“You ready?” She asks. Jessie’s consumed by her phone inside her office.
I walk around my desk, shut off the lights, and take her small hand in mine, leading her down the hall to the back door.
“Hurry up, Jess,” I shout. I hear her cursing and hurrying to lock up her office before I hear her shoes slapping the polished floor as she runs to catch up.
EPILOGUE TWO
RYDER
Ibought out the top floor of one of the highest-class restaurants in Charlotte. The view is phenomenal. We’re surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows that give us the perfect view of the buzzing city below. The lights illuminate the night sky, and it’s perfect for what I have planned tonight.
Classical music plays softly in the restaurant. Massive crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. I arrived here an hour before everyone else to be sure everything was exactly how I wanted it. The white and gold marble floors accentuate the dark grey and black walls. The bar glows brightly with the hidden lights surrounding it.
I walk over to our table, double-checking that it’s perfect. The table is draped in a white linen and has candlelit centerpieces. I count the chairs again, overobsessing over every small detail. I invited everyone importantto us. Jessie, Hayden, and Teegan, who have grown to be more like a part of the family.
Hayden was released from the hospital a month ago. He remembered Kelsey talking to him when she visited, and she cried. The pregnancy has made her more emotional than usual. Some days, you never know which Kelsey you’ll get. The affectionate one or the murderous one. I hope for the murderous one. God, she turns me on so bad when she threatens to kill me over the wrong sauce for her chicken nuggets. I fixed the mistake immediately and promised not to do it again. As much as I want to, just to see her cute little pissed-off self, I don’t break my promises.
I pull the ring from my suit breast pocket. The two-carat diamond gleams in the overhead lighting, and my heart thumps wildly in my chest. I can’t help the thoughts of Kelsey saying no. I can’t blame her if she does. I love her more than I’ve ever loved anything, and I can’t wait to raise our family together. I hope our baby looks like her. She’s perfect in every way.
My phone alerts me of their arrival, so I walk over to the doorway and wait for the love of my life to walk through those doors to start our next chapter.
Kelsey walks in first. She’s wearing a flawless, ankle-length, satin red dress that hugs her every curve. The baby bump pokes out, and I place my hand over her belly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She leans into my touch, and I could pick her up and take her to the bathroom, but I only have the reservation for another hour. I knew I should’ve reserved for longer.
“Right this way,” She loops her small arm through my elbow, and I lead them over to our table. I get Kelsey seated in front of me, and everyone else takes their seats around the circular table.
The waitress takes everyone’s drink orders. While everyone else orders from the bar, Kelsey and I order Sprite.
“This place is beautiful,” She says in awe, watching out the windows. I take a steadying breath. Now that I know she likes the place, it takes a little stress off my shoulders.
I reach for her hand under the table and hold it. Everyone is lost in conversation, and I’m still sorting through my speech to Kelsey.
The waitress comes back with our drinks, “I’ll be back to take your orders in a few minutes.”
Letting go of Kelsey’s hand, I clear my throat and push out my chair to stand. “Can I have everybody’s attention?” The table stops their chatter, and the room goes silent.
“Ryder,” She whisper shouts, “What are you doing?” Her face is as red as a tomato and makes her freckles pop.
I swallow hard and kneel down to one knee, pulling her hand back into mine. Her chest rises and falls rapidly. “Kelsey, I know this year has been an absolute shit show, but I wouldn’t have wanted to walk through it with anyone else.” Her eyes gloss over, and she nibbles her bottom lip. “I love you and our baby more than you could ever know, and I would love nothing more than to spend every waking moment until my last breath with you. Kelsey Anderson, will you marry me?”
“YES!! Yes, I will!” She jumps up, wrapping her arms around my neck. I stand, picking her up off her feet, and kiss her soft, strawberry-coated lips. The table cheers behind us, and on cue, “Because Of You,” by Ne-Yo plays from the speakers.
Kelsey
The flight to DC wasn’t too bad, but being pregnant and having to pee every five minutes was the hardest part. Typical airplane toilets are so tiny and unstable, but Ryder’s private jet is luxurious. It’s still a pain in the ass with the turbulence.
Ryder told me about him being promoted to Director of DISS after the unfortunate death of Lilith. So, that’s where we are headed now in a White House Escalade that picked us up from the private airport. Henry still has no idea who killed her and hasn’t asked. Apparently, she didn’t mean as much to him as she thought she did.
Henry still doesn’t know who I am or that I’m even accompanying Ryder this evening for their meeting. Ryder is leaving it up to me to decide whether Henry knows I’m his granddaughter or not. I want to meet him physically before making that decision. Some people are better off not being in your life. Ryder also informed me that Henry has no knowledge of having a grandchild. Everything he knows was a lie, fed to him by Lilith, and my father covered her ass. I wonder if he knows my father, Lucius, is dead and that it was Lilith who had him killed? Doubtful.
We’ve kept this hush-hush with Jessie for the time being. For all she knows, we are on a trip to celebrate our engagement. Hayden still requires monitoring. He’s pretty much healed aside from doing his physical therapy andtaking his meds, but he won’t do either of those things without somebody making him. So, that’s all Jessie needs to be concerned about right now.
We arrive at a set of tall iron gates. The driver pulls up to the speaker, where he scans his badge and is granted access to enter. “Welcome to the White House,” the driver, Sam, announces. He’s an older man with white hair and a white beard, but I wouldn’t put it past him that he could open a can of whoop-ass in a millisecond if he needed to.
My eyes go wide as I stare out of my window at the massive building ahead of us. I’ve seen pictures and read about the White House, but nothing compares to seeing it up close like this. One hundred and thirty-two rooms look a lot more possible now that it’s sitting right in front of me.
“Holy shit,” I mutter.
We pull to a stop, the driver and passenger step out, and open the doors for us to exit. The other security guard, Mark, offers his hand to help me step down, but Ryder nudges him back, taking his place instead. I bite back a grin. Ryder’s gotten much more possessive over me lately, and I have to say I love it.
