The Bodyguard Affair

Epilogue

It had been too long since Bianca had returned to the Black Diamond Building for one of the family’s infamous monthly dinners. But instead of being cooped up inside their private dining room, tonight the family was taking advantage of the pleasant weather to sit outside on the patio attached to the restaurant via a long and winding corridor.

It was entirely impractical for anyone else to be served on the patio. But the owners of the building got anything they wanted. Including a small crew of servers who were bringing out the appetizers and another round of wine for everyone at the table as Bianca and Sam arrived fashionably late.

“Hey! There you are.”

That was Isabel, one of Bianca’s new long-distance friends. Funny how we didn’t become close until I moved to California. Isabel, a native of the Southwest, may not have been from California, but she knew a thing or two about dealing with the weather. She’d given Bianca excellent tips on how to keep her hair in place.

Those long conversations about their biggest beauty secrets had soon turned into best-friend-like chatter. Sure, sometimes Isabel shared a little more about Scarlett than Bianca ever wanted to know, but that was par for the course when it came to being friends with a sibling’s girlfriend.

“See?” Bianca nudged Sam gently as they entered the patio. “I told you they were excited to see us.”

Sam took her hand, pulling her back and speaking to her quietly. “We haven’t told them the news yet. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Yes. It’ll be fine.” Bianca turned on her biggest smile as she braced herself for a hug from her mother, who was barreling at them at a hundred miles per hour. “Hi, Mom.”

“There’s my sweet baby!” She gave Bianca a tight squeeze before taking her other hand and pulling her toward the table. “And Sam, of course.”

Bianca saw Sam roll her eyes as they took their seats. They had been given the seats of honor next to her mother.

“You’re so tanned!” Isabel said from across the table. “And Sam, did you do something with your hair?”

“Huh?” Sam patted her head while a waiter brought them their waters. “No. I didn’t cut it, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It must be because you’re wearing it loose,” Bianca explained to both Sam and Isabel. “I guess she never used to do that.”

Her mother quaffed some of her wine. “I think it looks great, Sam. Very feminine.”

Sam narrowed her eyes. “I…”

Given that her long hair was the only part of her that didn’t scream ‘butch,’ it wasn’t surprising that Sam couldn’t tell that Vivianne’s comment was sincere.

“Take the compliment,” Bianca whispered to her. “My mom likes you now, remember?”

“No, I don’t,” Sam muttered.

But neither of them could deny that Vivianne Black had done a complete one-eighty since coming out with the whole truth about her life. While it had taken some time, when Bianca returned for her first Christmas after moving to California, she’d found her mother fawning over her daughters’ girlfriends as if they were her own. Parker hadn’t trusted it one bit. Scarlett had been hopeful. Julia expressed wariness, and Isabel just seemed baffled by it.

Bianca was simply grateful. But she hadn’t suffered at her mother’s hands as much as her sisters had. Nor had Sam known the ruder side of Vivianne in the same way Julia and Isabel had. Was smothering them her way of apologizing?

Once everyone was settled, Phillip raised his wineglass in a toast. “It’s lovely to see the whole family here again. Especially Bianca and Sam. It’s been much too long. Congratulations again on graduating, Bianca.”

“Thank you. From the sounds of it, everyone here has been busy, too.” She nodded toward Scarlett. “Congratulations on officially becoming CEO. I’m sorry we missed your inauguration.”

“It was nothing, really. I’ve been practically running everything for so long now. This was just a formality.” Scarlett gestured to her father. “Dad’s the one who should be congratulated for finally retiring to play golf all day. Then again, I hear Sam has finally stopped letting him win.”

“Sam never lets anyone win,” Bianca said. “She bested Dad fair and square.”

“That’s neither here nor there,” Phillip cut in. “Everyone has accomplished quite a lot lately. I’m proud of all three of you.”

His words were directed to his daughters, but Parker was the one shifting in her seat and blushing. Clearly, she still wasn’t used to praise from either of their parents. But her lingerie brand was booming, and it now had stores all over the country. And after years of being in the tabloids for all the wrong reasons, Parker had gained a reputation as something of a philanthropist due to her generous contributions of time and money to the two animal shelters in the area that Julia now ran. Parker deserved all the praise she was getting.

When the sommelier appeared to serve wine to Sam and Bianca, Bianca lifted her glass with her left hand to make the pour easier. She hadn’t been thinking. Because, up until that point, she had been careful to not show off her left hand until she and Sam were ready to make their big announcement.

“Oh. My. God,” her mother said.

Bianca cursed to herself. This wasn’t the plan. But they had no choice but to run with it.