After Hours

Epilogue: Like Mother...Like Daughter

"What's so special about this guy?" Alex grunted as Nell walked into the small french restaurant with a tall gentleman that she had been going on about for weeks. Nell was the oldest child and had been a relatively good behaved but Alex had always been protective of his little girl. He had protected her from all the teenaged boys who had tried to date her, even when she had gone off to college. She was the apple of her daddy's eye but the relationship had always made her love him even more. Family was always his main focus even when the company took off and he worked longer hours.

"What's special about him is our daughter is interested in him," She rolled her eyes at his obvious rage over his oldest finally dating. There came a time where parents had to let their children go and she had done so years ago when Nell went to college. Some times she truly felt as if Nell was her biological child and they had grown incredibly close since the adoption.

"Behave," She swatted his shoulder smiling over at her husband who had only gotten more handsome with age. "He's quite good looking though," She fanned herself, glad that the couple was still far away as not to hear what they were saying but the look her husband gave her let her know not to push it.

He growled, pulling her in closer nibbling on her earlobe. "Are you trying to test my patience sweetheart?" He asked only stopping when Nell coughed interrupting their moment. But the look in his eyes, which had never wavered in all the years they had been married told her that this wasn't over by a long shot. "You know I'm the only man you look at like that," She smiled knowing his words were true.

"Maybe if you stop being such a pain, I'll look at you like that later," She winked sipping her champagne, batting her eyelids in his direction. They were soon interrupted as the couple finally reached their table. She could see how happy Nell was by just looking at her, seeing how into the guy she was.

"Mom...Dad...I'd like to introduce you to Donnovan St.Clair," From the way their daughter was looking at the man she could tell this was no simple crush. She had seen her daughter go through crushes in the past but she could see this guy wasn't just a fling.

"A pleasure to meet you Mr and Mrs Hartford," Her husband grunted giving the younger man, looking less than impressed by the designer suit-wearing man. "Nell has told me a lot about you," She tightened her hold on his arm, giving him the look of death.

"Well my daughter has told us nothing about you...Mr Sinclair was it?" He purposely mispronounced the man's name and she kicked him under the table, giving him a glare that make him take a sip from his glass of water.

"It's actual St.Clair sir,"

She laughed to herself as for the next few hours her husband grilled the young man. Nell was old enough to date, being almost twenty eight years old. Her own Jeremy had been dating a different model each month since he had turned twenty and she had been the one who was called a controlling mother. To watch Alex respond the exact same way with their daughter was amusing to say the least.

"Dad... I told you about him plenty times. I think we're going to head out before you ask him his social security number," Nell twirled her hair around her finger nervously, kissing their cheeks before leaving the two of them at the table.

"Congratulations for running the both of them off," She punched him playfully but gasped as he pulled her into his arms. "Whose the controlling one now?" She teased stopping only when he nibbled her lip, making her feel the same way she did all those years ago, when she was just a mere secretary and he was her overbearing boss.

"It feels good to have this time away," He whispered in her ear as the world failed to exist around them. "No babysitters. No worries about the kids skipping curfew...just me and you. We shouldn't be raising children at our age. I'm too old for it,"