Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Bennett

One Month Later

"Sagna!" Lizzie shouts from the back seat of the car.

"La-sag-na," I repeat back to her slowly.

"Lasagna," she says, more quietly now.

"Well done, sweet pea. Luke told me we're having lasagna today. You're gonna say thank you?" I ask her as I park the car.

"Yes," she screams at the top of her lungs. I wince and I smile at the same time.

"Awesome, let's go see if they're home from the park yet."

I climb out and go to the passenger side, open the front door, get my backpack and Lizzie's lunchbox, then I pick up Lizzie only to put her down on the ground since she tells me she wants to walk.

Sure enough, the smell of my favorite meal in the world wafts all around the house.

"Is our princess back from school?" Gordon's deep voice rings out from the kitchen and the princess is off like a rocket. "M'lady," I hear Gordon say a few seconds later and then a happy giggle. I say hello to Robbie who's coloring nonsense on a white paper sheet in the living room. He doesn't even look up, but I decide to leave him be—he looks entertained enough.

Luke comes out of his office and practically skips over to me with a smile that looks just slightly manic. "You're home, cutie." He wraps me in his arms and dips me for an over-the-top greeting kiss before I can answer. Not that I'm complaining, not at all.

"I'm home," I say, more than a little breathless, when he straightens us both. "What was that for?"

"I have a surprise for you," he says, and this time he does actually skip when he rounds me and grabs my shoulder to push me toward his office.

The office that looks... completely different to what was here the last time I saw it. Which was, damn, I can't actually remember the last time I saw his office.

"Surprise!" he shouts.

"What?" Is all I can come up with.

"I made you an office. I'm hardly ever in here, and I just thought you could probably use one way more than I do."

I'm pretty sure he keeps excitedly rambling about how he pulled it all off, but I can't really hear because I'm fucking entranced.

Three of the four walls are completely covered in shelves now, which have a lot more divisions in them than the ones in the living room. The couch is still there but Luke had it reupholstered to a deep brown leather. There's a windowsill with cushions on it now and a big, beautiful, dark brown desk with a huge monitor on it facing the door .

Between the two windows, there's now a freaking fireplace. It's dark gray, almost black, and I'm pretty sure it's marble and not from this century, because it's carved beautifully with tall columns on either side that have lion heads at the top where the mantel rests.

On it are two frames. One has a picture of all the friends at Mike and Theo's wedding, and the other a picture of our family. My parents, Gordon, Luke, and I, all in white clothes the day after Harrison and Tristan's wedding, celebrating the fourth of July out by the pool.

I turn with astonishment clear on my face, only to find Luke down on one knee. I about fall on my ass, but I catch myself on the backrest of a beautiful armchair.

"One day, I'm going to get down on one knee just like this and ask you to marry me, Bennett Killian, but today is not that day."

A woosh of air leaves my lips with a smartass response. "Not if I ask you first." It comes out in a whisper. Luke winks at me and takes something out of his pocket and holds it up to me. It's a key.

An ordinary key but so damn wonderful .

"One day, I'm going to say these exact words to you again, and you'll know what they mean. I've been to many weddings in my life, know a lot of people who are in love, and we both have kids, we both have friends and family we love, but it wasn't until you, Bennett, that I knew the true definition of love.

"Love doesn't ask, it doesn't demand. Love respects, love is patient, love waits, love lasts. You, Bennett Killian are the definition of love for me. Everything you are, is everything I need. So please will you and your perfect princess move in with us? Will you live with us and make this a true home even though my ex-almost-father-in-law also lives with us and maybe always will?

"Even though the laundry room will probably only get smellier by the year? Even though you have an amazing pool house of your own, will you share your every day with us?"

"Damn," I say, honestly impressed. "You should be the writer, because that was flawless, pretty boy. Of course we'll move in."

"Yes!" he screams, as he jumps up and once more sweeps me off my feet with a kiss I'll remember for the rest of my life.