Mark was her past, a shadow she’d escaped.And now, she had Rylan—a man who made her feel safe, cherished, and whole.He was everything Mark had never been, and she loved him with every part of her heart.
Turning back to her half-packed box, Natalie smiled faintly.Henrietta had just taken her first step toward freedom.And in doing so, she’d reminded Natalie exactly how far she had already come.
Epilogue
Natalie walked into Rylan’s office without so much as a glance at the golden sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows.She dropped onto the leather sofa with an exaggerated sigh.
“Your sons are building a bridge between their beds,” she announced flatly, tilting her head back like a tragic heroine.
Rylan, halfway through a stack of documents, glanced up with a raised eyebrow.“And that’s a problem because…?”
He crossed the room, sat beside her, then immediately decided that wasn’t close enough.In one smooth motion, he scooped her up and deposited her onto his lap.
“Better,” she murmured, cheek pressed to his shoulder.
His fingers traced lazy circles on her thigh.“What’s wrong with a little bridge-building?Sounds educational.”
She sighed.“Because they’re dismantling the dining room table for materials.”
That made his hand still.“The dining room table?”
She nodded, biting back a smile.“The one that’s been in your family for over a hundred years.Apparently, it’s perfect for their engineering project.”
He groaned.“You didn’t think to stop them?”
“They found a drill, Rylan,” she deadpanned.
He blinked, pulling back slightly to try and look at her face.“A…drill?”
“Yep.They snuck into the maintenance shop.By the time I found them, they were spouting math equations and load-bearing stats.I was…impressed.”She sighed again, theatrically.“Then they saw my hesitation.That was it.They knew they had me.”
Rylan groaned, standing and hauling her up with him.“How many times have I told you?Never show weakness!”
“I know!”she protested, hurrying to keep up as he towed her toward the door.“But they had blueprints!”
“Blueprints?”His voice was a mixture of disbelief and reluctant pride.
But Natalie froze, grabbing his arm.“Oh no,” she whispered.
Up ahead, their boys tore down the corridor, giggling with unholy glee.Behind them strode Rylan’s father, Sheik Amit—silver at his temples, eyes glinting, a toolbox in hand.Ramzi, Rylan’s older brother, followed with his two older sons, all looking like they’d just joined a covert operation.
“Oh, for the love of—Dad, no!”Rylan bellowed, but it was already too late.
The dining room came into view.What had once been a pristine heirloom table now lay scattered in pieces across the floor, a noble kingdom brought to ruin.
Sheik Amit stood proudly among the wreckage, one table leg raised like a trophy.
“Wait until you see their plans,” Ramzi said, grinning.“They’re brilliant.We couldn’t resist helping.”
“You helped dismantle a family heirloom?”Rylan demanded.
“They gave us an impressive pitch,” his father replied, unrepentant.“Even calculated the stress tolerance for the bridge.”
Natalie leaned against the doorframe, hand over her mouth to smother her laughter.Rylan was trying for outrage, but the sparkle of pride in his eyes betrayed him.He crouched to inspect a sheet of paper spread across the floor—a surprisingly detailed bridge design, complete with annotations for materials and weight distribution.
He let out a reluctant sigh.“Okay…this is impressive.”
“It’s brilliant,” Natalie said, finally giving in to her laughter.
