I promised so here it is. This is the second epilogue from The Deal. If you haven't read The Deal, I wouldn't recommend reading the following.
Slightly less than one year later . . .
Gabriel slid into the booth across from his wife. She reached across the table for him and he took her slender hands in his. Raising their linked fingers to his mouth, he kissed each of her digits in turn. “Happy anniversary, baby.” Her delighted smile brightened the entire dining room. That it was just for him made him the happiest man in Adrien’s—hell, in the entire world.
And to think that last year this time, he’d been on the verge of losing his wife due to his own stupidity. When he’d told Kameron that he’d been worried about her losing her gallery, she’d surprised him by telling him that she would choose him over her gallery. That gallery was her baby, her dream. Gabriel didn’t understand until that moment how very much his wife loved him and how lucky he was.
Now he tried to show her as often as possible that she was his top priority. That didn’t mean that sometimes he didn’t fall short. He wasn’t perfect and old habits were difficult to drop. Fortunately, Kameron was perfect for him and she understood that his alpha tendencies ran deep. She didn’t hold a grudge when he screwed up.
“Happy anniversary, Gabriel,” she said softly. She squeezed his hands before withdrawing. “I know I should probably wait until after dinner…but I’m just too excited.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a plain white envelope.
Laughing, he reached into his interior jacket pocket and retrieved a similar envelope. “Same time?” he suggested.
“Deal.”
They exchanged envelopes. He tore into his while keeping his gaze on Kameron’s face. He wanted to see her expression when she saw the tickets.
It was well worth the wait. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but he could still hear her squeal of delight. “Paris?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I figured you might have a few more galleries that you might like to drag my Neanderthal ass to.” Since their reconciliation she had taken him up on his word of being open to spending their quality time in any way she desired. That meant lots of galleries and tea parties and picnics. Strangely, he didn’t mind. If Kameron was there, he was happy. “And while we’re there, I’ve made plans for us to visit Italy and Greece.”
She practically bounced in her seat. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “When do we leave?”
“Day after tomorrow. Tonight we’ll be too busy to pack.”
“Busy?”
“Yeah, I thought after this we could go home, take a bubble bath, drink some champagne, and then fuck like rabbits.”
Kameron laughed. “That sounds good. We could light candles like they do on television. And you know I’m always ready for you…but I’m going to have to decline the champagne.”
He shrugged. He’d rather have something stronger as well. “Brandy?”
Her eyes practically danced with mischief as she shook her head. “I think maybe you should look at your gift.”
He glanced down at the envelope she had given him and removed a couple of sheets of folded paper. He straightened them and stared at the contents in confusion. “I don’t understand. Is this your doctor’s bill?”
She nodded. “It’s a bill for a pregnancy test—a positive pregnancy test.” She bit her lip at his stunned silence. “You’re going to be a daddy. I know we just started trying and it’s really quick. Are you happy?”
He dropped his gift onto the table. Not caring who might be watching, he stood and pulled his wife into his arms. “So damn, happy, baby.” He covered her sweet, plump lips with his. He squeezed her before withdrawing to place a palm over her flat belly. Dropping to his knees, he kissed her there as well.
Kameron tugged at his hair. “People are staring.”
“I don’t care.” He stood swiftly and picked her up.
She squealed. “Gabriel, what are you doing?”
“Taking my wife home to have my way with her.”
“Wait, but-”
“We can order takeout when we get home,” he said, striding toward the door.
“No. We left our anniversary gifts on the table.” She pointed over his shoulder. He made a swift U-turn and leaned over so that she could scoop up the envelopes.
When he placed her in the passenger seat, he kissed her again. “I hope you don’t mind missing dinner out.”
She grinned at him. “Are you kidding? You know all I’ll ever need is you.”
“Same here, baby.”
