Beloved Predator (Beloved Series #2)

Epilogue

Twenty Years Later

Ari

It was a beautiful sunny day in the middle of June in Seattle.  I took a step back from the tomato plants on our rooftop garden and gazed out at the view of Puget Sound.  There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the water was a beautiful deep blue, the surface of the water dotted with sailboats and kayaks.  I adjusted my wide brimmed hat and sighed happily before turning my attention to my peppers.

"You're home!" a voice suddenly exclaimed from the steps. 

I looked up and smiled at Patrick's handsome face.  "I managed to get an early flight this morning."

"And you didn't call me?" The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows and the top two buttons were unbuttoned. 

"I literally had to run to the gate as soon as I got to the airport.  I've been home for maybe an hour.  I figured you'd be home early anyway."

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply.  "You're lucky the kids will be home soon or I'd take you downstairs and not let you out of that bed for several hours," he growled in my ear.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled.  "Rain check?"

"Damn right."

"I look forward to it."

He smiled and kissed my forehead before glancing at his watch.  "Wanna help me get dinner started?  We have maybe half an hour before they're home, and you know how hungry they'll be."

I tossed my hat on the table as he took my hand and led me downstairs to the kitchen.  As we prepared the food we talked about day.  Patrick spent most of the day with the property management company trying to lease more space for our next office expansion.

Reynolds Kaplan Consulting, formerly known as Shaw Consulting, had grown considerably.  What had started out as the four of us in one office now took up three stories of one of the largest high rises in downtown Seattle.  With almost two hundred people working for us, we were considered one of the top IT consulting firms in the Pacific Northwest.

My phone buzzed while he was upstairs changing his clothes.  I was typing my reply when he returned, now wearing a pair or olive-green cargo shorts and a black t-shirt.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Aiden said they're dropping Amara off at her house and then they'll be here in about twenty minutes.  I asked them to grab a few bags of chips."

He nodded and grabbed the plate of raw hamburgers.  "You ready?"

I grabbed a spatula and followed him upstairs, stopping to grab a bottle of beer for him from the fridge.  I found him on the roof waiting for the grill to heat up.  "Thank you, baby," he said, taking the bottle with a smile.

While he worked the grill, I pointed out how several of our plants were progressing.  He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into a kiss that left me breathless.  After twenty years we still couldn't keep our hands off each other.  Once the burgers were cooked, he turned off the grill and we headed back down to the kitchen.

We were slicing condiments for the hamburgers when we suddenly heard a rush of loud voices at the front door.  The voices grew louder as they came upstairs and yelled their greetings.  I had just enough time to put down the knife and wipe my hands on the towel before I was greeted by a sea of people.