Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Two weeks later
Bennett
Life with Efa is so different to my life without her. For a start, she has us going to visit places with unpronounceable names.
“Nor-fuck,” I say.
She pulls her mouth wide and wrinkles her nose. “No. Please don’t say Nor-fuck. You sound so American.”
“I am American.”
“How did I fall in love with you?” She laughs and shakes her head like she’s the most ridiculous person on the planet for loving me. It doesn’t faze me at all. I know she loves me hard. So hard I can’t believe how lucky I am.
“So tell me again,” I say. “We have the exact same spelling for a place in the US. I don’t understand why we can’t all get together and agree on a pronunciation.”
“Nor-ferk. It’s an ‘errr’ sound. Not a ‘u.’”
“And you don’t pronounce the L? Just like our Norfolk?”
She shrugs. “Come on. No judging, please. We’ve been developing the English language since the fifth century. You guys have had it for a few hundred years. Get over yourself.”
I chuckle “Norferk it is,” I say.
Her eyes light up like I already gave her the diamond ring I have in my pocket. “Yes! Just like that.”
“Well, if you say it has the best sky in the world, then it must be worth visiting… despite its weird name.”
“Yeah, it really is wonderful. I only started coming because this is where Dax’s parents are; I told you, the family has kind of adopted Eira, Dylan, and me.” She squeals. “Speaking of—there’s Carole, Dax’s mum.”
We pull into the driveway of what looks like a small hotel with a gravel drive and park. An older woman wearing an apron with images of a man’s face on it races toward us.
“My darling Eddie,” she says, cupping Efa’s face as soon as she gets close enough. Her eyes go glassy. “I’m so happy for you.”
I shut the car door and round the hood to meet them.
“You must be Bennett. What a pleasure it is to have you here.”
“And you must be Mrs. Cove,” I say.
She rolls her eyes and takes my hand in hers. She turns to Efa. “Americans. Always so formal.” Then she turns back to me. “We don’t stand on ceremony here. Call me Carole.” She nods over to the other side of the large driveway. “That’s my husband, John. John!” she calls out. “Come and say hello and stop complaining to Dog. He doesn’t understand a word, despite what you tell yourself.”
It took me a couple of run-throughs to understand why we were going to Norfolk to see Efa’s brother-in-law’s family. They’re clearly important to her. And to Eira. And if it’s important to Efa, it’s important to me. She spoke about Norfolk so fondly, I thought it might be the perfect place to propose.
A car approaching catches our attention, and we all turn to see Eira and Dax pulling up. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen them a lot. First, they came to New York, and then Efa seemed to be on one long, constant video call with her sister. In the last week, we’ve been spending time with them in London. We’re in a hotel—for market research, and because Efa and I make a lot of noise when we fuck. I’m not sorry about it.
Efa and Eira hug each other like we all didn’t have dinner together last night.
“Hear you’re going to propose on this trip,” Dax says as he shakes my hand.
I smooth my hand up my jaw. “Oh good, it will be a surprise for everyone.”
Dax chuckles. “Welcome to the family.”
“Speaking of, will all your brothers be here?”
He nods. “And my cousin Vincent. Since Eira and I got together, they’ve all made an extra-special effort to be here for occasions that matter to her, Efa, and Dylan. The three of them were on their own for a long time. But not anymore. They’re Coves now.” He pats me on the shoulder. “You too. It’s like being part of the mafia. There’s no escape.”
Carole interrupts us. “Are you talking about when you’re going to propose? Do you want to do it in front of everyone? That’s what Dax did.”
Yup, everyone knows my plan. Efa warned me that she couldn’t live with secrets and she’s always true to her word.
“No offense, Carole, but I’ve only just met you and?—”
“Tish tish! We’ll be family by the time John pours the second glass of malbec. But propose how you wish, just don’t leave it until Sunday. We want time to celebrate with you both.”
“You like malbec?” I ask. “I know this great little vineyard in Argentina. Finca Colo. If I’d known, I’d have brought some.”
Dax laughs and so does Carole. “Vincent owns that vineyard. We have plenty of the stuff.”
“Yeah, don’t ever buy it. You’re just making a rich man ever richer,” Dax says.
I get the feeling no one in this family is going to care who my mother was, or that I’m rich and successful. They just care I make Efa happy. I take a deep breath. I think I’m going to enjoy it here in Norfolk with the best skies.
“You okay?” Efa asks as she comes up beside me.
“I hear I’m proposing to you this weekend.”
She grins at me. “Well, aren’t you?”
