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His dark eyes find mine in the middle of the chaos, and I hold back tears as I’m overcome with love.
"You gave me the greatest gift I could have ever imagined. A life precious life that we’ll share forever. I’ll spend the rest of my days rejoicing in that gift that you’ve given me. The gift that is our life together. I love you, Damien McAllister."
Laughing, I descend from the dais, and as the crowd erupts in applause I sink into my husband's arms.
I know that finally, I have found my place in the world.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
DAMIEN
"If you think about it, we've been through a lot together," says Landon.
"There’s been three attempts at mass destruction of the club, at least," adds Ethan.
"That’s a stretch," mutters Jackson.
"You really think so?" Ethan gives him a challenging look.
"We may have been through more crises than any other club in New York, but we've also proven that we're more than capable at raising our game, and surviving any altercation."
"And we’ll continue to prove that it can be done," Landon says.
Taking a sip of whiskey, I look through the windows at the crowd moving about the dance floor.
Club Allure is going through an era of opulence as we’ve never seen it before. The success of our business is largely due to the personal connections we’ve managed to make. The fortunes of Jackson and Haley have helped to expand our club's territory, which has eradicated the worst of the competition in an efficient manner. Ethan, with his cyber security policies, keeps us protected, and the political contacts he and Kristina possess have helped create further protections for us.
And now, thanks to me and Andrea, we’ve managed to elevate ourselves into a new stratum by making the star of the moment an emblem of our club. We’ve begun putting on private performances whose million-dollar tickets are sold out in minutes, creating never-before-seen shows for the audience.
All of this has gotten Lux to its position as one of the best clubs, not only in New York, but in the country. But we’re sure that new challenges are always waiting for us, just around the corner.
"For now, we'll have to make sure that our clientele remains not only exclusive, but also that we keep the business clean on site."
I nod. One of the club's most frequent problems is rich people trying to use us as a meeting place for their worst business dealings.
But it's not something we’re going to allow to continue.
"With the new security standards Ethan has set for the club, we'll make sure that doesn't happen," promises Jackson.
"We'd better, because we have to protect the integrity of our Grammy-winning artist," jokes Andres, referring to Andrea, who just recently won those awards.
"Don't worry. For her safety, I'll take care of it."
"And speaking of safety, how are things going with little Melody?" asks Landon.
Ethan and Jackson smile. As parents, they know the unexpected risks a regular house can pose to a baby. They seem to be trying to kill themselves at every possible moment, and many hours of our lives have been spent, protecting our daughter.
"Things are going well, but I’m dreading what’s going to happen when Melody starts crawling."
"The real headaches will come then," Ethan agrees.
My lips draw into a pout.
"I need to go," I say as I look at my watch, realizing that it’s almost time for Andrea to perform.
As my friends celebrate this new wave of success we've had, I make my way to the dressing rooms at the back of the club, looking for Andrea.
I find her in her private dressing room. Her back is to me, and she’s looking at herself in the mirror.
