A Wildly Seductive Night(26)

Julia beamed. Something like glee raced through her body, chased by the satisfaction of a job well done. She wasn’t a one-hit wonder, she still had her mojo, and her love for her husband had helped her nail a winning combo.

Byron clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Now what was the name of the drink?”

Julia spotted Clay across the room. His beautiful brown eyes held her captive, watching her, knowing her, wanting her.

Without breaking his gaze, she answered Byron, on the fly, with a name.

The only name she could possibly give that drink.

“I call it . . . the Happy Anniversary Honey.”





Epilogue





A few months later



The jet soared over the Atlantic, and his daughter cuddled up next to him in the first-class leather seats. Julia had conked out, and somehow Carly had snuggled between them. She tossed another playing card in the pile on his tray.

“Go fish.”

“Ah, you’re killing me, sweet pea. You’re killing me.”

“I knew I could beat you at cards,” Carly said with a wide smile.

“I’m going to have to teach you poker next.”

His daughter’s eyes sparkled at that idea. “Like Mommy. I bet I’d be good like Mommy.”

He tapped his finger to her nose. “I bet you would be, too. Just remember to play for fun.”

She grinned. “Cards are fun. Trips are fun. Paris will be fun,” she said, and kissed his nose. “But are you sure Santa can find us in Paris?”

“Of course. He knows you’ll be there for Christmas, and he’ll bring you a present there. And so will your mom and dad.”

“Maybe Santa will bring me a new baby sister. That would be so fun,” she said.

That was the first time she’d ever mentioned wanting a sibling, and there were zero plans to have one or even the hint of one under the tree, so to speak. Clay raised an eyebrow. “Probably not this year, but it can’t hurt to let him know.”

Come to think of it, maybe she was onto something. While he was blissfully content as a trio, perhaps a quartet would be even more fun.

“I will definitely send him a letter if I still want one next year.” Carly tilted her head to Julia. “For Christmas, we should get Mommy another nap. She’s been working so hard since she won the award.”

His wife’s conquest on the show had turned into even more success. While JT had gone on to win the season, Julia had emerged victorious, too. Her new drink had won several cocktail awards.

She was in talks with the liquor company Farrell Spirits about packaging the Happy Anniversary Honey. Most of all, Julia was having fun, and so was Clay. Tyler had nabbed the new client, and life was as good as it had ever been.

A little later, as the plane descended, Julia roused, flashed him a sleepy smile, and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

They were going to spend Christmas with their friends Michelle and Jack, who lived in Paris now with their son. Jack’s sister, Casey, and her husband, Nate, were flying in as well, along with their two girls.

A holiday of friends and family in the city of lights. Maybe they’d even catch a dinner and a movie some night, because that was still their favorite way to spend time together. Though, when it came to his lovely wife, sometimes they skipped dinner and a movie and had each other, and that was just fine with him, too.

You see, what Clay Nichols had realized over the last several years was that sometimes happily-ever-afters were truly that. Sometimes you got lucky. Sometimes you had the good life. Sure, there were ups and downs, bruises and cuts, but every now and then, you got to have what the audience wanted to imagine you’d have when the credits rolled.

You got everything you ever wanted and then some.

Because some dirty fairy tales had a way of coming true, over and over, every single day and night.



THE END