I Ran So Far Away - Complete

Epilogue 2

Time flies when you're having fun, and the last few years had been good for all of us.

GEH had gone from strength to strength, pushing me further up the Forbes rich list. Even though I'd cut back my hours when Phoebe was born, the team I'd put in place at GEH did their job well and kept making money. These days I only worked four days a week, taking Teddy and Phoebe with me on Wednesdays so Ana could work at SIP. The kids loved being at Grey House with Daddy, and Phoebe particularly enjoyed playing with Huxley, Gwen and Ros' son. Only a few months older than her, Huxley and Phoebe were the very best of friends. Taking a leaf out of our book, Ros brought Huxley in on Wednesdays. Like me, she wanted her children to appreciate what we did, and it was a chance for Gwen to enjoy some downtime.

As Ana had predicted, Callie became a permanent fixture in Elliot's life. So permanent, in fact, that they'd married a month ago. The wedding and reception held on the deck of their new home next door to ours, they'd spent the last month honeymooning in sunny Spain. Elliot's business was booming, and while nowadays you were more likely to find him in a suit than work boots, he liked to get on-site and on tools weekly to keep it real.

Mom and Dad had both moved further into retirement. Mom closed her books to new patients and took fewer hospital shifts, instead focusing on her private practice. Now Dad was slowing down at work they wanted to travel more. They were not long back from three weeks in New Zealand which they raved about. So much so, I was planning a trip there with Anastasia and the kids.

Mia and Saul had eventually admitted they were seeing each other several months after I already knew. He made a good match with her, not putting up with any nonsense. After her internship at Grey House, my events department were keen to keep Mia on, so she spent a year there before accepting a job with an events business. She's taking her time and learning various aspects of the industry, but she recently confided she'd like to start her own events planning business. She has a skill for it, so when the time comes, I'll provide the start-up capital and the business guidance as required.

While I recognized Mia was hoping Saul might propose soon, I think she'll be waiting a while, yet. Although they didn't dislike Mia and were unfailingly polite to her, Saul's parents made no secret they hoped Saul would settle down and marry a woman from his own faith. I wasn't sure how it would work out.

Gail and Taylor were still with us. As our family expanded, it seemed so did their duties. A year ago, we renegotiated terms with them both, making Gail our household manager and Taylor my head of personal security. While both were always on hand and willing to help if required, they now had set hours and every weekend off together. Plus if I was traveling for any length of time, I took a different CPO.

Anastasia was still at SIP and loving it. Working from the office one day a week and from home another, she was now an acquisitions editor. Employed to sniff out talent, she'd handhold her new authors through to their first publication release. Mentoring only one or two authors at a time, the personalized service helped with author retention, and time and time again Ana had been on the money with the authors she put forward.

It wasn't long after Phoebe arrived that Ana received a letter at Grey House. A simple printed card announced: Millie and Adam Shields are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of their son Thomas Wyatt Shields. Accompanying it was a photo of Millie, her husband, and son and a handwritten note. I personally couldn't give a fuck what happened to that woman, however, Anastasia was deeply touched by the note where Millie again apologized for her part in the abduction and thanked God for bringing her to a better and happier place in life.

As Deidre had foreshadowed, the cases brought against Jack Hyde by his former assistants added to his already significant jail time. With an additional twenty years added to the twenty-five years he got for Ana and Teddy's abduction, the reality is Jack would never experience life outside a prison again, and that made me a happy man.