59

EPILOGUE

Joshua

“Daddy. Daddy. Daddy!”

I would never get tired of hearing Christopher’s little voice. As he raced toward me, I couldn’t help myself, scooping him into my arms. “How is the birthday boy?”

“I want cake.”

“And you’ll get lots of cake.”

“Not yet,” Selena said from the doorway. She stood giving me a very heated look for two reasons. One, because I’d given her a spanking only hours before for disobeying me. And two, because she’d been forced to be the bad parent, requiring Christopher to eat his vegetables prior to getting any dessert.

Although she continued to sneak him cookies for breakfast every now and again.

“Party pooper,” both Christopher and I said at the same time. The kid mimicked almost everything I said, which meant cursing was now out of the question. Well, at least around him.

She shook her head, sashaying toward me. Wearing jeans and a gorgeous crimson sweater, it was all I could do not to drag her into the closest closet and have my way with her.

I had a feeling she wouldn’t allow me to get away with that since we had a house full of guests for my son’s fifth birthday.

“Now, now,” she tsked, wagging her finger at both of us. “I think you might have some presents to open. But only if you eat your lunch. Do you think you can do that?”

Christopher wrinkled his brow, thinking about the offer. “Can I have cake afterward?”

“Absolutely. Lots and lots of cake.”

He threw out his hand, giving her a very stern look. “Then it’s a deal.”

They shook hands and I let him down, shaking my head as he scampered off. “He’s getting more like you every day, Ms. Attorney.”

“Uh, no. He’s definitely turning into a carbon copy of his father. I’ll need to fix that before it’s too late.”

“Hey! You fell in love with that man.” I pressed my index finger against my chest, shaking my head as I closed the distance.

“Did I?”

“Perhaps you need a reminder.”

“Hmmm…” she purred as she threw her arms over my shoulders. “Maybe so. What do you have in mind, big man?”

“So it’s little man and big man now. Huh?” I rolled my hands down her back, unable to stop myself from sliding my hands under her bottom, lifting her into the air. She promptly wrapped her legs around mine, giving me a mischievous look.

“When the shoe fits…”

“You are one very bad girl.”

“Which is why you love me.”

“I do but that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow you to misbehave.”

She threw her head back, laughing. I’d never believed that we could be so happy, or that she’d give up her career, but she’d told me more than once she had nothing to keep her in Louisville any longer.

In the three weeks since my exoneration and our return to Montreal, a stronger alliance had been made with the Clintons, as well as one with Liam and his family. While I wasn’t entirely certain what kind of business the three entities would go into, we’d made the decision that whatever it was would be legitimate. Hotels and resorts were an option that we were exploring, much to the chagrin of my father and the applause of my former attorney girlfriend. Now it was time to plan for our future.

There was only one way of making that happen, something I’d been determined to ignore. “You know I love you.”

“Yes, you tend to show it to me every night.”

“And I want what’s best for us.”

“Absolutely. What are you getting at?” She pulled away, giving me a sly look, her breath skipping.

Why not tease her. I was a bad man after all. “I want you to be the attorney on the stateside for the new real estate company I’m forming.”

Her face fell, hardening. “I’ll think about it. You’ll need to pay me a lot of money to bring me out of retirement.”

“I’m pretty certain I can do that.”

As I captured her mouth, she did her best to push me away and I allowed that to happen.

“It’s time for the party. Let’s not keep Christopher waiting. He’ll be sodisappointed.” With that, she turned around, starting to head for the door. The edge in her voice almost made me laugh.

“Hold on. I didn’t dismiss you yet.”

“You’re commanding me to stay?” she asked in the haughty way that only she could do, not bothEricag to turn around and face me.

She was so predictable. At times. I held back my laughter as I pulled out the small box. “Turn around, Selena. You follow my rules. Remember? I don’t mind spanking you right here. Right now.” I added an edge to my voice, one that drove her nuts. I knew exactly what she was going to do.

Spinning around, she threw out her finger. “Now, listen to me, buster. You don’t get to…”

I couldn’t help grin as she slapped her hand over her mouth, slowly lowEricag her gaze to the floor where I was on one knee, holding out the exposed diamond for her to see.

“If you learn to obey, good things will come,” I told her.

“What are you doing?”

“Ms. Selena Barrios, attorney of the year, the most beautiful woman in the world, and the one with the most caustic mouth. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife in sickness and in health until death do us part?”

I could tell she had a dozen snarky things she wanted to say, but for once, I’d floored her. “Yes. God, yes.”

As she flew toward me, I barely had time to stand. My father had once told me that I’d know when the right one came along and that I would do everything in my power to ensure she didn’t get away.

I’d done that in spades.

And for the first time in my life, I was happy.

Because I’d walked into the right bar at the right time and found the perfect woman who’d forever be known as mycherie.

The End