Late Nights & Love Lines (Single Dad Hotline #2)

Epilogue

ONLY TIME WILL TELL

SEBASTIAN

R uby and Kade barrel into the conference room like the little Tasmanian devils they are. I love the friendship they’ve formed, even if Kade does push all of Beck’s buttons by constantly reminding him that he plans to marry Ruby.

My gaze stays glued on the doorway, knowing that at any moment, the woman I said I’d marry when I was ten years old will walk through it.

And she doesn’t disappoint. Her hair is as wild as ever, the salt air giving it more volume than she knows what to do with. She’s still uncomfortable with the uncontrollable, but I hope her hair is never tamed.

I narrow my gaze when I find her cheeks flushed and her chest heaving.

Stella enters right behind her, holding up an empty bag. “Who’s going to give us a jockstrap?”

Beck slams his laptop closed and stands abruptly. “Stella,” he mutters. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“We also need a cotton-candy-flavored,” Rowan cups her mouth with both hands, then whispers, “condom.”

My grin grows. It’s been three days since Seren’s recital, and there’s been a shift in our relationship since. Neither of us has commented on it, but it’s there, growing and expanding to catch up with the love that hangs in the air all around us.

Even when Seren introduced her as my girlfriend to her new teacher, Rowan didn’t run.

She’s got twitchy fingers, and her toes tap every time she considers pulling away, but she’s stayed, she’s fought, and I love her all the more for it.

“I need a holey sock, a skipping stone, and a mouse,” Seren says, holding up a sheet of paper.

“What’s going on?” Teddy asks. He’s technically Beck’s general counsel, but as our companies become one, he’s slowly making the transition to Meridian Waters. It’s a lot more work, but he’s handled it seamlessly. He’s the only one Beck trusted enough to handle the Bryer-Blaine account, and as I spend more time with him, I can see why. The man doesn’t have a disloyal bone in his body.

Kade pushes himself between Beck and Stella, then jumps up and down in front of him. “I need a grasshopper and a lollipop.”

“Leo has the entire town in a tizzy over this scavenger hunt the camp’s hosting,” Stella explains. “Each age group has a different list, and everyone in town is in on it. You should see Main Street right now.”

Across the room, Leo shrugs with a mischievous grin on his face. “I’m only sponsoring it. Wanda put the list together at her store. I haven’t even seen them yet.”

“What’s the prize?” Teddy asks with his face buried in his computer screen.

Every head in the room turns to him.

“Besides bragging rights?” Beck says with a scoff, as though bragging rights are the only reason to do it. “The adult winner also gets to choose the theme for the fall send-off.”

“Marlo said it’s the biggest party of the year,” Seren says, practically bouncing on her toes. “It’s a send-off for the tourists, and the town celebrates another great summer season.”

“You guys sure do love your parties around here,” Teddy says with a grin. According to Beck, he’s still adjusting to small-town life.

“You have no idea.” Elijah smirks. Though he lives in Raleigh, he’s been staying in Sailport Bay while we sort through this merger with Bryer-Blaine, and he understands how this town works.

“But the send-off is really just the lead-up to the Sailport Games ,” Beck explains, then begins pacing behind his chair. “It’s Sailport Bay versus Sailport, South Carolina, and having the ability to pick the theme is crucial. The winner from Sailport Bay then faces off against the winner of Sailport in the winter games, and Sailport has been trying to cheat their way into a win since I was a kid.”

Teddy groans. “Are you telling me we’re putting another workday on hold to finish a scavenger hunt? I love this town, don’t get me wrong, but we have a tight turnaround time here, Beck.”

“No, we’re not putting the workday on hold.” Beck grunts. “We’re going to kick ass at this scavenger hunt during the day and then work all night if we have to. The hunt changes daily for one week.”

I lift my brows at him.

“What?” he grumbles. “We can’t let Sailport win. They’re a bunch of cheaters.”

“Yeah, Dad. Come on. We have to win.” Seren grins and tugs on my arm.

I hold up my hands in surrender. “Rowan and I are leaving for New York this afternoon. The scavenger hunt is all you guys.”

Leo shakes his head, mumbling about shit to do, but then Kade pushes into his lap. “It’s okay if you’re not a winner, Uncle Leo. We’ll still love you.”

And just like that, the switch is flipped on my friend. “I know how to win, Kade,” Leo chuckles. “And since I’m on kid duty while your dad’s in New York, looks as though we’re going to have to win one for the team.”

Beck scoffs. “You’re not going to win.”

“Why not?”

The tension in the room builds as we watch a silent war break out between Leo and Beck, then, without warning, Beck slides his hand across the conference room table, sending papers and pens flying before he sprints from the room.

“Because I’m going to win the whole freaking thing this time,” he calls over his shoulder.

“I…” Stella snaps her mouth shut. “That’s the least Beck Hayes thing I’ve ever seen my husband do.”

