not to share with him.
“Seems like Mike is a pretty good man.”
Alarm bells are going off in my head as I try to make sense of what he’s telling me. “Who told you about him? About my job?”
He shoots me a dubious look and I roll my eyes.
“Really, Dad? You sent someone to spy on me?” The anger that was at a low simmer is about to boil into a full rage.
“What did you expect me to do? My son tells me he’s willing to give up a billion dollars and I’m supposed to just let it go? Who in their right mind would do that?”
“A billion dollars?” Liv’s mouth hangs open as she gapes at me.
She knew about the trust, but I never told her how much was in there. Just that I’d already received the first two payouts and it was more than enough for us to live off for the rest of our lives. With that money alone, neither of us has to work, nor do our future children. But we enjoy our modest life, choosing to splurge on vacations and experiences rather than material things.
“He didn’t tell you?” My father glances back and forth between us.
“I turned it down, so it didn’t matter. And I’ll turn it down again and again, because there’s nothing on this earth that’ll keep me from being with her.”
“I know that, son, and I never should’ve asked you.” He pauses and clears his throat, as if it pains him to admit his mistakes. “I thought there had to be another reason you would make such a decision, so I had my guys look into it.”
“She didn’t trap me in a relationship, if that’s what you’re thinking,” I sneer, and we both turn our attention to Liv when she scoffs.
“Are you implying that I would trap Dylan with… a baby?” Hurt and resentment are evident in her tone as she scowls at her former stepfather.
“I’m not proud of the things I’ve done, and there’s a lot of things I’d do differently in my life.”
Now, we’re both fuming as we glower at him, waiting for him to explain what he wants.
“Clearly—” He looks at her. “I was wrong.”
“Yes, you were,” she snaps at him.
“They couldn’t find a single reason for you to walk away, and I was dumbfounded as to why you’d do it. I combed through their notes and decided to look for myself. That’s when I went to some of the addresses they gave me and saw you had a whole life I knew nothing about.”
“You didn’t wanna know.” I cross my arms over my chest, ready for this conversation to be over.
“You’re right. I didn’t,” he admits. “But when I saw you working alongside Mike and your crew, you looked genuinely happy. You were smiling and laughing and I couldn’t remember ever seeing you that way with me.”
Emotions war within me, but I keep them locked up.
“Then I followed you to dinner with Mike and watched with remorse as he treated you like a son—something I never did.”
My throat threatens to close as I finally get the acknowledgement I’ve waited for my whole life. “That’s all I wanted from you. For us to have that kind of relationship.”
“I know that now.” He blinks a few times while pinching his lips together. “And then I saw you with her and everything about you changed. You really do love her, don’t you?”
“I know that’s hard for you to understand, but there will never be anything better than what I have with Liv. And I’m sorry if us being together threatens your precious reputation. I just hope you realize some things are more important before it’s too late.”
“You’re right, son, and I’m working on that.” For his sake, I hope that’s true. “Well, I just wanted to apologize and to let you know I haven’t forgotten that your birthday is next week.”
I raise an eyebrow at him, because I can’t remember the last time he’s acknowledged my damn birthday.
“I was planning to call you, but then I saw you tonight and thought it’d be better to talk in person. I’ve already approved for you to have full access to your trust. Happy thirtieth birthday, Dylan.”
Holy fuck. Did he say what I think he did?
Liv covers her gaping mouth as she stares at me in shock. Still processing everything, I decide the least I can do is shake the man’s hand. I rise from my seat and extend my palm, but my father stuns me again when he pulls me into a fierce hug.
“I’ll leave you to your dinner now. Maybe we can all get together soon.”
I have no idea what to say and simply nod before he returns to his table.
“What the hell just happened?” I flop into my chair with my gaze fixed on the white tablecloth.
“Um… I think you just became a billionaire.” Liv snorts, then we both laugh at the crude sound.
“How about a rain check on dinner, and I take you home to show you what sex with a billionaire is like?”
“Ooh, is it different?” She humors me.
“I think my dick gets bigger.”
“Oh my God.” Liv covers her face with her hands as she laughs. It’s a sound I’ll never get tired of and I’ll do anything to hear. “You’re ridiculous, Dylan Kane.”
“Pretty sure you love me anyway.”
Her adoring gaze and rosy cheeks make her even more beautiful under the dim lights. “You know I do.”
Dylan has one more surprise for Liv!