Chapter 30: Epilogue

ZAINAB

“Damn, look at my husband.”

Griff is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I’m greedy enough to watch him for a few moments before getting his attention.

His hands are in his pockets, his legs slightly wide apart in an “at ease” stance that he hasn’t lost from his time in the military. (Thankfully, he’s lost the nightmares.)

He looks absolutely fucking delectable in a white open-collared shirt and navy suit.

At the sound of my voice, he lifts his head, and his eyes lock with mine. A slow smile spreads over his lips as his eyes languidly peruse my dress.

Five years later and my heart still hammers when he does that.

This party is special for both of us. The manuscript I chose became an international bestseller. It got me promoted to editor.

I gave an incredible book a chance, worked with a wonderful author who became a close friend, and I landed my dream job while doing it. It was a hell of a year.

Tonight, we’re celebrating the release of the book’s latest sequel.

“Now, how am I supposed to behave myself in public when you look like that?”

His gaze turns hungry as he takes in what I’m wearing, or rather, what I’m not wearing. The black, tight dress leaves little to the imagination.

I’ll be honest: I did buy it with him in mind. Now that I’ve seen how gorgeous he looks tonight, I’m glad I did. Kind of evens the playing field a bit.

“Do you like it?”

His throat bobs again. He looks up at me with blazing eyes.

I love the way his eyes follow me as I descend the stairs and stand next to him. His cologne surrounds me, warming me from the inside out.

“What’s not to like?” he asks huskily.

His hands settle on my waist. I have a sudden image of him throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me back to our bedroom.

“Do we have to go?” I whine. “Can’t we just stay home?”

His eyes devour my body once more, a smirk growing on his lips again.

“And fuck?” he finishes for me.

“Among other things,” I whisper, trailing my finger over his bottom lip teasingly.

He smiles against my finger and then shakes his head.

“We have to go, baby. It’s a big deal.”

I pout, but I know he’s right.

“I guess. But tomorrow?”

He grins at me, already knowing that I’ll probably be too tired to do anything kinky when we get in tonight.

“Tomorrow, we’ll have our fun and then go and pick up the terrors.”

I grin back at him at the mention of our twins.

“They’re not terrors; they’re angels.”

We keep a straight face for all of a second before we burst out laughing. Our twins are in the “terrible threes” stage. We thought we’d made it through two years unscathed.

~Oh, how wrong we were.~

Despite their occasional tantrums and screaming matches, they can be angelic too. Particularly when they’re sleeping.

We have a driver now. Griff still likes to be my bodyguard, but for big events, we hire a driver and have two security staff on hand in the evening. It means that Griff actually gets to relax a bit.

It doesn’t take long to drive to the venue. He takes my hand and holds it in his lap.

I love how open and tactile he is with me. Wherever we are and whatever we’re doing, he often finds little ways to have some form of contact with me.

“We’re here.”

There are some journalists outside the door, covering the book launch. I’m used to the flashing of their cameras, but Griff still tightens his hold on me as he escorts me inside.

The venue is a hotel that is regularly booked out for events like this. Music plays in the background. The smaller conference room is filled with my colleagues from the publishing house, the author’s family, and other teams involved.

There are copies of the book stacked on a long trestle table. The cover I’ve been seeing for weeks is still as eye-catching as it was the first time.

My heart warms with a sense of pride. Lily Witham, the author, has worked so hard on her manuscript. There have been so many hours of us going through it together, picking it apart and trying to make it the best it can possibly be.

Lily spots me entering with my husband and immediately rushes over. She looks very glamorous with her hair swept up, a long emerald gown swishing at her feet. She pulls me into a hug.

“Zainab!” She squeezes me tight. “Look at this! There are so many people.”

I smile proudly at her. “All for you. You’ve done so well. I’m excited to see where this goes.”

“I hope it sells,” she says nervously.

“We’ve already had far more preorders than we predicted,” I assure her.

“It’s going to be great, Lily.” Griff’s soft voice makes us both smile.

My husband has been so supportive through the grueling hours of me poring over the manuscript. He’s been my sounding board when I wanted someone to bounce ideas off of. He’s made endless cups of tea and picked up a lot of my slack with the girls.