“You don’t think it would be nice to have a surprise?”
“Bennett, I’ve known you were going to propose to me from the minute I saw you on the cover of Forbes . It’s not a secret. We don’t have those, remember?”
This is why Efa needed me to announce to the world that I was Ben Fort. Because she can’t help but be exactly who she is. She’s authentic to her core. It’s only one of the reasons I love her.
“Do you want to see the ring in advance?” I ask her.
“Don’t be silly,” she says. “I know whatever you’ve picked will be incredible.”
I’m a little concerned that it will be a little too incredible. Efa’s not a showy person, yet there’s no doubt the ring I’ve picked is… noticeable. I just want to give her the best of everything. The ring is a symbol of my desire to make our life together as special as I can.
“I hope you like it.”
“I love it already,” she reassures me.
“So let’s have dinner tonight, then go sit under the stars and I’ll ask you officially to be my wife.”
“I like that plan,” she says. “I like every plan that means you and I are together.”
I have no doubt how Efa feels for me. But if I ever wanted confirmation, I can just listen to the way she talks about her love for me or her need to be near me. She’s unabashed. And she’s home to me now. And whether we end up in New York or Norfolk, as long as I’m with her, life will be perfect.
Every day I fall a little more in love with her. No doubt I’ll keep falling for the rest of my life.
A Month Later
Efa is pacing in front of me and it’s setting me on edge. We’re still at the Mandarin Oriental—Efa refused to go back to The Avenue and have Marcella service the suite for her. Instead we tip a full day’s wages to a woman we don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense, but as long as Efa’s happy.
“There are too many decisions to make,” she says. “Brownstone or apartment. Which dress to wear. And who of your five best friends will be your best man? And then there’s the flowers, the cake—I’m overwhelmed right now.”
“I’m not having a best man,” I say, a little confused. “Why are you worrying about all these things?”
“Because we have so many decisions to make.”
“We really don’t. I don’t care where we live?—”
“Exactly! You’re leaving it all up to me.”
I get it now. I thought me telling her I’ll go along with whatever she wanted was for the best. But that’s not what she wants. That wasn’t partnering her, it was leaving her with all the decisions.
“I think we should live in an apartment, because it’s easier to leave when we go to London.”
“Okay,” she says. “I just don’t want to feel… cramped.”
“There’s one overlooking the park on the Upper East Side that’s ten thousand square feet. You’re not going to feel cramped.”
“You’re right,” she says. “But don’t you think kids need a garden?” She’s overthinking this. But that’s alright. I’ve got her.
“We’re not having kids anytime soon,” I say. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We can move, or the park will be across the street.”
“Okay,” she says on an exhale. As she moves, her hair shimmers and I wonder if she’s actually mine. “Apartment overlooking the park. Good.”
“And I like all three of the dresses you showed me online. Take them all.”
She swipes me on the arm. “It’s just wasteful. I think the gowny one is a little over the top for a registry office,” she says.
“You’d make jeans and a t-shirt look over the top because you’re so goddamn beautiful. But if it makes you happy, take the other two. And if it makes you feel better, you can donate them after you’ve worn them.”
She fixes me with a look and I’m not quite sure if she wants to kill me or kiss me. “Okay,” she says finally. “I like that idea.”
“And I’m not having a best man.”
“What?” Leo says as he arrives for our Monday night gathering.
Efa’s eyes widen as if to say, Told you so .
“Unless I’m going to stand up there with all five of you, I’m not having a best man,” I say. “There’s no way I’m picking one of you over the others.”
Leo picks up a beer from the bar and heads over. “I guess. Plus, aren’t you only having a handful of guests? We’ll all be standing at the front.” He chuckles.
“Exactly.”
“What about witnesses?” Efa asks. We’re getting married in London and they have some weird rules.
“Oh yeah. I assumed we’d have Eira and Dylan,” I say, clinking my glass against Leo’s bottle. I turn back to Efa, and she’s staring right at me like she’s dumbstruck. “What?” I ask.
“I want you to fuck me right now. Right here.”
Leo clears his throat from next to me. “This is awkward but… I’m strict about threesomes. I have to be the only dude.”
Efa ignores him. “I mean it, Bennett. That’s so nice of you.”
“She gives you a real good incentive to keep doing nice things,” Leo says. “I have to make a note of that.”
“Like you need more sex,” Efa says dismissively. “Give your poor penis a break now and then.” Her expression is dour and mournful. “It might fall off.”
Leo laughs. “You fit right in around here.”
