Epilogue

Three years later

Ollie

"Are you sure you hadn't rather go on a cruise this year?" Adam asked.

"I'm sure. The cruise was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it was a lot of fun, mostly because that was how I met you. I don't think cruises are really my thing."

"Well, baby boy, what do you want to do for vacation then?"

I couldn't believe this was the same man everyone said he never took a vacation. I'd heard all about his workaholic ways from Bree. But from the moment I'd moved in, he'd set some firm boundaries in his work life. Gone were the sixteen-hour days and seven-day work weeks. Not that he wasn't still dedicated to his family's company, or that he didn't still have some pretty aggressive plans for their growth; he just learned to delegate a lot of those tasks to make sure he had plenty of time for me.

"I was thinking, maybe this year we should make a trip to the mountains. Ideally, someplace with no internet."

He chuckled and pulled me into a hug. "My baby boy's thinking he needs a chance to disconnect and decompress, huh?"

"Planning the launch of your own business is a lot of work."

"That it is. But I have to say, you are doing one hell of a job."

"Thank you, Daddy. Bree has been a big help." I had known that Bree's position in the family business was to facilitate the startup of new projects. But I hadn't known just exactly what that meant until I agreed to let her help me with mine. That woman was a force of nature.

"Yes, my sister is very good at what she does. And I have no doubt that when we return from vacation, wherever we go, your new business is going to be a huge success. And not just because of Bree. You have worked your ass off for this."

He wasn't wrong. I'd spent the last two years working at a design firm and learning all the ins and outs of the business world, and I had to say I learned a lot. When Adam had told me it was up to me if I wanted to get a job or to just launch my business, I had been tempted. But I knew that all the schooling in the world wouldn't prepare me for what it was like to run a business. And now here I was, three years later, with much more experience, and ready to give it a shot.

You know what? Actually, a cabin in the mountains sounds great. As a matter of fact, maybe we should buy one. Especially with you starting this business, it might be good for us to have a place where we could get away.

"Daddy, you don't have to buy me a cabin." It had taken me some time to get used to the fact that Adam was prone to buying me anything he thought I wanted. And even though I had adjusted for the most part, buying me a cabin so I would have a place to retreat to was maybe a little over the top.

"It wouldn't be a cabin for you. It would be a cabin for us. I'll call Joel and get him started on the search. I bet he could find us a place that's close enough for us to use it for weekends, even."

I chuckled and shook my head. The man was absolutely hopeless. I swear, I had to be the luckiest boy in the world.

"Maybe we could find one with a big deck and a hot tub," I said, feeling myself get excited about the idea.

"Maybe someplace on a lake," he said, looking thoughtful. "And with a place to dock my boat."

"What boat, Daddy?"

"The boat. I will need to buy if we have a cabin on the lake."

"Makes sense I guess. You know, people always name their boats. We can call it the boyfriends' escape. It's funny because most people would think it was an escape for the boyfriend, but really it means a place we could escape together."

"We could call it that," he said, seriously.

He walked over to his dresser, pulled open the top drawer, rummaged around for a minute, and then turned around and coming back over to where I stood, before going down on one knee, and holding out a small black jewelry box. I gasped, my hand covering my mouth.

"But I'd much rather call it the husband's escape."

I nodded my head and tried to hold back my tears. I couldn't even talk to tell him, not only yes, but a thousand times yes. This man was absolutely everything I ever wanted, but had never dared to hope for.

He slipped the ring on my finger before standing up and pulling me against him.

"I love you, baby boy. Meeting you on that cruise is the best thing that ever happened to me and I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure you know it."

"I do know it, Daddy," I mumbled against his chest. "How could I not when you show me every single day?