Page 132 of Bound To Be Mine

When she turned to me and asked about her office, I let Adrian field it—two doors down from mine, already being set up. Dash made some crack about not wanting to be traumatized. Mandy laughed again.

“Now that we’re all married or almost married, I think you’re next Dash,” I said.

“Hell no. I’m good. You guys got soft and sappy. I’m going to appreciate and savor my bachelorhood. You guys carry on the Blackwell line.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s what you say now.”

I looked around the room. My family. And now her family.

EPILOGUE

MANDY

Ipractically bounced in the back of the car, unable to contain my excitement. A spa day. An actual, honest-to-God spa day with Elizabeth and Bernadette. When Elizabeth had texted the group chat three days ago suggesting we all needed some pampering, I’d nearly cried with relief. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of unpacking, setting up my new office, and diving headfirst into wedding season in New York. I loved every second of it, but I was exhausted.

“Someone’s excited,” Bernadette said from beside me, smiling at my obvious enthusiasm.

“Are you kidding? I haven’t had a spa day in months. Maybe years. I can’t even remember the last time I did something like this.”

Elizabeth laughed from the front seat. “Same. Bucky is amazing, but I desperately needed to remember what it feels like to be a person instead of just a milk machine.”

“Mimi is watching him?” I asked.

“Yes, and she was thrilled about it. Practically pushed me out the door.” Elizabeth turned to look at us. “She said, and I quote, ‘Go be young and pretty. The baby will be fine.’”

“Mimi knows what’s up,” Bernadette said. “Self-care isn’t selfish.”

The spa was incredible. Very LA. It was a different world from the city street we walked in from. It was like an oasis. You would never think the busy city was just outside the doors. Soft lighting, the scent of eucalyptus and lavender and the sound of the ocean being pumped through speakers. Not loud. Just there. It made me a little homesick. Just a little.

We were led to a private suite where we changed into plush robes and slippers. I caught sight of myself in the mirror and had to laugh. This was so far removed from my usual life of running around in heels and putting out wedding fires that it felt almost surreal.

“Okay, so we’re doing facials first,” Elizabeth said, consulting the itinerary someone had printed out. “Then massages, then we’re getting our hair done.”

“This is incredible,” I said. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course we invited you,” Bernadette said, looking at me like I’d said something ridiculous. “You’re family now. We’re sisters.”

Family. The word still gave me a little thrill every time someone said it. I’d gone from having basically no family to being part of this huge, overwhelming, wonderful Blackwell clan. It was still taking some getting used to.

The facialist came in and got to work on my face, and I let myself relax completely. This was heaven. Absolute heaven.

“So,” Elizabeth said from the chair next to mine, her voice slightly muffled by whatever mask was being applied to her face. “How are you settling in? Really?”

“It’s been good,” I said honestly. “Better than good. Briggs has been amazing. The closet he had made for me? I still can’t get over it.”

“He showed us pictures,” Bernadette said. “It’s gorgeous. Sebastian got all kinds of ideas from it. We’re looking for a new apartment and closet space is at the top of the list of must-haves.”

“Where are you guys looking?” I asked.

“Tribeca, maybe. Or the Upper West Side. Somewhere with good schools for when we eventually have kids.” She paused. “Which is terrifying to think about, but also kind of exciting?”

“It’s definitely exciting,” Elizabeth said. “And terrifying. Mostly terrifying at three in the morning when the baby won’t stop crying and you’re so tired you can barely remember your own name.”

“But you love it,” I said.

“I do. God help me, I really do.” I heard the smile in her voice. “Even the hard parts are worth it.”

We fell into comfortable silence as the facials continued. This was nice. Cleo and I used to do spa days, but then we both got so busy it was impossible to get more than a couple of hours off. I worked weekends and she worked during the week.