“Give me your list, Row.” Leo snatches it from her hand and follows Beck outside with my kids in tow.

“What the heck was that?” Rowan asks, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

“I guess we still have a lot to learn about our new hometown.” I kiss her forehead before she can reply. “Let’s go talk to Lottie before we have to head to New York, Peach.”

“You’re sure Leo can handle the kids?”

“I know he can,” I say easily. “And if he can’t, Beck, Stella, and Tabby will be right there to back him up.”

Rowan’s eyes light up. “I love it here, Seb. It’s overwhelming and chaotic, but so full of love and happiness I never thought would be part of my life.”

“Peach.” My tone carries a thick thread of emotion. “The love and chaos are here for you today and all of your tomorrows.”

She buries her head in my chest, so I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

“We should get back to the house,” I say, checking my watch. “Lottie will be there any minute.”

“I still don’t know what her plan is.”

Taking her hand in mine, I lead her from Beck and Stella’s house. “There’s only one way to find out.”

ROWAN

I stare at my friend sitting across from me at the kitchen table, still trying to process what she’s telling me.

“You’re the only one I trust to take over The Single Dad Hotline. You understand the process and can make the matches,” Lottie says again.

“Yeah, I got that part,” I mutter. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around that thing you keep trying to gloss over. Someone is trying to steal your intellectual property. Are you sure?”

“Everyone wants it,” Thane says in his monotone voice that’s even more unsettling face-to-face.

“Even you?” I challenge.

“Especially me.” When I frown, he leans closer to the table, studying my face. “You’re upset by that answer.”

“Yeah, I’m upset. You just admitted that you’re no better than whoever is trying to steal from my friend and yet, here you are, sitting at her side.”

“Row.” Lottie gentles her voice while Thane seems to literally memorize every inch of my face. “Thane doesn’t—um…”

“I don’t process feelings the same way that you do.” He throws it out there as if he’s commenting on the weather. “I want her data and the science behind her matchmaking test because I want to study it, make it available to other people who may not…view the world the same way everyone else does. But I’m not trying to steal it away from her.”

His little speech might be compelling if it didn’t sound as though he were reading numbers on the stock exchange.

“You want Rowan to take over your position at the hotline, and then what? What’s your next step?” Sebastian asks.

“I’ve worked too hard to have some middle-aged assholes steal my ideas simply because they have the means to do so. That’s how my father operates, and I’m not standing for it anymore. If I can entrust the hotline to Rowan, then I’ll go to war against everyone in the tech industry who believes they can simply take from people with no repercussions.” Lottie’s face is red and splotchy by the time she’s done speaking.

“But how do you plan to do that?” Seb asks again.

“By rolling out my product to the masses and staying ahead of the slimeballs currently attempting to replicate my data. Honestly, I don’t have all the details worked out yet. I know I’ll need to invest in the actual technology, but I have to raise that capital first. Elijah said?—”

“I told you I’d front the money,” Thane says while brushing his hands across the table. He scrunches up his face when his hand comes away covered in crumbs from Kade’s breakfast.

Lottie turns to face him, and I brace for the impact of her words. I’ve known her long enough to know what’s coming. “Listen very carefully, Thane. And watch my face so you fully understand my meaning. If you ever attempt to throw money at my problems again, I will physically remove you from this conversation myself.”

It’s interesting how he scans her face as she speaks. It’s as though he truly is missing a connection between the words and the feelings behind them.

“That would be a physical impossibility. I outweigh you by at least eighty pounds, and I have over twelve inches on you.” His words are so…factual and straightforward. I almost expect Lottie to lose her shit, but she blows out a harsh breath while her nostrils flare.

“It was a figure of speech, Thane,” she says, but I can tell the effort it took to keep her tone even.

“Not to interrupt whatever is happening here,” Sebastian says with a smirk.

“She’s said something you find amusing?” Thane asks.

Lottie pinches the bridge of her nose. What the heck is going on between these two? I’ve never seen her exercise this much patience with anyone before.

Sebastian ignores Thane’s commentary. “Your plan is to invest in a technology company, one that’s not owned by Thane.” He raises his brow, and when Lottie nods, he continues. “But Thane will be involved in…some way?”

“Unfortunately, he understands the technological aspects in a way I don’t. Not yet anyway. But I built this company. It’s important to me that it stays mine regardless of how I utilize what I’ve created.”

Sebastian taps his fingers against the table, drawing my attention away from my friend and her odd new relationship.

“I may have a solution,” Seb says. “It sounds as though you’re willing to partner, at least in some way, with Rowan, correct?”

“She’s the only one I trust besides my brother,” Lottie grumbles.

“I’ve said that you can trust me.” Thane furrows his brows as he stares at her.

“You also bought the house next door to me in an attempt to gain my trust. And I told you, that’s fucking weird,” she hisses.

Now Thane looks thoroughly confused. “I was under the impression we’d moved on from that.”

