She’d told herself...
What the hell?
Lucas framed her face and swiped at the tear with the pad of his thumb. “Did I grovel long enough?”
Paisley shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. But I needed a break.”
He kissed her lips, quickly, softly. “I’ll spend the rest of my life groveling if you give me the chance. Let’s make this a real marriage and start a family.”
She smiled. For the first time since he’d set foot in the door, she offered a true, genuine smile.
“I wouldn’t have let you in, let alone had sex with you, if I didn’t want to give you another chance.”
Paisley’s delicate arms came up around his neck and Lucas wasted no time in pulling her closer. “I don’t deserve you,” he murmured.
“You don’t,” she agreed with a laugh. “But we’re legally bound, so you’re stuck with me.”
“Fine by me.” He nipped at her lips once again. “I believe you said something about a shower earlier. Do you have room for one more?”
“In my shower and in my heart.”
Lucas swept her up into his arms and carried her up to the second floor. This next chapter of his life was going to be the best yet. He may not have gotten revenge like he’d wanted, but he got something so much more fulfilling. He had the only woman he’d ever loved and soon, they’d have their own family.
Nothing compared to that.
Epilogue
Angela swept into the café and weaved her way through the tables. Lavinia sat in the back and lifted a hand to wave Angela over.
“So sorry I’m late,” Angela said as she pulled her chair out. “Traffic was a nightmare.”
The waiter came by and Angela ordered a water as she set her bag beneath the table and took a seat. She inhaled deeply and stared across the table at her friend.
“It’s so good to see you,” Angela stated. “We don’t do lunch often enough.”
“We don’t,” Lavinia agreed. “So much has been going on with your dad and then there’s that body that has still not been identified. Everything is so crazy lately.”
Angela cringed. “I can’t even wrap my mind around that poor person who died. I mean, they had a family somewhere that is no doubt wondering where their loved one is. Nobody deserves to just...”
“I know,” Lavinia muttered her agreement.
The waiter came back with water and took their order before leaving them alone again.
“On a brighter note,” Lavinia said. “You’re absolutely beaming. Something must be going right for you.”
Angela pulled the cloth napkin from the table and smoothed it over her lap. “You could say that. With all the upheaval in my life, Ryder and I have decided to get away from it all and take a trip. Just the two of us. We really need the time alone to just reset.”
Lavinia gasped. “Oh, my. You are one strong woman. I admire that. I don’t know what I’d do if the man I was dating was rumored to have fathered my brother.”
Angela stilled, and her heart clenched as the breath caught in her throat. “What?”
“You haven’t heard?” Lavinia asked, her eyes wide.
She took a sip of her water and leaned forward as she spoke lower. “Ryder is rumored to have had an affair with your mother and he’s actually Roarke’s father, not Sterling.”
Angela gripped her napkin in her lap, suddenly feeling quite nauseated. The affairs were nothing new, but she hadn’t heard the most damning rumor. No doubt Lavinia, the town gossip, was all too eager to share the tidbits she knew.
This couldn’t be true. There was no way Ryder was Roarke’s father. That couldn’t be. There had to be some mistake.
Angela couldn’t even gather all her thoughts that were swirling through her head. She needed to talk to her father; she needed to talk to Ryder.
“Angela, darling. Are you all right?” Lavinia asked. “I truly thought you’d heard. When I spoke with Sterling the other day, he acted as if this was public knowledge.”
“You spoke to my father about this?” Angela asked. She tossed the napkin onto the table. “I have to go. We’ll do lunch another time.”