“Please,” she cries. “Make it stop.”
Another tear falls and I wipe it away as I hold her closer. It’s all I can do and so I’ll do it until she’s strong enough to hold herself up again. I’ll be her brace, supporting her and loving her through her grief.
“I’ve got you, Princess. I’ve always got you.”
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Carly
“Congratulations!” Mercedes yells out as she pops the cork off the champagne and it shoots off toward the ceiling. Everyone else claps and I meet Ali’s eyes across the room as she smiles at me. “I knew your design page would be a success.”
“Thank you,” I say, holding my flute of champagne up. After Ivy’s death, I took a break from work and Mercedes was so great about everything. It took longer to roll out the design page but when we did, it exploded. Everyone loved my articles and seeing the apartment design progress week by week.
My phone rings and I step into my office to answer it as Mercedes and my other co-workers turn on some music so they can really start celebrating.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Princess.”
I smile as warmth floods my chest. “Hey, baby. What are you up to?”
“Um… I kind of need your help with something. Think you could get away for a little bit?”
“Yeah,” I say, glancing out at the party. “I’m sure I could. What’s going on?”
He blows out a breath and my brows furrow as I sit down in my chair. “It’s one of those things you’re just gonna have to see for yourself.”
“You’re scaring me,” I whisper and he chuckles.
“No, don’t be scared. It’s just hard to explain.”
“Okay,” I say, releasing a breath. “Where are you?”
He rattles off an address and I tell him I’m on my way before hanging up and grabbing my bag out of the desk drawer. As I turn to stand, the photo of Ivy on my desk catches my eyes and I stop, pressing my fingers to the glass.
“Miss you, Vi.”
My chest expands as I suck in a breath and stand, wrestling with the ache in my heart as I slip out of the office and walk to my car. As I pull out of the parking garage, I think back to the day Ivy died.
It’s only been three months since she passed but sometimes it feels like years. I miss her so much everyday, but I’ve learned to start living again. One thing I know, for sure, is she would be pissed if I wasted my life because of her death. She sacrificed herself to save me and it’s a difficult thing to come to terms with, but I love her even more for it.
I wouldn’t have made it through the last three months without Chance by my side. He’s had my back, just like he promised, every moment of every day, and each time I think I couldn’t love him more, he goes and proves me wrong. Anytime I stumble, anytime I’m having a particularly hard day, he’s there to pull me to my feet and help me keep moving forward. I don’t know where I would be without him… or the club.
The day I lost my sister, I gained seven brothers who would do absolutely anything for me and sometimes, I like to think that Ivy nudged things along because she knew I would need them. I’ve built a new family and there’s always going to be a piece missing but I’m learning to cope with it every day.
For a start, I made it my personal mission to make sure Julian, Damian, and our mother paid for what they did to us. The district attorney decided to move forward and charge all of them with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, human trafficking, and false imprisonment. Julian was also charged with Ivy’s death. Rosie and I both gave convincing testimonies and while my mother tried to pretend like she had no idea the kind of men Julian and Damian were, no one bought it. The jury took fifteen minutes to come back with the guilty verdict and they will all spend the rest of their lives in jail. It’s a small victory but knowing they can never come after me again definitely helps me sleep at night.
My GPS notifies me to turn up ahead and I do, squinting down the gravel road lined on both sides by trees. Just when I think that I might be lost, the trees open up to the cutest little bungalow I’ve ever seen.
“What am I doing here?” I whisper. Trees surround it almost completely except for in the back where I can see the sun shimmering off the water and I can’t stop the smile that stretches across my face. When Chance called, this is not what I was expecting. Then again, I should know better than to try and guess his plans by now. I climb out of the car and close my eyes as I take a deep breath, loving the peacefulness that surrounds me out here.
“What are you doing just standing out there?” Chance asks, peeking out from behind the door. I tilt my head to the side and narrow my eyes.
“Taking it all in. What are you hiding?”
He laughs. “Who me? I’m not hiding anything. Why don’t you come inside?”
“Whose house is this, Chance?”
He sighs, opening the door and closing it quickly before I can get a peek inside. I pout as he stomps down the steps and holds his hand out to me. “If you’ll just come inside, I’ll tell you, woman.”
“Or you could just tell me here,” I point out and he rolls his eyes before bending down and throwing me over his shoulder. I scream and smack his ass as he carries me around to the back of the house, his laughter echoing through the trees.
When we get to the back deck, he sets me on my feet and I gasp at how beautiful and serene it is out here.
“Ivy would have loved this place,” I whisper and he wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his body.
“And what about you? Do you like it?”
I nod. “It’s incredible.”
He turns me to face him and bites his lip as he sucks in a breath. “There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Okay,” I whisper, my heart thudding in my chest.
“But first, I have something to show you.”
I nod again and he releases me to go to the sliding glass door, pulling it open. A gorgeous, lanky Great Dane puppy with a bow around his neck ambles out onto the deck and my eyes widen as I squeal.
“What did you do?” I ask, kneeling down as the puppy skids into my legs.
“He’s yours, babe. You like him?”
“Um, no,” I answer, shaking my head. “I fucking love him.”
He plants his paws on my thighs and reaches up, licking my face as I rub behind his ears and I fall in love in an instant.
“What are you going to name him?” Chance asks and I study the little guy for a moment before smiling.
“Duke.”
He laughs, nodding as he holds his hand out to me. “Well, Duke isn’t your only surprise. Come with me.”
I slip my hand in his and let him pull me into the house as Duke follows along, trying to chew the ribbon on his neck and I laugh. Once we’re all inside, Chance shuts the door and I sigh, admiring the interior.
“What do you think of the house?” he asks and I grin as I turn to him.
“It’s amazing.”
Nodding, he passes a stack of papers across the island to me. “Wanna buy it?”
“What?” I grab the papers and scan the top one before flicking my gaze back up to his.