Epilogue

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER: ANNA

" I think we should get some more cocktails," says Joel, his fingers dancing over my belly.

I grin and lean in to kiss him. "I think you've had too much sun. And too much to drink."

"No such think on vacay."

I laugh, kissing him again and swatting at him. "Okay, definitely no more mai tais for you. Literally nobody in the whole world says vacay unironically."

His fingers creep up towards my breasts and I don't complain.

We're lying in bed, half naked, the late afternoon sun bathing us in its light, watching as a warm but not-too-hot tropical breeze blows the sheer curtain hanging over the French doors in a tastefully cinematic way. This is the kind of vacation I thought only existed in movies.

Turns out, if you're a billionaire or his girlfriend, you can literally do anything.

I'm not abusing my powers, though. I still feel guilty when Joel tries to pay for everything, even though logically I know it doesn't matter to him. It's the principle, and even if I couldn't have restarted my business without his help, I don't want to take more than I need. I don't want him for his money.

All I want right now is to lie here in my expensive bikini in this expensive hotel room with my expensive boyfriend. And maybe kiss him a few hundred more times.

My phone vibrates on the nightstand and I lean over to pick it up, but Joel stops me halfway by wrapping both arms around my waist and pulling me back into bed. I laugh breathlessly. "Hey! What if that's important?"

"Babe, how many times? This week is for us, not work. Work does not exist in the love-bubble."

I make a face at that. He's ridiculous. "What if it's Ben?"

"Then he will respect the love-bubble too. We literally saw him three days ago."

"Four."

"Whatever. He'll forgive us if we don't reply to his boring work updates the second he sends them."

Unable to think of a good argument against that, I sink back into Joel's embrace, letting him hold me tight against his chest. I love it here, on the island, next to him. I wish it could last forever. I feel like I barely see him lately, we're both so busy at work, both full of ideas and late nights at the office. This time to just be with him is amazing.

But I'm also excited to get back. Ben splits his time between Joel's company and mine now, keeping an eye on us so we don't get into trouble. I don't think I could do any of this without him.

In the last fourteen months, everything has changed so fast. This time last year, I couldn't have imagined that I would be rolling out trial versions of my software to all the biggest hospitals in the county. I couldn't have imagined being so close to my brother.

I couldn't have imagined still being so helplessly in love.

I roll over to smile at Joel. He mirrors it, his face glowing from the tan he's been getting and the huge grin on his face. I love making him smile.

I love the way he makes me smile.

We've both changed lately. Joel's become a responsible adult, and he's been true to his word and not so much as looked at another woman. And I'm finding that I'm trusting people more. I'm letting them in. Sharing the weight feels good.

We're growing together, and I like the way he makes me a better person.

I am so stupidly in love with him.

"So," he says, his fingers resuming their path over my skin. "Windsurfing looks fun."

"You want to go windsurfing?" I ask dubiously. I've seen Joel trip over his own feet too many times to believe that that would be a good idea.

"Yeah, why not? We've gotta make the most of being here."

I hum in agreement, then take a deep breath and say, "That's true enough. We've got to take advantage of every activity we can manage before I can't anymore."

He tenses in concern. "What do you mean?"

Gently, I reach out to stroke his cheek. I've been trying to figure out how to say this all week, but I guess now is as good a time as any. "I'm pregnant, Joel. We're going to have a baby."

A clear sequence of thoughts crosses over his face, from shock to panic to finally settling on delight. "No. Way."

"Why do you think I've stayed clear of the bananaramas, my all-time favorite drink ever?"

He nods as understanding hits him. "We're having a baby?"

"We're having a baby," I echo in confirmation.

He whoops in delight and flips me onto my back to kiss me. "Oh my God! Oh my God… We need to think of names. And color schemes. And schools? And birthdays and Christmas and little baby shoes and—"

I cut him off with a kiss, wrapping my arms around him. "You're going to be a great dad," I say quietly.

"We're going to love him so much," says Joel, his smile the widest I've ever seen. "Or her. Whatever. I don't care."

"Me neither."

He leans in to kiss me again, then whispers into my ear, "Guess we have to take advantage of every activity while we still can."

I don't say anything, just pull him down on top of me, kissing him and kissing him and wrapping my legs around him so we can enjoy the tropical sunset.

The End