Mr. Smithfield - Louise Bay Page 0,101

public or put on a register somewhere.

This woman was my soulmate. There hadn’t been a ceremony invented that would bind us any closer than we already were.

“Shall we go watch your sister marry one of the best men I know?”

“What’s wild about today is that I think she feels for Dexter the same kind of forever love that I have for you.”

“What makes that wild?” I asked.

“I just never thought we could both be so lucky.”

I pulled her closer to me as we came to the door to the suite, content to let her believe that of the two of us, she was the lucky one.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

Autumn

I glanced around at the huge kitchen, dining, and living areas arranged around the central outdoor courtyard encased in glass. It was so big. So grand. I loved it but it also made me a little uneasy.

“You’ll get used to it,” Hollie said, reading my mind as she uncorked a bottle of champagne.

“I hope so,” I replied. “I know I live here but I’m not sure I can quite believe it at the same time. Does that make sense?” My life had changed so completely in the last few months. Not only had I moved continents, but I’d discovered my future, and I knew who I was going to share it with.

“You’re still the same person. Just remember that. It’s not so different to our trailer back in Oregon.”

We both burst into laughter. Gabriel and my new home couldn’t have been further from where and how we’d grown up. But she was right. It didn’t make us different people. We loved the men we loved, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.

“I’m still bummed I couldn’t get you to move to Knightsbridge.”

“I like Smithfield,” I replied. “And it’s a super easy commute.” The investment bank where I’d interviewed just before I’d flown to Madrid had offered me an entry-level investment analyst job. I’d been there about a month and I was loving it. I felt like I was living in an eighties movie. I wasn’t sure how, but life just kept getting better and better.

“I’m so proud of you,” she said, slinging her arm around my shoulders. “Your career is going to be amazing. I feel like you’ve taken flight since moving to London. There’s something about this place. We’ve both come here and spread our wings and we’re living our best lives.”

Hollie had always believed it was possible. Her vision of the world out there had meant she’d pushed me to focus and study and not make the wrong choices. She’d shaped the woman I was today—the life I had, and how happy I was. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you too,” she said. “I’ll love you even more if you pour me a glass of that champagne.”

The crash in the hallway made me spill the alcohol over the glass. “What the hell?”

We poked our heads out to find Gabriel, Dexter, Tristan, and Joshua carrying in a huge . . . grandfather clock.

“Don’t worry, it’s not ours,” Gabriel said. “It’s so bloody ugly.”

Gabriel spent hours trawling websites and auction houses, trying to find new projects. One of the reasons we’d bought this house was because of the huge workshop next door. But he managed to fill the cavernous space with desks, chairs, bureaus, tables, and really, any piece of wood looking for a little TLC and a second chance. At least this clock hadn’t been adopted.

“Whose is it?” Hollie asked suspiciously.

“Glad you asked,” Dexter said, grinning. “I thought it would look great in my office.”

“As long as it’s going somewhere I don’t have to look at it,” Hollie said.

The four of them heaved the monolithic timepiece upright. “Don’t think you’re keeping it,” Dexter said to Gabriel.

“Believe me, I don’t want it,” replied Gabriel.

“That makes two of us,” I said.

“Make that three of us,” Hollie said.

“Marriage is about compromise,” Dexter said, lifting Hollie into his arms and kissing her.

“It’s a good thing I love you,” she said.

“Stop with the PDA,” Tristan said. “It’s making my stomach churn.”

“You’re just jealous that I have a hot wife,” Dexter said.

Tristan rolled his eyes. “Get me a drink.”

Tristan tried to pretend he wanted nothing to do with a committed relationship, but I couldn’t help but think he just hadn’t met the right girl yet. He was always focused on who was hot rather than who he liked. Joshua wasn’t a lot better, but he was a little more discreet and a better flirt.

They all circled