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I take a deep breath as tears shine in my eyes. I put my hand over his and nod.
“Yes, things haven’t been easy nor straightforward, and we’ve made a mess. I acknowledge that I’m to blame for this, but we can make things work, Barry. And I love you.”
With that, his harsh mouth descends on mine once more as the alpha male claims his mate. A long, shuddering sigh escapes my lips and he catches it on his next inhale because this is the story of us. We’re two people who’ve erred, and who’ve wreaked havoc on our lives what with the secret video, the arranged marriage, and now with me as a runaway bride. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Now that Barry and I are together, we’re going to pick up the pieces and figure things out. The handsome billionaire thrusts his tongue into my mouth once more, claiming my soul, before pulling away, his blue eyes intense.
“I love you, Prim,” he rumbles in an emotional voice. “We’ll make things work.”
With that, I fall into his arms with my heart full of adoration. Nothing is perfect in life, but my handsome lover is right – we will make things work because this is the man I love, and he loves me as well.
Epilogue
Prim
Six months later.
A blissful sigh escapes my lips as I look around. My life is wonderful now and it’s hard to imagine a better outcome. After the botched wedding, Barry moved me into his penthouse straightway, and it’s been pure bliss. My man waits on me hand and foot because I’m pregnant and he doesn’t care that I look like a cow. To be honest, I’m so large I don’t go anywhere these days except the bathroom because our little one is sitting on my bladder. As a result, my sister Maggie is visiting today because I sure as hell am not going out to New Jersey.
Mags giggles while biting into a vanilla cupcake. “Can you show me the nursery, Prim? I swear, this place is so big!”
I smile. “Of course.” I heave myself up and then we move through the living room, down the hallway, and to a door on the left. It’s right across the way from the master suite, and I open the door to a sun-filled room with plush carpet and every baby item we could possibly need. Besides the crib and changing table, Barry insisted on filling the place with a menagerie of stuffed animals, as well as a rocking chair, a playpen filled with colorful balls, and even a small piano for when our son is older.
“Barry went crazy,” I explain with a smile. “He’s been dragging me out to baby stores and buying everything in sight. I finally put a stop to it by saying I’m too uncomfortable to shop, and besides, we won’t need some of this stuff for months. Look at this little bowl and spoon,” I giggle, holding up a plastic play set. “Our child won’t be eating solid food for at least a year, so this is definitely overkill.”
“It’s adorable,” my sister gushes.
“Yes, but an infant doesn’t need it. That man is crazy.”
Mags just smiles.
“That’s a good thing. He’s excited!”
Then, we return to the kitchen for more cupcakes, and Mags tells me about poor Samuel. Evidently, my former fiancé overdosed again and his parents had no choice but to put him in a long-term facility with full-time, 24/7 care. He’s expected to be there a year, and this time around, there’s no hiding it. Everyone at the country club knows about Samuel’s problems and honestly, no one blames me for my runaway bride act.
“Mom and Dad don’t say it, but I think they’re relieved everyone knows that Sam’s in rehab,” my sister says in a rueful tone. Then she makes a face. “I wish our parents didn’t run their lives based on what the people at the club might think. It’s pretty awful, right? The gossip is so vicious too.”
I sigh while shooting her a smile.
“Yeah, but Victoria and Malcolm will always be that way. You can’t teach a dog new tricks, after all.”
Maggie nods emphatically, her brown curls shaking.
“But Prim, I don’t know what I’ll do if they think they can push me into an arranged marriage. You know it’s going to happen, right? There’ll be another quote-unquote “perfect suitor” and oh, by the way, he also happens to be worth billions of dollars. Of course, it won’t happen right away because they’re still trying to recover from your botched wedding, but I know it’s going to happen. They’re determined.”
I shoot her a look.
“Maggie, you can stop it. You can’t let that happen to you.”
She nods with tears in her eyes.
“I know, but I’m already starting to go crazy with dread. I mean, it hasn’t happened yet, but what do I do when it does? How do I find a Mr. Right who’s going to swoop in and save me?”
