Roses

Chapter 44 - Epilogue

Four Months Later

Adam

"Just staring at it is only going to increase your anxiety, baby," I murmur as I kiss Zoey's temple.

After she finished her book a little over a month ago, her agent started sending it out to different publishers. The biggest one in the market currently, also her dream publishing company, just sent their response that her agent forwarded. And in the twenty minutes that it has spent in her inbox, Zoey has only managed to stare at it, without opening it.

"Okay, okay," she mumbles, gathering her courage. "I'm gonna do it." I hold her other hand and watch her face as she reads the mail. Her face doesn't give away anything.

"So?"

"They want it."

"What?" I squeal embarrassingly and peer at the screen.

"They're also talking about a book deal," she whispers, disbelief in her voice.

"You did it, baby." I pull her face close to mine so I can kiss her. Her lips never fail to send a jolt of electricity down to my cock like I'm a teenager. I would be embarrassed if I didn't know she likes the effect she has on me.

"I really did it," she mumbles, finally accepting her feat and gracing herself with her appreciation. Over the last few months, I've seen it happen a couple times, and I can't help but be reminded of how she used to be, every single time.

I had a role to play in making her that way, where she doubted and hated herself. Which is why now I strive to remind her how awesome and talented she is every day.

"I couldn't have done it without you," she beams at me. "God, I love you."

"You know you shouldn't have said that," I smirk.

She looks down at my crotch, clearly seeing the bulge and giggles cutely. "Oops."

She tries to run towards my office doors but I'm quicker than her. I catch her midway and carry her back to my desk.

Once she found out the words 'I love you' from her lips are an aphrodisiac for me, she has been saying them much more often. If she does it to torment me, the joke's on her. I like to hear those words from her and fuck her.

"Caught you," I whisper against her lips, pulling her skirt up.

"Everyone's in the other room. You're crazy," she says, breathless as I push her panties to the side and stroke her slippery folds.

"Who made me crazy, my love?"

She officially moved in with me two months ago so I don't have to resort to making her things disappear and then magically reappear in my home. But the downside is that she knows there's someone always in the house so she's constantly worried other people.... will hear us.

I'm positive the sounds don't carry through the walls but I still may look into soundproofing the whole place. For her sake.

Her staying with me also means she's able to spend more time with Dad. He has been taking his health much more seriously, to everyone's relief, and the other day he told me it was because of her.

In a strange, or perfect, way, depends on how you see it, he has been able to let go of the decades old hurt he was carrying because of Aurora, by witnessing the beauty they created--my beautiful Zoey.

In a similar way, my girl has moved on from the demons associated with her parents and her childhood by bonding with her real father.

I guess after all the messy revelations and the ugliness they brought, we've all also realized that some things are just better left in the past. I have come to terms with the fact that I may never find out my biological father's identity, just as she and my father have accepted that they'll never know if Aurora knew who Zoey's actual father is.

That's the thing about holding on to the past too tightly--there's no room in your heart for the present or future. We all made this same mistake and thankfully, have learnt the lesson now.

After living her entire life alone, I know Zoey's ecstatic to have people around her that dote on her. I intend to give her more people, tiny humans to be precise, that I know will rival me in my love and care for her. That would be interesting to see, whenever it happens.

I unzip my pants and pull out my cock. It has been painfully hard since Zoey walked in with her inbox open. I enter her slowly as she likes it, then moments later unleash my primal urges.

She moans wantonly and grabs an edge of the desk with her left hand. My eyes immediately go to her ring finger. Lately, it's become an obsession of mine. I would say it's because it's empty currently and the obsession will go away once it has my ring on it. But who knows?

Judging by how I act when it comes to her, I would probably get even more obsessed when I have an official claim on her.

She knows I carry her ring everywhere. So whenever, wherever she's ready, all she has to do is tell me.

She comes when I press a finger to her clit, clinging to me in a way I like too much. I follow her moments later, breathing in her scent from the pulse point in her neck.

"I love you," she breathes.

"I love you more, baby. But you know now I want to take you again." I kiss her forehead and she smiles at me.

Fuck, I can't believe she's mine. She looks so beautiful I want to steal her away. Make sure no one else ever sees her like this.

I still have nightmares of our time apart. I wake up covered in sweat, feeling worse than dead with the thought that she left me. I hate them, but they also make cuddling with her that much more soothing later.

My nightmares should know I'm not a fool. I know what it's like to live without her and I never, ever, intend to do it again in this lifetime.

"Maybe you should," she smirks.

I chuckle and decide that yes, maybe I should.

THE END

XXXXXX

Thank you so much for giving my book a chance!

I have some more stuff to say. Will be posting again in a day or two.