Epilogue
Sophie
Ten Years Later
“Hey, why did Sammy just say my cock is like her dad’s?” Philip demanded, his voice echoing on speakerphone. “And now she keeps saying it to Mari.”
Sophie burst into laughter, clutching onto the lip of one of her shelves for stability. “Oh, my God, I forgot to tell you about that.”
“Tell me about what?!” His panic was evident. “Stop laughing, and help me. Seriously, you know my heart’s fragile.”
“She’s saying your watch is like her dad’s. The clock.” Sophie grinned as she finished packing her bag. She shrugged on her coat and shook her hair out. “Do your kids not do this?”
“No. They just started talking, remember?”
“Well, savor the moment.” She chuckled. “Next thing you know, they’ll be two-years-old and saying it for the first time to their grandfather at a family dinner. Adam almost choked to death on a meatball, and James and I had to leave the room because we were laughing so badly.”
Philip huffed a laugh. “I’d have paid good money to be a fly on the wall.”
“I think your sister got part of it on video. Actually, I’m surprised no one’s mentioned it to you before,” Sophie remarked.
He hummed. “James probably did and I forgot. I’m forgetting more things these days with how busy I am.”
“Yeah, I just think you’re getting old.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that to me.” He sniffed. “Anyway, hang on.”
He called something to Mari in Spanish.
“Okay, I’m back,” he said. “Why did James’s face look like a tattoo session gone wrong?”
“That would be because while he was asleep, Jack and Violet took advantage of the markers my mom got him for his birthday.” Sophie winced, remembering the fiasco.
“In their defense, they are supposed to be washable. We just didn’t think it’d take so long to fade.
Thanks for watching the kids tonight, by the way. You and Mari have your work cut out.”
Sophie’s kids could be wild enough on their own. But when you tossed them in a room with their cousins, it was worse.
“It’s fine, just enjoy yourselves tonight.” Philip gasped and raised his voice. “Xavi, Sierra, put those down! Do you want your mother to yell at you?! Sorry, Sophie, I gotta go.”
Sophie laughed. “Alright, thanks.”
She hung up and stepped into an empty elevator, jabbing the button for the lobby. Her phone buzzed, and she swiped into the message from Marilyn.
Happy anniversary!
Sophie thanked her former boss and stared at Marilyn’s small contact photo.
It’d been taken on Sophie’s last day at Covey, the women’s twin smiles immortalizing a golden afternoon.
Six years after the scandal, Sophie had left and struck out on her own.
It’d been a significant risk, but she shouldn’t have worried as much.
She was skilled at what she did, and the few clients she brought along with her spread the word about how great she was.
Soon, Focus PR Management boomed with success and became one of the top PR firms in the city.
The elevator slid open into the lobby, and she strode across the lobby, her heels clicking against the tile.
“A one-on-one with the CEO? Wow, what did I do to deserve this honor?”
She glanced at James’s tall frame crossing the lobby, a bouquet of violets in one hand. A slight smile tilted his mouth before he leaned down and kissed her.
“You’ll be getting more than a typical one-on-one if you play your cards right.” She winked and took the flowers.
He grinned and intertwined their fingers, tugging her outside and toward the private car waiting by the curb. He helped her before heading for the other side.
Her phone pinged, and she hummed as an email rolled into her inbox. She clicked in and read it, chewing on the inside of her cheek.
“Stop that,” he said as the car pulled away.
“I know, sorry. I’m just going to read this and—“
“No, you’re not.” Leaning over, he clicked her phone off.
“Hey!”
“Sophie, we both know where this is going,” he said. “Reading it is just going to lead to answering it, which is going to lead to you working on it right now. This is your personal time, and I want my wife, not the CEO.”
She sighed and slid her phone into her pocket. “Alright, alright. Where are we going?”
He smoothed the pad of his thumb in circles over the back of her hand. “We have a reservation at La Lanterna, and I booked a room at this hotel downtown for the night. Adam suggested it, actually. He and Lina stayed there for their fifth anniversary.”
“I still can’t believe you listen to your brother now.” Sophie smiled. “Also, La Lanterna? Aren’t they booked solid for months?”
“Yes, well. Parker’s a friend.”
“Oh, right, right.” She shook her head and leaned against James’s arm.
It didn’t matter that she’d been a part of the one percent for ten years, she would never get used to the strings they were able to pull because of it.
Her phone buzzed again, and she pulled it back out, frowning as she read the contact name.
“Mari? What’s wrong?” Sophie asked the moment she slid to answer.
“Nothing, don’t worry,” Mariana said. “Your kids just want a bedtime story.”
“You got them in bed already?” Sophie asked. “Which God did you have to pray to for that miracle?”
“It was surprisingly easy.”
She sighed. “Of course it was.”
She loved the little rascals, but her patience was regularly tested. But, unsurprisingly, they were little angels for their aunt.
“Okay, put the phone on speaker?” Sophie motioned for James to put up the privacy divider between them and the driver as she hit the speaker button.
“Mommy, Daddy, we miss you,” Violet said.
“I know, xiǎo bǎo, but we’ll see you and your siblings tomorrow morning,” Sophie soothed. “Your aunt already told me you guys got in bed easy-peasy tonight. Can you keep up that good behavior?”
“If you do, I’ll tell your uncle to make those waffles you guys like so much for breakfast,” James added.
“He already is,” Mari said. “Talked my ear off about them before.”
Sophie laughed. “Alright, which story do you guys want?”
“The princess and dragon one!” Samantha piped.
“Yeah, the princess one!” Jack agreed with his twin in the background.
“I’m sure your aunt already told you guys a nice story,” James said.
“Yeah, but it’s different,” Violet explained.
“Fair point.” He grinned. “Okay. Once upon a time, there was a big, scary dragon named Adam—”
“James,” Sophie cut in.
“Alright, sorry, sorry,” he apologized, laughing. He rolled out the story, nudging Sophie at points to chime in with little details.
“And they lived happily ever after,” Sophie finished. “Go to sleep, guys. Your father and I love you so much, and we’ll see you in the morning. Mari, kiss them for us.”
“Absolutely,” Mariana promised.
After hanging up, Sophie sighed in contentment and leaned back against the seats. She was a firm believer in the fact that you didn’t experience the highs of Life without first going through the lows. It took some time, but now, she soared.
“Are you alright?” James asked, settling his hand on her knee.
“Yes,” Sophie confirmed, holding onto his arm with both hands and snuggling into him. “I’m just happy, is all.”
He blinked, then smiled, and pressed a kiss to her temple. “We did good, Sophie.”
“Yes, we did,” she murmured, her lips curving upward.