Path To Resolution (Fighter's Den, #5)

Epilogue I - Melanie

"Yo," There's a knock on my office door and a second later Corbin pokes his head inside. He grins at me, eyes alight with mischief. "Hey, boss."

"Stop calling me that," I grumble for the hundredth time. You'd think he'd be over it by now.

"But you're my boss," He blinks innocently. "What else would I call you?"

"My name works just fine," I grab a pencil off my desk and launch it at him. He ducks just in time and straightens up again, his grin widening even more if possible. "Need something?"

"Yeah, to save you. As usual you overworked yourself and now you're running late for that wedding."

"No I'm not," I frown and check my phone, wincing when I realize Nate and Delilah's wedding starts in a little over an hour. "Oh, crap."

"What would you do without me?" He agrees and comes inside, a dry-cleaning bag and makeup kit in his hands. "Sit. I'm going to make your face look fuckable."

"You know how to do makeup?" I ask curiously and go over to the couch. Corbin dumps a bunch of makeup supplies out on the coffee table in front of me, snorting as he reaches for a clip and ties my hair back.

"I'm an artist, babe. I can do anything with these hands."

"Hot," I nod in approval. "The ladies mourn your interest in men everyday."

"And I enjoy every second of it," He smirks, lip piercing glinting.

I fight another smile. Corbin instructs me to lean back and close my eyes while he does his thing. I should be worried but I'm not. Corbin is an artist and a damn good one and that's why I fought tooth and nail with Titus to steal him away.

Rebecca's Place has been open for a month now and I had a slow start but things are really starting to pick up around here. I poured my heart and soul into this studio to make it what it is today. I ended up using a huge chunk of the money that I received from Uncle Gary's lawyer — shortly after his trial when he was sentenced twenty years — to get this place built and pretty much used the rest of it for equipment and staff. Titus and Gia were sad to see me go but they knew it's always been my dream to own my own studio and we bargained on me stealing Corbin away. Besides, I pay the asshat well. The thousands I had left over I donated to different orphanages and women's abuse shelter, remembering that I very well could be in either of those positions if I didn't receive the blessings I did. Yeah, I had a shit life but I wouldn't have been able to turn it around without the people I surround myself with everyday. I'll never stop being grateful for that. For him.

Keeping my eyes closed, I fiddle with the engagement ring on my left hand and suppress a smile. I can't believe I'm fucking engaged. A year ago men were my enemy and I was prepared to hate every last one of them for the rest of my damn life. And then I met Wolfe, the man who showed me he wasn't anything like the rest. I struck gold finding him and bet your ass I'm keeping him for life.

"Look at you, daydreaming and smiling and shit," I can hear the grin in Corbin's voice. "Love looks good on you, babe."

"Everything looks good on me," I counter and hear him laughing.

"Seriously. You look really happy."

"I am," I smile. "Took a lot to get here but it's a damn good destination."

"If my destination was a human building with tattoos and muscles for days I'd be this happy too."

I smirk. He's not wrong about that.

Corbin instructs me to close my eyes again and I do, getting comfortable. I'm grateful that I don't have to do anything except sit back and enjoy. I've been so busy managing the studio that I barely have time to do anything for myself anymore. But I can't complain because this is a dream come true for me and getting to ink people, watching them marvel at the photographs of Rebecca I've hung up and talking to them about who she was and what this place means to me, has been so freaking healing. I never thought my life could be what it is today. Not by a long shot. It's surreal to me that I wake up everyday with a smile on my face, cocooned in the big and warm arms of the person who loves me more than anything in this world.