His Terms

Epilogue

Three years later

The sun beat down on her, but it felt good. Life felt good. She straightened, the garden her and Rian had put together just last month was hard work, not something she even had experience with, but the children loved to play in the dirt and plant flowers so it was all worth it.

Sorcha lifted her hand and shielded the sun from her eyes as she looked over at the swing set. A smile formed on her lips as she watched Rian play with their twin girls, Louisa and Charlotte. With their dark hair and blue eyes, the girls were spitting images of their father.

Over the last three years so much had happened. They’d gotten married, bought a house with an actual yard… a lot of yard to be honest. Rian had a vision in mind, a vision that included their children running around and never having to worry about where they’d be able to play, never have to hear the sound of rush hour traffic, or smell the scent of car exhaust.

And after they’d gotten married, Sorcha had gotten pregnant, as if fate were saying, “here you go, let’s see how the two of you handle twins”.

And they had handled it, pretty damn well.

Their home was big enough they could have had a handful of children, and maybe they would. They both wanted more, even if the girls were little spitfires, which Rian said they took after Sorcha in that regard.

She turned her attention to the flower garden, rose bushes on one end, and wildflowers on the other. The girls had picked so many different varieties that it was an array of shapes and colors in the garden. It was beautiful.

The girls started laughing and Sorcha looked over at the swing set again, watching as they ran around playing tag. Rian strode up to her, the grin on his face enough to make her heart skip a beat. He was in front of her a moment later, his lips on her no doubt slightly salty lips. But the passion that came from him told Sorcha she didn’t care about the dirt or sweat.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they turned to watch the girls play. Sorcha rested her head on his shoulder, even to this day thinking about all the things that had changed in her life, and with Rian. He was a family man through and through, that was for sure.

She tilted her head to look at him. “I bet you never thought you’d be in this situation right now.” Rian chuckled softly.

“I didn’t, but God does it feel incredible,” he said softly, the grin on his face broad.

She hadn’t known what “home” felt like, but with Rian by her side, with their children running around and laughing, she finally knew that this was what it meant.

He stared into her eyes and there was so much truth and vulnerability in the depths. “I may have never seen myself with anyone, baby, not having a wife or a family, but the moment you came into my life, you turned my world upside down for the better.” He cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. “I knew you were the one that was meant to be mine. I knew I could never let you go, contract or not.” He grinned and Sorcha shook her head and chuckled.

Rian Hartford might still be that arrogant, demanding man she knew all those years ago, but with her, with their children, he was a gentle giant that would give up his world if it meant making them happy.

He really was a devil in disguise, but that devil was the angel who was her husband, the father of her children, and the man she loved more than anything else.