Bonus Epilogue
GREYSON
Piles of books were everywhere when I returned home from the office.
I scanned the living room, scratching my head at the scene.
Riley had taken the day off, telling me she wasn’t feeling well and insisting I go into the office even after I argued I could take my calls from home.
After working until noon, I had stopped to get her some chicken noodle soup at the deli she loved and headed home…
to an unexpected scene of chaos. It almost looked like a bookstore had exploded all over the main floor of our house.
Sidestepping the piles, I put the soup in the kitchen and made my way upstairs, marveling at the number of books stashed on the stairs.
Either she’d gone on a book buying spree, which wasn’t that hard to believe, or she was reorganizing her library.
It amazed me how many ways she could shelve books: by color, by author, by size, by decorated edges.
In the five years we’d been married, she had to have changed it at least ten times.
“Riley?” I called as I hit the landing. Her bookshelves were blocking most of the hallway, and I squeezed my way to the room.
“Grey?” Surprise edged her voice and as I stepped into the room, I saw why.
The walls were no longer rich green with the forest wallpaper accenting one side.
Instead, a light shade of sage covered them, softening the space.
Riley stood on the left side with a tangle of limbs sticking to her from a tree decal she was sticking to the wall.
She blew a strand of ebony hair that had slipped from her ponytail as her bright eyes met mine.
“You weren’t supposed to be home yet,” she complained, pouting her lips.
“What are you up to? If you’d wanted to re-do your library, I would have called the decorator.” I narrowed my eyes. “Is this why you took the day off?”
Guilt creased her eyes. “You were supposed to be at the office all day.”
“I brought you soup and thought I’d spend the afternoon with you,” I explained, wondering why I was on the defensive and what she was up to.
She disentangled herself with a huff and wiped her hands on her jeans. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”
The sadness in her voice had my irritation soothing and as she stepped toward me, my eyes landed on something that made my heart race frantically.
Swallowing, I looked back at her and asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
She nodded. “I wanted to have it all done when you came home.”
I glanced back at the mahogany crib, feeling unsteady.
“Are you sure?” I said, my voice coming out in a whisper, afraid to say it too loud for fear she would say no.
We’d been trying for three years and the two times we’d succeeded, she’d miscarried in her first trimester.
The loss had been devastating, but knowing how badly she suffered through each one made it unbearable.
Knowing I couldn’t protect her from it, that I couldn’t take her anguish away, had left me feeling helpless.
“I wanted to wait until I made it past week twelve before I told you. I’m fourteen weeks, Grey.”
Relief washed through me, followed by exhilaration, and I closed the distance between us and scooped her into my arms, twirling her around.
She laughed, urging me to put her down, but I stopped her fight with a kiss, pulling her tighter into my embrace until I worried I might hurt her. Releasing her, I gently lowered her to the ground.
“You’ve been keeping secrets from me, baby girl,” I said, planting another kiss on her nose.
“And it’s been so hard. I thought for sure you’d notice I gained a few pounds.”
Shrugging, I said, “I kind of liked it and thought if I mentioned it, you’d get worried and try to lose it.”
Her smile lit her eyes. “I’m only going to get bigger.”
“And sexier.” I brought her to me, rubbing my hand over her stomach and marveling at the thought that our child was growing inside of her.
She tipped my head up so that our eyes met. “There’s something else.”
Furrowing my brows, I wondered how there could be more when this was already so much. She tilted her head to the other side of the room, and I followed the direction, my eyes landing on the box I had disregarded when I’d come into the room.
“I only had time to set one up,” she said in a coy voice. “We’re having twins.”
Sight flying back to hers, mouth gaping, I struggled for words. Twins. Not just one child, but two. Like me and Emerson or maybe identical. My knees threatened to buckle on me and, as if she noticed, Riley threw her arms around my neck and brought my forehead to hers.
“Twins?”
A nod and an even bigger grin. “Twins.”
I thought about what that meant. Two children we were bringing into the dangerous world I ruled, into the dysfunctional family we had.
