I might not have had the unconditional love a child deserves growing up, but Cora makes up for it in bloody spades.
My girl.
My world.
Epilogue
CORA
“You look stunning, Mrs. Greyson,” Pike says in my ear as we move across the dance floor, all eyes on us. The deep blue English countryside evening cloaks us on this beautiful night, offering a wisp of breeze, just enough to keep us cool, but not so much for it to be cold.
It rained earlier in the morning, but cleared up by the time I walked down the aisle, causing a beautiful mist to lift off the grass as we said our vows, staring into each other’s eyes, with only close family and friends at our side.
It wasn’t an easy road to get to where we are.
We stumbled, especially when we presented our engagement to Arlo. He wasn’t happy at first, and I didn’t blame him, but over time, Pike put in the work to win over Arlo’s approval, showing him how good of a man he is and how happy he makes me.
Once Pike was fully on the mend, we rounded up the troops again and moved me back into Pike’s place—well, our place now—where we’ve spent a decent amount of time decorating, that is, when we aren’t walking hand in hand down the quiet streets or going to the Mediterranean restaurant for trivia night, like Pike always thought we would.
We also have spent a fair amount of time hosting Keiko and Kelvin on double dates. Oddly, they’ve become my favorite couple to hang out with, because you never know what’s going to happen when they’re around. And pregnant Keiko, God, she’s greatly missed. Especially third-trimester Keiko. I’ve never in my life seen someone take down a dozen donuts like her, only to fast-walk on a treadmill right after. Positively fascinating. And you can bet she tracked all of her behaviors down to the very hour.
On the day she presented Blanche to us—yes, they had a girl, little baby Blanche—she also presented us with a twenty-page write-up about her pregnancy, graphs included. Apparently, so we have an idea what to notate when we get pregnant. She’d like to compare the findings.
God, I love her. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned more about myself and what triggers both my insecurity and self-loathing at times. I do trust Pike now, with my life. But I also trust in myself. I am learning to love myself, which is helping me love the man in my arms as well. I’m stronger. And as a result, we’re stronger. And I finally feel . . . content. At peace.
I smooth my hand over Pike’s navy-blue suit and say, “You’re so going to be ravished tonight.”
“Yeah? Tell me more about that,” he whispers before placing a kiss on my neck, his hand smoothing over my naked back.
When I was picking out my dress, Pike had only one request—for me to pick a dress that didn’t have a back, so he could hold me the way he likes to, skin on skin. It was an easy yes for me, because nothing feels better than the warmth of his palm on the lower part of my back, his fingers tantalizing me by creeping past the fabric.
“I’m wearing a thong under this dress that’s begging you to peel it off me.”
“Mmm, don’t tease me. I’ll whisk you away right now.”
“But where’s the fun in that?”
“There’s plenty of fun in making love to my wife right now.”
I chuckle and pull him in closer. It’s been such a fun night, and part of that’s because Pike’s dad didn’t come. He’s a manipulative tosser. I love that word. He never apologized for his actions, which says a lot about his character. Thank God his son knows how to apologize. He’s the best man I know. His mom is kind and sweet, and it’s amazed me that she’s stayed with Louis for as long as she has.
I glance over Pike’s shoulder, spotting Killian, who’s holding a beer—oh sorry, a pint—and watching us dance.
He lifts his glass to me and then takes a sip, and I watch as his eyes trail to the side, where Cleo and Madeline are standing, swaying together.
The first time I came to England with Pike to meet his family, I was struck by just how handsome Killian was. Yes, I’ve seen him on FaceTime, and he resembles Pike very much, but there’s a darkness to him, not the darkness Pike has with his bad-boy persona, but a troubled darkness. It was evident in his eyes, but masked by his smile. But when Cleo and her friends showed up, the darkness turned into utter passion as he stared down Madeline. I told Pike that night that it was the most intense stare I’ve ever seen. He said he caught a glimpse of it as well and agreed with me.
It was one of the main reasons we invited Madeline to the wedding, because I wanted to tempt Killian to loosen up enough and test the waters, tempt fate, finally make a move.