Epilogue

People milled through the brightly lit rooms, winter sunshine shimmering through the big, clear windows. Bits of color from the original stained glass tops added charm as they commented and exclaimed over the designs and craftsmanship, trying to decide which was their favorite. They sipped champagne out of crystal flutes and nibbled on appetizers as they discussed possible reasons to book a room—anniversary gift topped the list—while others were determined to book the parlor rooms for their bridal or baby shower, their book club, an afternoon tea party, a birthday, or even a wedding.

Farrow stood with Bree and Ryder in the foyer, resplendent in a blue floral dress, observing it all. It was heartening and extremely satisfying to see all their hard work come to fruition, in an abundance of ways.

It had been touch and go for some moments—renovations were always a little fraught, but only a couple of months after she and Levi started seeing each other, her parents had offered her a position heading up the Pemberley offices in New York.

That had been the hardest moment.

Not with her and Levi—though what they had was still new, she hadn't questioned it. No, the hard part was telling her family she didn't want it. And not only that, she wanted to do something outside of Pemberley.

They'd been upset, but not for the reasons she thought they'd be. They understood why she didn't want to move halfway across the country, and even why she wanted to explore her options. They'd only felt guilty she hadn't felt like she could talk to them about what she wanted.

Well, Uncle Lewis didn't understand at all. He thought everything she was doing was a mistake—especially her relationship with Levi. But no one—not even Andrew—cared what he thought.

In the end, not only had she stayed in Chicago, she'd decided to partner with Bree, and they'd made the Netherfield Inn their own. Bree's designs for each room were cozy, and seamlessly blended the building's antique roots with modern touches.

Her own hospitality knowledge allowed her to explore ideas for room packages, services, hosting events, and other behind-the-scenes nuances that wouldn't work at Pemberley, but which would make a suburban BB shine.

And now they watched, soaking it all in, as they unveiled their baby to the community.

The Bennets were all in attendance, of course, as was her own family (except Uncle Lewis). Landon and Kyle mingled easily, talking to guests about the renovation, while Mason seemed to have been chosen as the chaperone for Mrs. Bennet—the one charged with keeping her from approaching young ladies in order to introduce them to her sons.

He wasn't entirely alone in his efforts; Andrew, as the lone representative of the Dubois family, kept him company. Since his father did not approve, he'd doubled his efforts to show his support, and Farrow appreciated his presence more than he knew.

She couldn't see where Mr. Bennet had gotten to—though she had a suspicion—but she did spot Jackson, all cozied up in the corner by the fireplace with Tina.

Now there was a heartwarming story, she thought. The two would-be lovers; one, caught in a love triangle, the other overlooked. He, realizing his heart had been in front of him all along, and she coming to understand she'd thought herself in love with the wrong brother.

Tina was moving in with Jackson over the weekend—but they weren't kicking Levi out.

Mostly because he'd already moved in to her place a couple weeks ago. Rearranging the bookshelves to fit his books in with hers had been an interesting exercise of their patience, but also a unique bonding experience. Even now it made her smile.

As did the memory of the one and only time she'd beaten him at Mario Party.

They'd invited the whole team, too. All the guys had come, bringing their current or prospective partners along. She and Bree had made the rounds to all of them, and had a particularly enjoyable conversation with Nora Dashwood, who'd come with Eddie.

She knew Nora had dated Levi once upon a time, but it was really hard to be jealous when Nora was so sweet. And though she and Levi were still friends, her eyes were clearly only for Eddie. Farrow liked her immensely, and already counted her a friend.

She knew Ryder's parents, her parents, and her sister were around somewhere, as well, networking. Her mother loved networking (Farrow did not), and Gemma was shaping up to be the sociable one.

As for her father…now that she thought about it, it had been a while since she'd seen him. Maybe she should—

Grinning, Ryder slung one arm over Bree's shoulders, the other over Farrow's.

"If you build it, they will come," he said, proudly looking around at all the guests.

"He will come," Farrow corrected.

"What?"

"The line is, ‘If you build it, he will come.' I know grammatically ‘they' is appropriate for this situation, but that's one of the most misquotes lines in movie history."

Amused, Ryder shook his head, gave her a squeeze. "You just had to correct me, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Farrow acknowledged with a teasing smile.

Just then, Levi came around the corner with Bree's brother. He looked incredibly handsome in a pair of light brown corduroy pants and a burnt orange button down shirt, and she used the opportunity to run admiring eyes over him. He was nodding politely to whatever Brody was saying, his expression blank, like his eyes were glazing over, but when he glanced up and saw her, his face brightened and warmed.

He kept his soft gray eyes on hers as he approached them, spread his arms to gesture around the room.

"I think it's a hit."

Moving away from Ryder and exchanging his arm for Levi's, Farrow beamed. "We're not even officially open yet, and we're already booked solid for the next month."

