Epilogue
Vivi couldn't help the perpetual smile that had taken up residence on her face as she stared at the ring on her left hand.
It sparkled in the light, sending tiny rainbows all over the wall as she turned it from side to side, and happiness like she'd never known welled up in her chest, radiating outward.
She couldn't stop thinking about him, about them. He was everything she had ever wanted and more. He was bossy and arrogant, but she would be lying if she said she didn't love those particular qualities. They made her feel important. Cherished. Loved.
The man in question caught her eye as he stalked across the lobby and then slid behind the reception desk. “Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“Hey.” She tipped her head up for a kiss.
“For the love of God,” came her brother’s voice, “would you two take a rest?”
She grinned, unwilling to let him dim her happiness. “Shut up, Knox.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “I'll be in my office if you need anything.”
He strode away, and she glanced up at Mason, who wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I think he still hates me a little bit,” Mason admitted.
“Nah, he's just making sure I'm happy,” she replied.
Honeyed eyes stared down at her. “Are you?”
She pretended to think about it, and Mason smacked her bottom. “Woman, I swear...”
She couldn't help the bubble of laughter that fell from her lips as he let out a little growl of exasperation. “You know I'm just teasing. I'm crazy about you,” he said.
“Better be.” Mason kissed her once more. “I've got to go. I'll see you tonight.”
“Be safe,” she replied.
With one more kiss, he strode through the door, and she watched until he was gone. It was crazy how quickly things had changed between them. She had fought it for so long at the beginning, but she wouldn't change it for the world.
After all of the craziness recently, she was glad everything was finally back to normal.
Mason was healing up well and doing physical therapy a few times a week to improve the function of the damaged muscle.
Last week they had gone to Tyler’s service back in Colorado and had spoken with his parents.
They were devastated, rightfully so, but at least knowing Harrison was gone gave them a small measure of closure.
She still stopped by to see Ellen every couple of days, too.
Some were better than others, but she was making peace with it.
She had considered telling Ellen about Harrison, too, but she wasn’t quite sure how to even broach the subject.
If Ellen did remember him, she wanted her memories to be good ones.
She was rearranging the papers on the desk in front of her, getting ready to run another background report, when the bell over the front door rang. She lifted her head, expecting it to be Mason. “Forget something?”
Her gaze landed on the woman who entered the lobby, and she smiled automatically. “I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. Welcome to Vantage Security. What can I do for you?”
The woman approached the counter silently, then slipped the dark sunglasses from her face. She was blonde, incredibly beautiful, and… familiar. Her pretty blue eyes met Vivi's, and a hesitant smile lifted her lips. “Hello, Vivi.”
Vivi's heart seized in her chest as the whole world came to a jarring halt. Oh, my God.
It was her.
“Everleigh.”