The Sweetest Sting

12: Epilogue

Lewie stretched out on the bed in their hotel suite with a sigh. Rora was in the shower. Without him. She'd shooed him away and he was a bit put out. Even if they didn't shag, he just liked being in there with her. He knew he was pouting and being dramatic, but he'd been gone so long for his final season, and now they finally had some alone time, something they wouldn't have much of, even with him finally home to stay.

The water ceased its pulse and after a few minutes, he heard her brushing her teeth and rustling around, probably moisturising her face and all that. She'd better not be putting her body lotion on. That was his job.

After an interminable amount of time, the bathroom door opened and his heart skipped a dozen beats. His wife was truly the most radiant woman on earth. Even after twelve years together, there was absolutely no one who even pinged his radar besides her. She smiled at him and his self-indulgent pouting dissipated.

When they met, he would have said that she was pretty in an alternative sort of way with her piercings and blue hair, but he'd fallen so deeply in love with her by the end, it was ridiculous that he'd ever seen her as anything but the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. His best friend. His world.

His fairy queen.

Her braids were pink at the moment, a colour he loved on her. She wore a silky green robe that tied in the front, and he eyed the belt, willing it to come open.

"Lewie! Stop picturing me naked!" she said, laughing.

He threw one arm behind his head. "I'm not!"

"You so are."

"Well, I missed you," he grumbled.

"And I missed you. But you have no patience."

She wasn't wrong. Usually when he came home from the road, the first thing he did was toss her into the nearest empty room, lock the door and fuck her senseless, but this time he couldn't. Her mum was at a bee convention of some sort, and her dad had taken a fall, so Rora and the boys had been staying with him, keeping the fruit farm running and the bees protected. It was a lot of work and Lewie jumped right in to help as well, but at the end of each day Rora barely had the energy to give him a goodnight snog let alone make love. He couldn't fault her for that. Thankfully, her dad appreciated all their help. He kept the kids at the farm and sent Rora and Lewie to a very expensive high end rental cabin in the Cotswolds as a thank you.

"Have you heard from Bella?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"She said Flo has absolutely gone mad planning Lyric's birthday party and thinks you can convince her to relax before she spends their entire savings."

"Tell them to win another reality show," he said. "They did it once, they can do it again." He smiled. "Anyway, how does one go overboard for a four-year-old?"

"The guest list is currently over seventy-five children . And she wants to rent out a castle. Not a bouncy one. A real one."

"Hmm. Okay yeah, that's a bit much."

"Oh also, apparently Marshall told her he's planning to come to the party. And he's bringing a date."

"I don't believe it. An actual date?" Lewie felt a bit of relief at the thought. Marshall had been the thorn in his side for years. Single. Good looking. Wealthy. And madly in love with Rora. Every event they attended, when Rora wasn't looking, Marshall was staring at her with eyes full of regret. He never made a real move on her, as far as Lewie knew, though he wasn't sure Rora would have told him if he had. Both men were capable of being civil. They were never aggy with one another, but there was a tension between them that stressed her.