~I don’t know what I’d do without him.~

Lily and I spot my boss at the same time. She rubs my arm.

“I’ll catch up with you later. Big Rach probably wants to check in with you.”

I laugh at our nickname for my new boss, Rachel. When I got my promotion, I was given a new line manager, and Rachel has been great. We only call her Big Rach because of her position in the company.

“Zainab, glad you could make it.” She looks at my husband and nods. “Griffith. Good to see you.”

I’m glad Griff is comfortable telling people his real first name now. I haven’t heard anyone call him Jake in years.

“Rachel,” he replies. “Can I get you ladies a drink?”

He presses a kiss to my cheek and heads off to the bar to fetch us both a glass of champagne.

There’s a huge turnout, which has generated a lot of good press. This is great for both Lily and the publishing house. I’m proud of how it’s all coming together.

Griff returns with our drinks, and my boss excuses herself to schmooze some more.

I take a sip of my drink, grateful that my relationship with alcohol is back under control. Alcohol is kept very much for social events and not as a way to destress. I have Griff and the girls for that now.

I cast my eyes around the room and notice a small crowd gathered near the door. My flute nearly drops from my fingers at the sight of my brother stepping through the throng.

“Faisal?” I blurt.

Next to me, Griff smirks. I look at him in shock, my mouth open.

“You did this?”

He grins back at me.

Faisal is supposed to be on tour in the US. I thought I wouldn’t be seeing him for another month at least.

My smile widens as I spot my father beside him.

“He’s only back for tonight and has to fly tomorrow morning, but he didn’t want to miss your big launch.”

I throw my arms around Faisal and hold him tightly.

“I can’t believe you came.”

“I wouldn’t miss it, sis,” he says, hugging me back. “But forgive me for looking as jet lagged as I feel right now.”

“You silly boy.” I pull back and wipe the tears from my eyes. “You’re going to be too tired to perform tomorrow.”

He shrugs me off. “I’ll be fine, Nab.”

My father steps forward and pulls me into his arms.

“So proud of you, Zainab,” he says in my ear.

I grin back at him. “Thanks, Dad.”

I spend the rest of the evening shaking hands and smiling so much that my cheeks hurt.

We don’t get to wrap things up until midnight when Griff calls the car around. I cuddle him in the backseat, my feet throbbing from my heels and my head aching from my updo.

The moment we get home, I strip out of the dress and let my hair down. It’s a joy to finally take my makeup off.

Griff gets ready for bed next to me at his own sink. I stand in my underwear under his heated gaze as we clean our teeth together.

I thought I would be too tired to do anything, but the moment we get under the covers, I’m reaching for him. He pulls me into his arms, and I shuffle close, pressing myself up against him.

I’m delighted to feel that he’s hard. Reaching down, I slip my hand under his boxers and stroke him until he leaks precum from the tip.

“Mmm, aren’t you tired?” he murmurs against my temple, his lips stretching into a smile.

I kiss his pec and shake my head. “I’m not ~that~ tired.”

“In that case…”

Griff rolls me onto my back and kisses down my neck. He presses his mouth to my breasts and sucks on my nipples, parting my legs at the same time.

When he strokes my pussy, he finds me wet and ready for him. He slips one finger inside, then two. I arch my back, spreading my legs wider for him.

He gently bites my nipple and then removes his mouth with a pop.

He pulls his fingers out before I can come and replaces them with his cock, filling me in one smooth thrust.

I moan as we join together. I drag my nails down his back. He thrusts into me, hard enough to make my toes curl.

No matter how many times we have sex, it always feels so good. I love the way he knows my body inside and out.

When we come, we come together, holding onto each other and getting lost in the pleasure of it all.

***

The following morning, Griff and I drive over to our friend’s house to pick up our daughters.

The door opens, and there are my girls, screaming and jumping up and down with excitement. Griff and I scoop them up into our arms and hug them tight.

I bury my face in Zena’s hair, breathing in her smell. Asma giggles as Griff kisses all over her face.

“We missed you so much,” I tell them.

After thanking our friends, we get the girls in the car and set off for home. My heart is full as I look at them laughing together in the back.

Just like that, our family is complete again.

End of Book