Contractually Wed

Epilogue

THREE WEEKS LATER , as afternoon gave way to early evening, Jia tried her best not to steal a glance out the bedroom’s window at Apollo’s, no, their family home.

While she’d spent most of the afternoon napping and daydreaming and drooling over Apollo’s sweatshirt that she’d wrapped around herself—because he’d been gone for the last three days arranging her surprise—Christina came in to help her get ready.

Which wasn’t really necessary. Yes, Jia was showing, because the bean was growing at a steady, good pace, but Apollo’s sisters and mom and he himself, of course, treated her like she was the first one in the entire galaxy to give birth.

Anticipation fluttering through her, she pulled on loose jeans and a lacy, flowy top that flared from under her breasts to still give her a nice shape. The top was a shimmery ivory silk with pearl beading along its neckline, a gift from Chiara. Jia had laughed when she’d opened the package, because Apollo’s sister finally seemed to have understood that she was never going to get Jia to wear frilly, over-the-top dresses.

In the week since he’d told her, Jia hadn’t asked Apollo what the surprise was and it had come at extreme risk, since no one in her life had ever taunted her with one. But, knowing that getting this right was really important for her everything-must-be-perfect husband in this new, fragile, overwhelming stage of their relationship, she had stopped trying to coerce various family members into spilling the secret.

When she came down the stairs, her eyes widened. The entire house had been lit up with soft fairy lights and was overflowing with extended family and friends—most she was beginning to recognize now. Uniformed waiters weaved around the crowd with serving trays filled with champagne and other drinks. For a split second, Jia thought she’d seen her father and sister but she was being pulled along.

Congratulations and cheers surrounded her, with that great-aunt and this uncle interrupting them on their way to the backyard. Standing at the entrance to the patio, Jia spied the large white marquee. And past the white marquee, following the cleared walking trail, an arch had been set up with lilies and white roses curving around it, along with twinkling lights. Behind it was the gentle lapping of the ocean and above her, a canopy of stars, as if the sky itself had decided to put on a show.

No, as if it had been commanded to put on a show by her grumpy beast of a husband.

Breath hitching, Jia walked down the steps, only to find that a path had been made up of red rose petals toward the arch. As if someone had orchestrated it by magic, every single guest settled into their chair.

“Jia?”

She turned to find her father, trying his best to not crowd her.

“May I give you away, please?”

While their relationship would never be the one she’d imagined, the new one—mostly repaired and forged by his efforts—was not bad. Tears filling her eyes, she nodded. And on the way, she spied her sister, her eyes bright and shining.

And there, at the end of the small path, standing in a black Armani suit that made him so gorgeous that her knees buckled, was Apollo. Jia forgot everything, everyone as she stared up at him.

She could feel his eyes travel down her length and he laughed as they lingered on her top and jeans. When his gaze swept back up, pausing just for a second on her chest, to her hair, pleasure suffused her. “Will you not come to me, Jia?” he said, extending his arm out to her. But even the darkness couldn’t mask the hoarse tremble in his voice.

“You should have told me what you were planning,” she whispered, beyond overjoyed.

“And have you show up in some frilly dress that’s not you? I adore you as you are, pethi mou . And I wanted to give you a wedding under the stars.”

Jia breathed hard, awed again by this man who heard every sleepy wish and dream she mumbled about. So, she went to him, her heart already given over to him.

“You take my breath away , yineka mou ,” he said, lifting her knuckles to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss. “And nothing, nothing, in the world has ever rendered me so.”

And now she could see his face that she adored so much—that high forehead, and the arrogant thrust of his nose and those wide, thin lips that had kissed and caressed every inch of her in desire and affection and...reverence.

Then she turned to look out over the grounds and he was behind her, his arms coming around to rest on her belly again. He was going to do that a lot, Jia realized. Their guests laughed at their unconventional behavior but then they didn’t know that she was the one who had proposed this marriage to the man she adored.

“You’re ready to marry me again, then?” Apollo murmured in her ear.

“Yes, please. Now,” she whispered and then with her hand in his, she followed him toward a life that she knew would never be lonely or empty or unloved. Even past the contract deadline.