Empire of Desire(Empire #1)(108)

So when I get home, the one we bought together after we had an actual wedding ceremony three years ago, I’m ready to get to the bottom of this.

I place my briefcase on the island. “Gwyneth? Where are you, baby girl?”

“Surprise!” She jumps in front of me, her eyes glimmering with all the colors, and a wide smile paints her face in a glow.

My gaze follows her every movement, from how her dress stretches over her breasts and falls to her knees and to how her white sneakers are a bit undone.

“What’s the surprise?”

She jumps me, her arms going around my neck and her legs circling around my waist. I stagger backward before I plant my feet on the ground and wrap an arm around her back.

“Me. I’m the surprise.”

“Hmm. Does that mean you’ll tell me why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“I wasn’t avoiding you, I was planning your birthday party, and yes, I know you don’t like your birthdays, but you made me love my birthdays again and I plan to do the same. I’m going to do something good during your birthday so that you don’t remember that your parents didn’t want you, and instead, you’ll remember me. Just like I remember that kiss from when I was eighteen.”

This fucking woman will be the death of me. “Then why were you staring at your list?”

“Because of the word anxiety. I was so sure you’d figure me out.”

“I didn’t, but you kind of just told me everything.”

“That’s because you get me as your early birthday present.”

“I do, huh?”

“Yup, I’ll be your good and bad girl tonight.”

“What if I tell you to behave?”

“Too late.” She bites her lower lip and murmurs, “I’m wearing nothing beneath this, husband.”

I groan, wrapping my arms tighter around her. “I’m going to fuck you like you deserve, wife.”

“Yes, please.”

And then my lips are on hers as I carry her to the bedroom, and when I put her down, she stares at me with those colorful eyes that see straight into my soul.

I always thought I loved the look in her eyes, but it turns out, I love how these mesmerizing eyes only look at me.





Epilogue 2 - Gwyneth





One year later





“Don’t cry…I’m here…” I croak, patting my hand on a chubby chest and holding another chubby bottom so she can suck on my breast.

Only…I’m not holding anything. I’m not sitting down either and I’m only touching the mattress.

I startle, my eyes flying open.

Our bedroom comes into sight with the pulled-down curtains that make it dark even though the clock on the wall reads ten in the morning. I fumble for the baby monitor, my heart beating so loudly, I hear it in my ears.

Holy shit.

Shit.

Where are my babies? I clearly remember falling asleep breastfeeding Lily and rocking Logan back to sleep around two in the morning.

Did I lose them somehow? Nate spends one night working late in the office, one night, and I lose our twins?

They’re three months old—I think I got pregnant that day before Nate’s birthday a year ago. As soon as we found out the news, I was ecstatic, but that can’t be said about everyone else. Dad wondered if I was going to be fine with law school and everything, but I told him that if he could do it, so could I.

Besides, Nate never let me do anything on my own. He took care of me more than before and even tolerated my brat attitude more than ever. I was an emotional mess in the first trimester and cried over the stupidest things, but Nate just wiped my tears and hugged me.

Then he proceeded to fuck me because that totally helped with the hormones—or that’s what I told him, anyway.

He rubbed my swollen feet and held my hand through the whole delivery process. Though, I’m pretty sure both he and Dad threatened to sue the doctor and the hospital because they wouldn’t ease my pain.

Being doted on by one protective man is one thing, but having both Dad and Nate can be a nightmare sometimes.

Only sometimes, though, because I’m a lucky girl to have the best father and the best husband in the world.

A husband who enables me every step of the way. Just because I decided I want kids now doesn’t mean he let me slack off law school or put it on the back burner. He knows that it’s my dream and it’s important, too.

Which is why he takes care of our newborns most of the time, even though there’s a nanny. He reminds me of Dad, who didn’t trust them around me when I was younger and always watched them through cameras and such. He often reminded them of the legal action he could take against them, too, because he can be extra like that.

Nate is similar with our children, but his methods are more subtle. He doesn’t threaten anyone, but he can get his point across with his normal manner of speech alone. That delicious, stern manner that I can’t get enough of.

Our twins, Logan and Lily, are a handful to say the least, but Nate successfully puts them to sleep. Last night was the only time he was going to spend an all-nighter at the firm since their birth.

And I obviously screwed it up because there’s no sight of them.

Tears sting my eyes and I’m about to have a meltdown of epic proportions, but I notice a Post-it Note on my upper arm.