Brody observed the couple with a curled lip, but reserved a particularly gimlet eye for Levi's arm around Farrow's shoulders, lifted his chin a little.

"Undoubtedly this will become the place for high society events and clientele," he said.

Nodding, Farrow slid her arm around Levi's waist. "We want everyone to be able to stay and plan events here, not just high society. But Mom's already talking about hosting the annual charity gala here."

Bree's eyes widened. "Isn't that soon? She doesn't mean this year, right?"

"Thankfully, no—they booked the venue for this year's event last year."

Bree let out an audible whew, and a chuckling Ryder pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Have you seen my dad?" Farrow asked Levi. "I was going to go look for him."

"Both our fathers are hiding out in the library with a whole bottle of champagne," he told her.

"Ugh, no fair," she pouted. "Why can't I hide in the library?"

"Because this is your open house party," he chuckled, and tapped her nose. "As you well know."

Bree's eyes went soft. "You two are too cute."

Brody made an inexplicable noise of disgust, and turned on his heel, heading toward the refreshment table.

"Ignore him." Bree waved a hand. "He's always cranky."

That was putting it mildly, Farrow thought. Brody had never been the warmest person, but since he'd found out she was with Levi, he'd become positively frigid. She'd known he'd gotten it in his head she should date him, but though he'd tried to impress her, his methods proved he didn't understand her at all.

The fact she was interested in someone he considered beneath him only made him dislike Levi all the more. It was unfortunate—mostly for Levi—but it hardly mattered.

As if proving just why he was perfect for her, Levi dropped his arm and tugged at her hand. "Come on. Let's go see if we can join the party in the library."

She smiled widely. "I'm already there."

Nodding to Bree and Ryder, they made their way up the wide staircase, passing other guests on their way down from exploring the rooms.

"This place is a dream!" one Farrow recognized an acquaintance of her mother's gushed.

"Thank you." She automatically smiled the polite, friendly smile she'd adapted for social situations.

It took them a few minutes to get to the library, as they spoke to a few more guests on the way. When they rounded the corner to find their fathers sitting in the pair of plush armchairs, the two men looked up from their discussion with welcoming and slightly tipsy smiles.

"Hello, darling. Are you here to join us?" her father asked.

"We are," she replied, eyeing the bottle of champagne and extra glasses on the coffee table as she and Levi sat on the velvet sofa. "I hope you saved some champagne for us."

"There's plenty to go around, my dear," said Mr. Bennet, lifting the bottle and pouring some into a glass for each of them.

"You knew we'd come find you," Levi mused, taking his glass.

"We had a hunch."

Farrow took her own glass, savored a sip. "How long do you think until Mom notices we're not mingling downstairs?"

Her father blew out a breath. "Oh, probably not long."

"Then we'd better make the most of it." Levi said, and held up his glass for a toast. "To the Netherfield Inn."

Farrow raised her glass. "To the family that restored it."

"To the brilliant women who own it," Levi added.

"To this library," said Mr. Bennet.

Her father spoke through their laughter. "Here, here."

They clinked their glasses, were just taking their celebratory sips when her mother came around the corner, placed her hands on her hips when she spotted them.

"I should have known you'd be up here. You know there's a perfectly good party going on downstairs?"

"Yes, Dear," her father smiled. "And it's doing just fine without us."

Her mother gave him an indulgent smile. "You perhaps, but Farrow dear, Mrs. Annesley is looking for you."

"Of course she is." Resigned, Farrow set down her glass, stood. "Back into the fray."

"I'll come with you," Levi told her.

"No, you stay. Enjoy the library."

"Ro." He ignored her protest and rose. "I'm coming with you."

"Alright."

His insistence on accompanying her was just another reason she loved him, and his presence as they interacted with more guests helped her settle into her role as hostess.

And at the end of the night, when they'd ushered the last of the guests out the door and only family remained, Levi pulled Farrow back to the library, which was blessedly empty, to take a breath.

"Why is socializing so exhausting?" she sighed, sinking onto the window seat cushion.

"It takes focus and energy." Levi sat next to her, rubbed her shoulders in comfort. "But soon we'll be able to go home and curl up in bed, just the two of us."

She turned and, giving him the coy smile she knew he loved, she ran her hands over his chest. "Sooner than that. I may have secured the penthouse suite for us tonight."

His brow lifted, just the way she liked it. "Oh, really?"

"Mm-hm." She pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"Have I told you I love you?"

Grinning, she pulled back to take his hands. "You may have."

His gaze softened, the way it did only when he looked at her. "Well I do.""Good," she murmured, leaning in to him. "Because I love you.""And you still know how to throw me curveballs."She smirked. "Good curveballs, I hope."He nodded, cupped her face, and before laying his lips on hers, murmured, "This one went right down the heart."