He brushed her hair aside and kissed the bend of her neck. “I love you too, baby. More than I ever thought I could. First thing tomorrow, I’m putting a ring on your finger so the doms around here know you’re mine.”
She smiled, sleepy and soft. “I always was.”
They curled together, her head on his biceps, his other arm around her waist. The night outside was quiet, but inside the room, everything had changed.
She’d taken on the maze, faced tough truths, and found the answer.
And he’d waited—aching, watching, hoping.
Now, they were together. At long last.
Epilogue
Nursing her second cup of coffee after a restless night, Gaby sat in her office at Devlin and Associates. She’d already kicked off her shoes and sat staring at the computer screen in frustration. No messages from Callan meant he was still working on the files. It had been three weeks since he’d gotten Enzo’s files, and they were still locked up behind a firewall. As careless as he was, no one expected it to be so difficult to hack—Callan in particular.
If they didn’t contain what she hoped, she was back to square one. Chasing Natalie with nothing but desperation as fuel.
Her gaze drifted to the window, though her mind went somewhere else—to the night of the maze race. Of Rhys walking away without a word. In front of everyone.
The sting of it lingered. Emily had walked out that night glowing, anchored, certain. As for herself… well. She’d walked out alone.
She’d wanted to disappear. Instead, she’d shown up the next day, ready to get to work and find her sister.
She wasn’t here for romance. Relationships and her wounded pride could wait. Natalie couldn’t.
“Knock, knock.”
Gaby looked up. Emily stood in the doorway. Instead of her usual jeans and a T-shirt, she wore a garnet business suit. More startling, sunlight caught the glitter of a ring so bright, it threw prisms across the carpet. That stone wasn’t small, wasn’t subtle, and wasn’t there the last time she saw her.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, smiling, “but I saw your door open and thought I’d say hi.”
“Come in,” Gaby said.
“I can’t stay long,” she said, leaning against the doorframe instead. “Alec and I are due upstairs in a minute to meet with the attorney. Today, we finalize the purchase of Gold Coast.”
“I heard Regina was packing up and going back to New York.”
“Yeah,” Emily sighed. “I have mixed feelings about it.”
“Don’t,” Gaby said bluntly. “She’s a grown woman. What was happening under her roof didn’t happen in a vacuum.”
“You’re right, I know. But she was cleared of involvement and is still being ostracized. I’m just—”
“Too nice?”
“Maybe.” Emily’s smile warmed. “Which is why I’m promoting Julia to manager. She’ll be my big stick if I walk too softly and start being... well, too nice.”
“Sounds like a dream team.” She nodded at Emily’s hand. “Now show me that rock.”
Beaming, Emily held out her hand.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said honestly. “Have you set a date?”
“Not yet. But we’re hoping for October.”
Gaby pushed through the twist in her chest. “I’m really happy for you, Em. You deserve it. Both of you do.”
Apingfrom her laptop cut through the moment—work, the case, reality returning.
