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And now I can’t wait to tell him.
When I show up at his apartment, the scene that greets me is something I never thought I’d see. Jett is in the kitchen with Brooke, his sleeves rolled up, laughing as she stands on a stool to help him mix something in a bowl.
I have a key to his place, and it still feels odd, letting myself in. But the last time I knocked on the door, he told me off. He said to use the key he gave me, then kissed me, long and hard.
Now his sleeves are rolled up, and they’re laughing as they work together. “We’re making banana bread,” he says as if it’s the most normal thing in the world for him to be doing early on a Friday evening. There’s a joy on his face—something softer, something I’ve never quite seen before. It’s different. It takes my breath away.
Brooke runs toward me, throwing her arms around my waist. “Cari!” she squeals, grinning up at me with her cheeky grin. I wrap her in a hug, my heart full. Staying here—staying with them—it feels as if this life has always been mine.
It doesn’t feel strange or temporary anymore—it feels like home.
“Stay for dinner.” Jett glances up at me and his slow, sexy, disarming smile melts away any excuses I might have had. “I gave the housekeeper the night off, so it’s just us. I’ll even make dinner.”
There’s no way I can decline that invitation. Nor would I want to. In Bermuda, we had to be secretive—me sneaking into his room at night and sneaking back in the early hours of the morning. Now, we get to spend all night in bed and as much of the morning as early-bird Brooke will let us. We get to stay wrapped in each other’s arms, our limbs entangled after hours of lovemaking. It’s the only place I want to be.
Brooke pipes up, her voice full of mischief. “Can you help us? Daddy burned the pizza last night. If you help, maybe we can eat it this time?”
I howl with laughter, and she joins in. We leave Jett standing there, arms folded, looking mock-hurt and defensive.
The warmth in this moment embraces me like a cashmere blanket. This is what I’ve been hoping for—not just the shop, not just independence, but this feeling. A messy, happy, imperfect life where I get to love and be loved in return.
Epilogue
One month later …
CARI
I couldn’t be happier.
Having brunch with the girls is one of my favorite things. The October sun beams onto the kitchen table laden with platters of fresh fruit, pastries, and steaming coffee. Aunt Scarlett is fussing over a bowl of eggs, her stern face a stark contrast to her tender hands. Bianca and Eliana sit across from me, deep in a conversation about the latest trends, their laughter a soft hum in the background.
I glance at the clock on the wall, my stomach fluttering with a mix of excitement and nerves.
“Stop fidgeting,” Aunt Scarlett says, not looking up from her task.
“I’m not fidgeting,” I lie, tucking my hands under the table.
“Yes, you are,” Bianca teases. “You’ve been staring at the clock like it owes you money.”
When I told my girls about the Knight family dinner, when Jett stood up to his father and told him, in front of everyone, that he loved me, they were happy, if a little wary. Still.
Aunt Scarlett has been going on about whenwe can all meet this Jett Knight and see for ourselves what his intentions are.
It’s like they don't trust me.
Like they think I lost my mind in Bermuda and fell for him. They thought the heat might have gotten to my head.
Aunt Scarlett was worried. Eliana and Bianca, not so much. Now that a few weeks have passed and things have settled down in both of our lives, it seems like the perfect time for them to meet Jett in person. He’s coming here. I keep looking at my watch, knowing that he’s a stickler for time. He should be here any moment now.
At work, Jett has a new assistant. I was in the interview. She's lovely. In her forties, with a son at college. Jett joked that I didn’t trust him so I picked someone older and married.
I do trust him, implicitly. But Deborah is good, and she was the best of the bunch. I also needed someone who would be able to stand up to Paul Knight, because I sense he's placed a target on Jett's back. I'm sure that man hated being shown up in front of everyone. Hated that Jett took a stand, and that even the lure of millions of dollars wasn't enough to sway him.
The doorbell rings and I rush to open it. Jett is standing there looking effortlessly debonair, yet casual—how does he do it? Brooke grins at me, her cheeky smile always lifting me up. “Hey, sweetie!” I don’t even try to lift her, because she’s suddenly starting to get too big and lanky for that. I bend down and hug her. “Hungry?” I ask. She nods. “Good, because we’ve made a lovely big breakfast.” I turn to Jett, and we lean in and kiss. Brooke giggles. This is still going to take some getting used to for her. “Nervous?” I ask him.
“Shouldn’t be, but surprisingly, yes.”
I’ve been telling him that Aunt Scarlett wants to meet him, and knowing how important my family and friends are to me makes Jett a little nervous. It’s something I didn’t expect from him. I take him by his hand and lead him into the kitchen.