The family I could handle, but the danger I couldn’t.
Every day with Riley was another fraught with worry and the incessant nagging that I was pushing my luck, that things were going to come crashing down around me and I would lose her.
I didn’t know how Raines was doing it. He and Angie had been the first to add a child to the mix, their daughter born a year after Riley and I had renewed our vows. The spitting image of Angie, Raines spoiled her just like he did her mother, like a true mafia princess.
“Grey?” Riley’s voice brought me back from my thoughts.
“I think I need to call my brother,” I mumbled.
“To let him know about the babies?” Babies. My world spun again, and I grasped onto her. “Because I can’t wait to call Mason and Casey. We can have our baby showers together.” She bounced up and down on her toes, my arms following her motion.
Mason had just shared the news that Casey was pregnant and now I knew why it hadn’t devastated Riley like I’d worried it would. How she had kept her secret this long was a testament to her fortitude.
“No,” I said, peeling my arms from around her and pulling my phone from my pocket. “To get his help winding down the business just like he did.” Her bouncing stopped, and she stared at me. “It’s time to retire, baby girl. Maybe buy a big house in the country where the kids can run around.”
“But country life isn’t you,” she said.
I tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “My life is with you and now our children. Whether it’s in the country, the city, the beach, or the mountains. It doesn’t matter because all that matters is you and now…” I placed my hand on her stomach. “…them.”
Tears welled behind her eyes, and I tipped her face up and kissed her again. She was my everything just as our children would be. I’d once told her I would give it all up for her and it had been the truth. Nothing else in this world mattered. It never would.
“Besides, we need another room to put your library back together and the guest room isn’t big enough.
” Stepping away from her, I removed my suit jacket and rolled up my sleeves.
“Let me make this call, then we’ll call your brother.
The rest of the day, you’re going to put your feet up while you teach me how to build a crib.
” I glanced back at the hallway. “Did you really move all those shelves by yourself when you’re pregnant? ”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’m not fragile, Greyson.”
“You are now. No more moving furniture or lifting anything. I’m pampering you for the duration of this pregnancy. Scratch that. For the duration of your life, baby girl.”
The tug of a smile preceded her admission. “Den may have helped me move the heavy stuff.”
“You told Den before me?” I wanted to be angry, but knowing she hadn’t lifted the shelves or the crib boxes eased my irritation. “There will be repercussions for that,” I added, giving her a smirk that had her blushing.
“Just call your brother.”
She went back to fighting with the tree decal and I watched her with wonder.
This woman who had unexpectedly come into my life, who had captivated me and challenged me, who now carried two precious pieces of our love inside of her, and had once told me she would let me burn the world down for her, was my everything.
The piece of life that had been missing.
And now that she had completed it, I needed nothing more.
Because Riley made life worth living like nothing else in my life ever had.
I dialed my brother, the other piece of my life that was now complete, and leaned on the doorframe, my eyes still on Riley.
“Grey,” he answered.
“I need your help.”
“Anything.” Concern strained his voice, and I could tell he was on guard from my comment.
“I’m ready to retire.”
“It’s about damn time. There’s a house a few miles from our place with a perfect view of the ocean and nice weather year-round.”
I chuckled, thinking it would be nice to be closer to him, but Riley would miss her brother too much. “I’ll consider it for a vacation home.”
“Good. I can be there in two days to discuss your retirement plan. Ava’s teaching a class tomorrow that she can’t miss.
” A bark sounded in the background. I’d never thought of my brother as a pet man, but he and Ava had adopted a pit bull they named Omen from a shelter, and Emerson treated the dog like it was his kid.
I’d never seen a dog with so many toys and dog beds.
Of course, Riley insisted on sending him Christmas and birthday presents every year.
“Sounds good. There’s one more thing, Mer.”
“Always is with you.” It was good to hear his smile through the phone after years of only hearing his scowl.
“Are you ready to be an uncle?”
Thank you for reading the Wicked Cravings series. I truly hope you enjoyed these couples and their love stories as much as I enjoyed bringing them to life.