Lottie drops her forehead to the table with a dull thud.

“Ah, as I was saying,” Sebastian interrupts again. “If you’re willing to partner with Rowan, and if that’s what she wants, I’ll make a deal with you that will, I believe, allow you to move forward as you wish to.”

My friend slowly lifts her head to stare at my amazing boyfriend. A little shiver works through my body every time the word boyfriend crosses my mind. Sebastian Walker is my boyfriend.

What is this life I’m living?

“What’s your deal?” Thane asks, pulling out his laptop from the bag at his feet. His gaze lifts to mine. “I need to take notes. I see things in black and white, and this helps me process.”

I nod and smile at him. For so many weeks I was annoyed with this man, and perhaps I’d been unfair to him. But there’s something about the way that he looks at Lottie that lets me know he’s pushing himself beyond his realm of comfort to be here, with her, and that makes him okay in my book.

Well, I might need to look into this little house-stalking issue of his, but otherwise, he might be good for her.

“That’s fine, Thane,” I say with a smile.

“My ex-wife.” Sebastian still can’t say her name without growling. He clears his throat and tries again. “She made a last-ditch effort to save her soul, or maybe she was trying to protect my kids. Anyway, when I married her, I purchased five percent stock in her father’s company. Each of my children inherited ten percent when they were born. Mya has always owned twenty percent, but in her last few months, managed to acquire another ten percent without her father knowing.”

This isn’t news to me. He’d told me as soon as he’d opened the envelope she’d given him, explaining that even though her behavior was vile, she wanted to be sure they’d always be taken care of. He’s sure it was a way to ease her guilty conscience, but I’m choosing to see it as her loving her kids the only way she knew how. But even knowing what Mya did, I don’t know where he’s going with this any more than Lottie does.

“Her father never changed the terms of my children’s inheritance. I assume that was because it never occurred to him that Mya wouldn’t will her shares and executive powers of my children’s shares back to him when she passed. But she didn’t. She willed it all to me. I now control sixty-five percent and am the majority stakeholder of The Fitzgerald Group.”

“That’s perfect. Perfect,” Thane mumbles while poking away at his keyboard with his two pointer fingers.

“I’m not sure I follow,” Lottie says. I nod in agreement.

“The Fitzgerald Group is, or was, in the top ten tech companies in the United States. It’s been mismanaged,” Thane says robotically. “But the company has the infrastructure that you require, and with the right people behind it, could be wildly successful.”

“What exactly are you suggesting, Seb?” I ask.

“I want nothing to do with that company, but I don’t want it to sink either—my children may feel differently about their mother’s inheritance someday. So what I’m proposing is selling my shares, at a deeply discounted rate, to Lottie. With the understanding that I’ll vote on behalf of my children’s shares however she needs, as long as Thane has a hand in bringing that company back from the brink of foreclosure. And that we oust Fitzgerald and his lackey Nick, of course.”

“Brilliant. That’s a brilliant plan.” Thane’s nodding excessively. I think it might be the most expressive I’ve ever seen the man.

“Why would you do that, though?” Lottie asks, crossing her arms over her chest. It’s a defensive move I rarely see her make.

Sebastian smiles. “Because I love Rowan, and she loves you. And because I’ve been sitting on this company for months now with no ideas for how to move forward. This kills two birds with one stone. It gives Rowan a career she loves, it’s a giant fuck you to the two people left in my life who think they can screw me over and come out on top, and because if the rumors are true, whatever it is that Thane’s working on will carry over to every project he touches, and that will ensure a very secure future for my children.”

He lifts his brow in her direction. “Is that reason enough?” he asks gently.

“Yes,” Thane grumbles. “A simple ‘because I want to’ would have covered it.”

Lottie rolls her eyes, then the weight she’s been carrying on her shoulders appears to lift with the twitch of her lips.

“It looks like we’re going into business together then.”

She holds out her hand, but I run around the table and hug her tightly.

“This is going to be amazing,” I whisper. “Thank you for trusting me with your baby.”

“Thank you for being my friend,” she whispers back through a cloud of emotion. “It’s going to be a ton of work.”

“We can handle it,” Thane says.

Lifting my gaze to his, I find him watching our interaction with something close to longing sheltered behind his eyes. I almost feel sorry for him. And when Lottie turns and wraps her arms around his middle, I know there’s more than business brewing between my friend and the elusive tech billionaire, Thane Wilder.

Only time will tell how it all plays out.

Come one, come all, to Sailport Bay’s Fall Festival.

This year’s theme is Good Luck and Bad Omens.

Do you believe in signs?

A black cat is about to find its forever home. Prince Charming walks beneath ladders and stomps on cracks for his girl, and a Wicked Witch just might find her happily ever after with the help of some merry meddlers.

You don’t want to miss the event of the season!

Click here to see how Sebastian and Rowan’s happily ever after plays out because, after all, you can’t fuck with destiny!