“Yes, I do,” Efa says. “But Monday nights are boring as fuck. I’m going for a massage in twenty minutes.”
Leo laughs. “You’ve done well.”
“Don’t I know it,” I say, and we clink our beer bottles again.
“Oh, one more thing,” Efa says.
“Hit me with it,” I reply.
“Can we not do the wedding gift thing? What the hell am I supposed to buy for a freaking billionaire? You can buy anything you want. I was thinking we could make something for each other.”
I take a breath because crafting isn’t exactly my thing.
In the silence, Leo erupts with laughter. “Fuck me, can I get photographs of Bennett with a glue gun?”
Efa rolls her eyes. “Okay, maybe not make something. But I’d rather go small and sentimental than over the top. It feels unnecessary.”
It doesn’t feel unnecessary to me. I want to spoil Efa all the time. But if she doesn’t want an expensive wedding gift, I have a key in my pocket that’s burning a hole in the fabric.
“That’s fine,” I say. Because whatever she wants is fine. “So while we’re hanging out, I should give you this?” I pull out the key from my pocket. “It’s definitely not a wedding gift.”
Efa eyes the key and then fixes me with a glare. “What did you do?”
I toss her the key and she catches it, then comes to sit next to me on the sofa.
“What is it?”
I angle the key ring so she can get a better look. It reads “Holford Road.”
Her brows pull together. “This is a key for Eira and Dax’s house?”
I shake my head, and she pulls in a breath.
“What did you do?” she repeats.
“It needs a bit of work, but I thought we’d need a base when we’re in London. And Holford Road seems the place to be. I bought the house next to Eira and Dax’s.”
Her jaw goes slack and her eyes soften.
Thank fuck she’s not mad.
“I love you, Bennett Fordham. You are really the most thoughtful man. Kind. Generous. Fucking sexy. How did I get so lucky?”
My chest inflates at her words. I never get tired of hearing how she loves me.
She crawls onto my lap and presses tiny kisses across my jawline. “Thank you.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” I say. It’s true. I’d spend it all on her. Give up everything. Go anywhere.
Leo clears his throat. “Seriously, guys, do you want me to disappear for ten minutes?”
Efa laughs and slides off my lap, settling onto the couch next to me. “Leo, Leo, Leo. You’re doing it wrong if you think ten minutes is all we need. We’d need an hour or two. You need to find yourself a woman who you want to spend longer than ten minutes with.”
Leo covers his ears. “No, no, no. Not interested in hearing how I need to fall in love from the smug couple on the sofa. I have zero interest in finding myself anyone to spend more than one night with.”
“We’ll see,” Efa says. “I wasn’t looking for Bennett.” She slides her hand into mine and squeezes.
Before Leo and Efa can get into a real disagreement about Leo’s approach to dating or sex or women—which happens on a semi-regular basis—Worth appears. He’s followed by Fisher and Jack. They all hug Efa like she’s their sister, and then it’s business as usual. The TV’s on, but no one is paying it much attention.
“So apparently none of us are your best man, you’re making us fly three thousand miles across an ocean to watch you get married… Got any other news for us?” Leo asks.
“You’re not having a best man?” Worth asks.
“Nope. It’s stupid in my situation. It’s a small wedding and only the best men are invited.”
“Does anyone own a hotel in London?” Leo asks. “You must, Worth.”
“Nope. Mine’s in Boston.” He shakes his head, like he can’t believe his friends can’t remember where his hotel is.
“Shit, so not only are we flying three thousand miles, we have to stump up for a hotel when we get there.”
“Actually, no, you don’t,” Efa says. “My sister has paid for you all to stay at the place they’re going to be married next summer.”
“Did she?” I ask her. “You didn’t tell me that.”
Efa shrugs. “We’re all family now.”
It’s been a long time since I had a family other than my five best friends. It feels good to have someone in my life who’s going to be by my side forever. And although I don’t know her extended family well, it feels like a good fit—like in another lifetime, I might have been friends with Dax and Jacob and the rest of the brothers-in-law, along with Eira and Dylan.
Life’s so different than it was at the beginning of the summer. I’m a lucky bastard. Being with Efa has changed my life in ways I couldn’t have even fathomed before she came along. I’m no longer in hiding, and being in the open isn’t scary even if I come across a couple of paparazzi every now and then. In Efa, I’ve found love and friendship and laughter and, most importantly, freedom.
I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make her feel as good as I do when we’re together.
Leo’s story is next in The Play + The Pact = I Do
To read about Eva’s brothers-in-law, check out the Doctors Series, starting with Dr. Off Limits