Securing His Destiny (Power Security #2)

Epilogue

Tabitha looked around her café, smiling with satisfaction. It’d been a long and sometimes very stressful six months, but her new café was finished and ready to open to the public the next day.

“We did it!” her husband exclaimed.

God, she loved being able to look at Steve and know he was her man. A week after he’d gotten out of hospital, he’d taken her down to the river and proposed, just like his story when she’d been in the hospital.

Unfortunately, two swans didn’t swim by, but that was okay. It’d been romantic and everything she’d wanted it to be.

Of course, Steve, being Steve, hadn’t wanted to wait too long, and five weeks later, they were married in a small ceremony at the same place he’d proposed.

They’d all gone out to a restaurant after for a nice meal. Neither of them had any family to invite, even though Steve had offered to find her mother if she’d wanted. She’d told him it wasn’t necessary as so much time had passed, and she didn’t need her mum in her life. In the end, it had been his team who’d made up the majority of those attending, and she’d invited Lauren as well. Her little girl had been their flower girl and had been adorable.

It’d been a wonderful ceremony and party, and their relationship had only grown stronger with each passing day.

“Yes, we did. It looks great. And now for the finishing touches. Help has arrived.” She canted her head toward the door where the rest of Power Security and her assistant, Lauren, were congregating, waiting to come in and help put up pictures and enjoy the food that Tabitha had prepared as a thank you.

It had been an easy decision to sell her little premises to Linex. She’d found the perfect location near her original one, and also close to Steve’s office. It was as though fate had been smiling down on her, because the listing had popped up the day after she and Steve had talked about her expanding her business.

Tabitha had seen it as a sign, and with the money Linex paid her, she was able to purchase the free-standing building and convert it into the quaint café that it was.

“Time to let them in and set them to work,” Steve said, stopping only to drop a kiss on her lips.

A kiss that promised so much.

“You really have lousy timing sometimes,” she grumbled over the catcalls and whistles from the people standing outside.

He ignored their friends and pulled her tight against his chest, one of her favorite places to be. “I can’t resist you, Mrs. Power.”

“Good thing the feeling is mutual, Mr. Power.”

Steve brushed his fingers down her cheek, and Tabitha sighed at the sweet touch. “I love you.” His gaze burning her up.

“And I love you. Can’t imagine doing this life without you in it now.”

“Neither can I.” He went to lower his head to kiss her again, but someone pounded on the door, and she rolled her eyes.

“Rain check?” she whispered.

“Definitely. We better let them in before they break the thing down.”

“Indeed.” Tabitha pulled out of his hold and let the people who’d come to mean a lot to her into her new place.

Life was pretty damn good, and she was incredibly lucky that Steve Power had wandered into her café.

A nger swirled deep in Lauren Wishart’s gut as she stared at the message. It didn’t matter how many times she’d changed her number, he somehow found her.

They were over. Had been over for years.

He was nothing but a sperm donor who didn’t even care to have anything to do with his daughter, yet he was always pestering her.

It’d been a mistake to get involved with Patrick Stringer, but Charlee, her beautiful daughter, wasn’t a mistake. She was the only good thing that’d come out of the disaster her three-month relationship with Patrick had been.

Not that it had really been a relationship. More like occasional hook-ups over that three-month period.

“Everything okay?”

Lauren startled when a deep voice spoke behind her. She whirled, making sure to put her phone in her pocket and met the intense green gaze of Reed Bolton.

The first time she’d come face to face with everyone who worked at Power Security had been when Tabitha had been attacked.

Reed had come in the day after and helped install the cameras. She’d been drawn to him but had put thoughts of anything happening between them in the never-going-to-happen basket. Her life was her daughter.

“Yep. All good. The place looks great, doesn’t it?” she asked, hoping he’d take her change of conversation and run with it.

“It does. Are you sure everything is fine?” His gorgeous eyes narrowed in question.

“It is.” Lauren forced a stiff smile. She should snap that it was none of his business, but that would only cause more questions.

“You know, if you need anything, all you have to do is ask.” Reed was intense and persistent.

She struggled to control the flutter in her heart at his closeness. “I…uh—need to check something in the kitchen.” She made her escape without a backward glance.

Lauren wouldn’t ask for anyone for help. For so long it’d just been her and Charlee, and she’d handled anything that had come their way with no one helping, and that was the way it was going to stay.

Plus, no way was she going to let the loser of a sperm donor disrupt her any longer.

Determination fired through her as she pulled out her phone, and for the first time since the merry-go-round of messages had started, she responded, ignoring the way her instincts were screaming for her not to.

Leave me alone. You have no rights. None at all.

What is going on with Lauren? Will she take up Reed’s offer of help? Find out in SECURING HIS FAMILY.